Week 2 Readings

There was a lot of material in the readings this week. The translated piece by Simondon was particularly difficult to get through. The discussions that we had in class about the pieces were quite helpful though.

How did you get through the readings this week?

With a dictionary... #truth

Simondon's writing is quite ornamental, isn't it?

If he took his own advice about keeping things simple and pure then this would have been so much easier to read.

There was a lot of information in The Power of Making by Daniel Miller that really resonated with me. I think that because of the technologies that we have developed, many of us have ceased to be makers. Why? Because we simply don't need to. Other people, other things, other machines will make stuff for us. There is no reason to create.

However, I think that there is something really beautiful that happens when people create things. Everyone has a different perception of the world and a different way of interpreting creation. I think that these unique experiences that build up to make us who we are and the unique skill sets that we each have allow us each to create something special.

Different things will call out to different people. Different people have different passions to inspire  new projects. However, with the maker movement, I believe that we are starting to bring makers back. Bring back the inspiration and that novelty of it all. The best part is that we do get to use all of the technologies that have been developed to make our creations better than previously possible (or maybe more efficient). 

I always remember my grandfather's ability to make things. He was a skilled carpenter. The things that he could make out of wood with his own hands and a couple of tools never ceased to amaze me. I didn't understand how someone could know how to make of the things he did. The rocking chair, the rocking horse, the jewelry boxes. Where were his instructions? Who taught him how to do that? It wasn't even his profession. It was a hobby for him. It was his passion. 

I think that (recently) we as a society have become more and more obsessed with specialization and studying in very specific topics. We have to be smarter and better than the person next to; have improved performance compared to the people in our field. I don't think that this is the best route to go and I don't think that it leads to increased productivity. I think that what is really great about the maker movement is the sharing between the members of the community. It is so cool to see people working together in such a collaborative way.

Note: http://www.vam.ac.uk/      [Link to Victoria and Albert Museum]