Making knowledge - about makers culture, glocal solutions and sustainable production

Purpose and goal

The goal of the project is to highlight a broad maker culture and create an understanding of the challenges the movement faces. With ten years experience of running Sweden´s first maker space we felt at STPLN that it was time to make a serious effort to highlight the movement. With the first national conference about, and made by, makers we lifted the maker movement and its prospects and potential. Together with the different maker initiatives we discussed the maker movement´s future and the conference was a nudge in the right direction to begin the process of starting a national union.

Expected results and effects

By examining and actually asking makers about their own movement, we created a better picture of what the movement is and how it can work. What needs it have and possible solutions. The conference discussed these issues while the general public was given the opportunity to take part in the movement and what it means and can mean for Sweden in the present. Makers from all over Sweden came together and the idea was to continue to cooperate and jointly create a national federation to join together and to influence national decisions to a greater extent in the future.

Planned approach and implementation

The format of the conference was to first make a deeper study and discuss with various makers in Sweden and at the same time contacting potential partners and support organizations. In this way we were able to create a greater picture of where the movement is, what it needs and what help there is to get. What a maker is was problematized and during the conference, we tried to give a picture of a broader definition, both what a maker is and what a maker does. After the conference was all thoughts and discussions were summed up in a condensed report that can be a basis for further work.