Can we rediscover everyday object by hacking them? Can we dissect a computer mouse and find new ways of using it? In this Everyday Hacking workshop designers and artist Jesse Howard tells about his research on new design and production systems for everyday objects. After this we will hack a computer mouse in our Fablab.
Makerspaces, Fab Labs, 3D-printers and other digital machines are becoming part of our daily environment. Everyone can design and make things themselves nowadays. What are the effects of more makers and makerspaces?
Artist and designers Jesse Howard kicks off this series on ‘Critical Making’. In his work he investigates the production strategies of new products for our daily lives. These strategies have been developed and explored through the collaborative project Hacking Households.
In this hands-on workshop we begin with a low-cost, mass-produced object: the computer mouse. Through an anatomic dissection, we will first explore its components, origin, and production. With this knowledge, we will then create novel reinterpretations of this familiar device. What can happen when the simple function – such as scrolling through content – is translated into new objects and interactions? Outcomes could range from the practical (a youtube volume dial) to the playful (a party-clacker for noisy presentations). Through this exercise, we will explore how making can lead to new understanding of everyday things.
There are limited spots available for this workshop. You can buy a ticket for € 5, this includes a drink during the evening.
Programme
19:00 Doors open
19:30 Welcome en introduction
19:40 Workshop DIY Everyday Hacking
20:30 Presentation by Jesse Howard
21:00 Continue workshop
21:45 Reflection en drinks
22:30 End
Speaker
Jesse is an Amsterdam-based designer focusing on creating objects that question the established relationship between designers, producers, and users, which as a result speculate on new systems of making. Jesse initiated an independent practice in 2012 after graduating from the designLAB at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. With roots in the DIY communities of FabLabs and makerspaces, his work explores how new approaches to making can influence daily life. Currently, he is investigating alternative approaches to the production of everyday things through the ongoing collaborative platform Hacking Households. In September 2017 Jesse Howard started his residency at Waag as part of the 3Package Deal Social Design.
About ‘Critical Making’
‘Critical making’ is a series of workshops for and about makers. For each workshop, we invite a maker, thinker, inventor, designer or artist and have a discussion. After that we start making in our Fablab.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 709443.
