[-empyre-] Critical Making in International Networks

[Katie McQueston]

Hi everyone!
Thanks Tim for including me!
I'm Kaitlynn McQueston and I'm feeling very grateful to be involved in this
discussion with all of you. The posts so far have been very interesting to
me.

The UVic MLAB makerspace (Jentery, Shaun and Nina) and I will be staging an
interactive project touching on ergonomics and digital forensics.You will
hear more about the details from the rest of the MLab, I'm sure. I am
especially excited about the juxtaposition of interactive digital networks
with free workshops on the material skills of mold making. Mold making,
being the predominant mode of production of almost all our objects and
technology housings including ceramics, foundry work, plastics, glass
works, etc. We found it important to encourage this type of investment in
material skills/understandings alongside the programing, software,
networking and data interpretation as these two technologies are
inseparable and inform each other by necessity.

Having been introduced to critical making quite recently, a lot of my
understanding of critical making is from a Visual Arts standpoint. My
artistic interests are in rooted in Labour issues, architecture
(Anarchitecture), and feminism.
I find critical making, (demanufacturing in particular), much like craft,
skilled trades and contemporary art can be a tool for empowerment which
destabilizes authority and industrialization.

(A real example of this could be the strength of Gandhi's civil rights
movement coming from people making their own salt and spinning their own
wool.)


Looking forward to hearing more from the other folks in the discussion!

Best
Katie
http://kaitlynnmcqueston.com/
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