FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Design

The Future of DIY

Open-source workshops to learn physical (as opposed to virtual) skills.

The internet is all about doing it yourself; filming it, editing it, writing it, uploading it, sharing it. It’s made communication and distribution easier, we’re able to share ideas and information on an unprecedented scale. But while it makes life easier for the digital practitioner, what about for those building and creating in the real world, like the practical skills needed to build furniture? In other words: what about the offline world. The world that requires drills and hammers and all manner of laborious tools that aren’t downloadable at the click of a button. You could certainly learn about these skills online, but a much more engrossing way to do this is to learn from someone who knows.

Advertisement

In an article written for Fast Company’s Co.Design blog Jude Stewart discusses the growing trend for open-source workshops, a similar principle to open-source software, but an offline version where designers along with craftsmen and women share their knowledge, their technology, and impart their skills to anyone who wants to show up and learn. Bringing the values that are so cherished on the internet – such as the democratization of knowledge and user-generated content — and combining that with emerging technologies like the 3D printer, allowing people to create professional standard products much in the same way computer software has done for videos and music.

[via Fast Co.Design]