This weekend, Maker Faire touched down in New York. Sponsored by O’Reilly publishing’s Make and Craft magazines, Maker Faire is a craft and tech expo that happens in several cities throughout the year. Exhibitioners included robot makers, tee shirt makers, garden makers, radio makers…seeing the trend?
Sculpture by John Belardo made from laser cut perforated metal, inspired by Bucky Fuller's geodesic domes. Got me thinking about the potential for decorative solar concentrators.
It happened at the New York Hall of Science in Queens. It was definitely a welcome recharge, and by the end of the bus ride back to Philly I discovered that I’d filled nine pages of a notebook with new sketches and notes. Here are some of my favorite participants that are making me re-think my stance on working alone.
Green lace hoodie from Reboot
I had a blast talking to Brie and Michael about their Philadelphia area slow-fashion clothing company, Reboot. They make simple, beautiful sweaters and jackets from the ends of industrial bolts of wool that would otherwise be discarded by large clothing manufacturers. They are clearly very thoughtful about their work, describing their hesitance to use the word “sustainable” because it’s impossible to know what’s truly sustainable. But their garment construction is unambiguously solid and well thought-out. I walked away with a gorgeous hooded sweatshirt and plans to collaborate on a wool-based workshop sometime soon. We had a great conversation that flitted from the ups and downs of small-scale manufacturing, to technology education for girls. I can’t wait to watch them grow.
Crystal Radios
