Made-In-China II Programme: Call for Applicants!
The School of Machines, Making & Make-Believe from Berlin Germany will be back in April 2020 with their Made in China II course! Up to 15 participants will be accepted for this prestigious programme, where they will get to explore digital fabrication and incorporate IoT elements into their designs and devices.
It will be a 2-week course (apply now!) held from 6 April to 17 April 2020 in Shenzhen, China, and will be fully taught in English. Women and persons from LGBTQ and other underrepresented communities in the tech field are highly encouraged to apply!
We’re super happy to support the program again as a community partner, and here comes the huge news. School of Machine is also offering a FULL scholarship for 2 Chinese female applicants, covering the full tuition!! If you would like to join this programme but need the financial support, please apply for the course online and at the same time email to [email protected] to apply for the scholarship by Monday, 3 December 2019, 5pm (GMT +8). School of Machines will evaluate all the applicants and choose the final scholarship winners.
This workshop is geared toward anyone involved in creative projects (designers, makers, artists, musicians, performers, etc.) wishing to begin incorporating speculative future methodologies, fabricated objects, electronics, and/or sensors into their work or practice. The course approaches these topics from a hands-on introductory level. No prior experience is required.
Skills to be taught:
- Prototyping as iterative design & development process
- Design, development & fabrication of physical mechanisms
- Integration of multiple materials & media to create interactive objects
- CAD design & fabrication: use of Rhino, 3D printers, CNC & laser-cutters
- Basic programming Arduino/motors/sensors/LED strips, etc.)
- Integrate traditional manufacturing with new technologies
- Experience with different materials
- Presentation and communication with an international audience.
Course Outline
Week 1:
- Gaining an understanding of and experience with speculative design and design fiction methodologies
- Collection of objects, materials and other ‘ingredients’ from locals shops and markets, to construct a context from which to design future consumable products
- Delving into theory and practice of the current state of IoT connected devices
- Rethinking IoT connected device methodologies
- Exploration of production facilities / processes / critical design methods relating to production of goods and tools for imagined futures
Week 2:
- Design of objects to be produced in China as prototypes for future productions that could be elsewhere
- Documentation and archive of new objects
- Showcase of final works
Meet the instructors:
Artist, Designer and Lecturer
Sitraka studied Industrial Design and Graphic Design/Multimedia in Paris, and graduated from the Design Interactions course at the Royal College of Art. He has worked as an independent Interaction Designer since 2006, and currently lectures at Ravensbourne in London and School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
His work has been shown internationally at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Venice Architecture Biennale, Saint-Etienne design Biennial, the Art Center College of Design and recognized through awards and publications including D&AD, we-make-money-not-art, Axis Magazine, See Yourself Sensing by Madeline Schwartzman, etc.
Co-Founder @Very Very Far Away
Andrew Friend is an artist and designer. He is the co-founder of the international research platform and consultancy; ‘Very Very Far Away’, recipient of the Arte Laguna Prize (Venice IT), and teaches at Central Saint Martins and Ravensbourne colleges in London.
Interaction Designer @Frog
Simone has been teaching and presenting at CIID, SUPSI, China Academy of Fine Arts, Tedx, IxDA, SolidCon, Thingscon and Dconstruct. His works have been published internationally in Wired, Fastcompany, The Atlantic and Designboom. He has won numerous industry awards including two 2014 IXDA Interaction Awards for “Addicted Products”, and a 2015-2016 Internet of Things Award for Best Design Fiction for his “Ethical Things” project.\
Founder @School of Machines
Rachel Uwa is the founder of School of Machines, Making & Make-Believe. She is an artist, educator, and organizer whose background is in audio engineering and vfx compositing. Over the past 15+ years she’s lived in and organized social justice and tech communities and events big and small. She feels compelled to help bring these two worlds together and make the tech world less daunting and more diverse, inclusive, thoughtful, and fun. Her biggest desire is to see people living the lives they dream of living rather than the one they feel they ought to.
About School of Machines
School of Machines, Making & Make Believe is a uniquely curated School born in Berlin, Germany in 2014, keen on inventing one-of-a-kind hands-on learning experiences in the areas of art, technology, design, and human connection. We embrace art, creativity and exploring the latest technology and ourselves with openness, humility, and curiosity.
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