Making Lab

is an opensource community makerspace that I directed between 2013~2014.

http://apap.or.kr/en/makinglab

Planning

  • Making Lab Kits >
  • SFPC Kits >
  • Game and storytelling >
  • Making Marathon

Kits and workshops

  • Making! Demo-day >
  • Kobakant >
  • Seungbum Kim and Eunpa Industries >
  • Phillip Stearns >
  • Green Frog Fabcoop >
  • Youjin Jeon >

Making Lab, located in Anyang Pavilion at Anyang Art Park, is a makerspace providing open access for the public. It is equipped with various facilities required for making, including electronic circuit, 3D printing and textiles. Making Lab presents different types of workshops and performances led by artists from Korea and abroad. At the same time, it serves as a channel for introducing open source technology to the public. Making Lab organized various preparatory programs for local teachers and artists starting with Making! Demo-Day in February 2013. It expanded its reach to a broader number of citizens through Making Marathon held in November 2013. By holding regular workshops, Making Lab demonstrates artistic potential based on the application of open source technology. In addition, it explores an archetype of sustainable lab or studio, driven by local community’s needs and participation.

The concept of open source originated from free software which values sharing over commercial purpose, and has now even expanded to a physical space with the popularization of inexpensive open source hardware including Arduino, Raspberry Pi and 3D printers. Owing to the fast developing technology and societal needs, amateur technicians, public artists and activists are vigorously experimenting with open source technology. For the past few years, spaces such as makerspace, hackerspace or fab labs have emerged around the world. Based on the values of sharing and cooperation, these spaces explore what the ideal community of makers should look like. Making Lab aims to lower the barriers of access to new open source technology, surpassing the boundaries of being a mere space. Since the 1970-80s, Public Access Television movement used broadcasting facilities as a means of social participation by citizens. Similarly, Making Lab wishes to use media facilities as not just the instruments of consumption, but production of discourse.

Researchers and artists co-research about computational media—the core subject of the Making Lab—as well as sub-themes including system, tool making and storytelling. The processes and the results of research are then shared with the citizens through workshops and other public events. The citizens familiarize themselves with new technology through various types of workshops focused on making rather than outputs, and are able to share conversations on different subjects. Audience development through exchanges with diverse communities is a goal in line with the research topic and every aspect of the activities. Making Lab aspires for a creation of a new community of making through technology education that promotes exchanges among writers and citizens of all backgrounds.

Making Lab intends to become an alternative public space for independent and self-reliant production of cultures. Thus, it supports the development of kits and study materials for workshops, while making efforts to plan individual workshops and performances, and foster international exchanges with other organizations. Making Lab is interested in the artistic and social potential of educational activities, in the context of the intersection between open source technology and public art. Making Lab represents a form of public art that is sustained and justified through delivering autonomous making out of the citizens grounded on experience and participation. Concurrently, it envisions a community-based research lab that can be formed in a whole new way, even under different geographical contexts.