Cross talk;
by Adam Evenden on Jun.25, 2014, under Events, Projects, Running a Hacker Space, Unpatched Tuesdays
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Todays post is not quite what you think it is about, but the chosen title will make more sense as you read along. Hacklab has been around for a while on the maker/hacker/creator/incubator scene and could be seen as one of the original terminals that now make up part of the Mesh network that is our community in Toronto. As I have witnessed over the few years I have been visiting, making, and working within the community. I have seen how those who come to explore discover us or other parts of the community, and bounce around absorbing and finding the right fit. Many times those who are new to the community or those who are well versed in the community, have multiple links to the Mesh network by frequenting many of the other spaces beyond Hacklab’s walls. This is where I should note at times Hacklab has played host to other new groups in the community, be it the Haskell Users group, or the occasional DIY Bio group. I hope that Hacklab and other spaces in the community will play host to other groups that will ever increase the diversity of the community Mesh. The cross talk between each space informs one another through the sharing of ideas and others being partially mixed into others creating a noise of ideas and thought, spawning new projects that use the resources available at times of multiple spaces, and memberships. To get a better idea of the diverse community that has flourished within Toronto, I would like to draw your attention to a side project entitled Hacking-the-city, of mine that has been slowly creating an larger picture of the community, and those which influence and flow into others within the Hacker community. I have used pinterest simply to keep it semi organized and to attempt to create a visual idea of the community, as well as small description of the organization. If you as the reader can think of an organization, group, or other part of the community that I have not mentioned please tell me so I can pin them to the board. Cross talk may take some time to get really going, the intention is to visit other spaces with members of the community that frequent the lab and to get a sense of the other parts of the community threw photography. This I envision being a little difficult and taking time due to how does one accurately depict a community, or project via a lens. This is a constant challenge at Hacklab due to some projects are not easily conveyed. How does one take a photo of someone programming and convey what it is they are doing, or what the program is? To stage a photo or to shoot candid, which method is the more truthful and accurate? I look forward to this project and hope to share what I capture with you all soon. This past weekend the folks at The Ultimate Workshop, played host to some Hacklab members to work on a joint project. See below for a sneak peak at an upcoming blog post on the Retropopulator.
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- Further assembling the Reropopulator.
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- New part of the Reropopulator just had a hole drilled into it.
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- Assembeling part of the Reropopulator
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- Just getting ready to assemble part of the Reropopulator.
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- Milling a part for the Reropopulator
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- Partslayed out for the Reropopulator.
June 26th, 2014 on 3:08 pm
The link to hacking-the-city sends one to https://hacklab.to/archives/cross-talk/www.pinterest.com/fuzzyoddball/hacking-the-city/, not http://www.pinterest.com/fuzzyoddball/hacking-the-city, which is probably what was intended :)
Your pinterest is neat!
June 26th, 2014 on 3:45 pm
Fixed, thanks for pointing that out :)
July 2nd, 2014 on 3:10 pm
Hi Adam and others, I am interested in the Hacking-the-city idea because I’m starting to research the roles and varied meanings of hacklabs and maker spaces in N. America and Europe. I’m an urban historian at Ryerson. I teach a class called “Gaming the City” which combines games studies and urban studies and making. And I lead the Canadian Cities Initiative at Ryerson’s Faculty of Arts. Would like to stay in touch. Thanks, Art
July 3rd, 2014 on 5:14 am
Funny this. I currently attend Ryerson as a student in the Theatrical Production program.
With that aside. This project is by no means fully encompassing of everything going on in Toronto.
It is only a small glimps into the maker, hacker, creator, DIY, Tinker, and creative exploration of those in the community.
Some parts of this collection of are of other subcultures that have overlap or create or recreate societal perceptions by their actions. A primary example would be newmindspace, or any initiative that culturejams in a reclaiming of the urban environment such as urban gaming. I have avoided allot of the time linking to any events happening on Meetup.com when I can.
What one should think of about a hacker space is well it to others represents something a bit different to each person.
A prime example would be I see a hacker space an exstention of a mindset. A physical manifestation that creates a physical beacon for a community to be drawn to. A hacker space is not what it has, but the collected knowledge of the collective and the free sharing of ideas. While one of my friends view is many of these organizations I have on my list are within the new media spectrum.
Spaces like these on my on going list are a kin to language, and how the environment is changing. The Italian playwright Luigi Pirandello, once said in his play 6 Characters in search of an author; “THE FATHER: But don’t you see that the whole trouble lies here? In words, words. Each one of us has within him a whole world of things, each man of us his own special world. And how can we ever come to an understanding if I put in the words I utter the sense and value of things as I see them; while you who listen to me must inevitably translate them according to the conception of things each one of you has within himself. We think we understand each other, but we never really do.”
The diversity of the landscape that is the various community’s and those who gravitate to the the various community’s infer there own meanings on that landscape and get various names for the landscape. As well as create there own community based on the cross pollination of the community. Each time a like mind finds another the landscape gets a little more diverse. I look forward to one day there being a theatrical, new media, and jobber community/spaces added to the community.
With the community that supports these areas vanishes the search for knowledge will increase. The wide spectrum of book shops has rapidly meant that knowledge is less available to obtain, and only lending or digital maybe left.
I hope this has all made sense it is after 5:00 am. And I think I have gone off the rails a tad.
Please do consider stopping by hacklab on our open house if you can and we can talk more.