The last years I wondered about the buzz around digital fabrication. While studying architecture at the Technical University of Delft (2003 - 2010), I experimented with this technology to create architectural models. As design and education professional in the cultural field (2010 - present), I used this technology in practice. It took me years to learn how to use these tools within my design process.
Is this ‘new’ technology for creative production really appealing to a broader audience than professionals? And what is the role of (art) education in this? To find some answers, I decided to visit the nucleus of digital fabrication. I went to a Fablab for the first time. “A Fablab (short for: fabrication laboratory) is a fully equipped fabrication workshop that gives everyone, from small children to entrepreneurs and businesses, the capability to turn their ideas and concepts into reality. The aim is to make almost anything!” (Waag).
I wrote an essay about my experiences — a reflection on my findings during a day of observations at the Fablab Amsterdam.
