Fixing, making and creating at the Digital Design Weekend

By Shakia Stewart, Digital Content Manager

25 November 2016 - 21:11

Cardboard robots

Art teacher and paper artist Kiswinar ran a cardboard workshop over the Digital Design Weekend, inviting kids to make their own cardboard robots.

"The workshop is mainly me sharing my skills for turning the cardboard into something that looks unique. You can use it as maybe an artwork, or perhaps a decorative piece. But the thing is I want to share the spirit of reusing what you don’t use anymore, so we don’t put more things in the landfill

It’s kind of weird to see a cardboard workshop as part of a Digital Design Weekend, but I am incorporating LEDS…so the kids also learn how to make their own circuits and the LEDs become the eyes of the robot."

8-bit mixtape synths

At the Lifepatch stall, people were invited to come and learn about interactive electronics, DIY electronics, and find out about the collaborative 8-bit mixtape project.

Andreas from Lifepatch was at the Digital Design Weekend at the V&A in September - we asked him to compare with the remix in Jakarta.

"Firstly, the venue itself is very different. The audiences in London are the type of people who go to museums, whilst in Jakarta it is really random people. The people who come to Kota Tua, the old town in Jakarta, are mainly families having a day out, so the audience is really random.

Secondly, the gap in technology has an influence. I’ve been working with art and technology for quite a while but there’s quite a gap between the two here. People in Indonesia think technology is so advanced, so to get them just to come to our stand and ask questions is hard - whilst in London every five minutes there’s people asking questions!"

Audience members were invited to play with the 8-bit mixtape synths, and also create their own. — Participants were invited to play with the 8-bit mixtape synths, and also create their own.

Kids at the cardboard workshop. — "I want to share the spirit of reusing what you don’t use anymore, so we don’t put more things in the landfill" - Kiswinar

A cardboard robot. — At Kiswinar's cardboard workshops, the kids learnt how to make their own circuits with LEDs becoming the eyes of the robot.

The Restart Project

We spoke to volunteer James about The Restart Project at the Digital Design Weekend.

“Anything with a battery or a plug, we’ll have a go and fix it. The idea is that we work with people, rather than doing it for them.

We had a vacuum cleaner and a rice cooker from the restaurant next door, they heard we were hear fixing so they brought out their broken devices. We had a power supply for a VR device, we had a blender, a smartphone.

Our strategy for the restart project is to build a platform to show that there’s a lot of interest in repairing through the community, and give vent to people’s frustrations about consumption and over-consumption, and use that as a platform to influence legislators, manufacturers, to make products that are more repairable, more recyclable. We’re going to take a while, but we’re slowly getting there.

Working with Makedonia, there is a lot of overlap because the maker community likes to reuse stuff. They might take the motor out of a blender and use it for something else. I think from what I see of the young guys here, they have the creativity and inspiration and the skills to go a long way. I’m very impressed with what I see in Indonesia happening."

British Council Indonesia