Sense.Switch.Create Hackathon

Hackathon, hackspace, maker faire and open source are terms that are increasingly part of the language of artists, designers and engineers. There is a growing movement of making things and sharing the process and outcome within cross-disciplinary communities the idea being to generate new ideas and knowledge through the production of artefacts. To enable this practice products are being developed that simplify technology and break it out of corporate ownership offering access to artists and enthusiasts alike. We are offering the opportunity to take part in a hardware hackathon. A hackathon is an event where participants are invited to form multi-disciplinary teams to develop an artefact from inception to completion over the course of one or more days. We are running a three-day event providing the materials, space and support to devise and build physical and wearable interactive artefacts driven by switches and sensors. This event will start with a workshop introducing littleBits, arduinos and lilyPads and presenting some projects for inspiration. The rest of day one is dedicated to idea generation and making. On day two, space and some limited supervision will be provided enabling participants to continue their build whenever it fits their schedule and on day three we propose an exhibition of completed artefacts. LittleBits are a set of snap together modules containing simple electronic components. They are ideal for those with minimal technical confidence to get started in building interactive artefacts using a variety of switches and sensors. The arduino is a small board containing a microprocessor chip and a number of digital and analogue inputs and outputs. Using an open source programming interface they enable highly sophisticated artefacts to be developed with relative ease and limited expense. LilyPads are wearable arduinos making developing wearable technology accessible. Our aim is to explore the relationship between art and technology through experimentation and play