Even better - Fab Cafe Meetup the next day!

Daiki invited us to attend the Meetup at the Fab Cafe the next evening (2/24), so I opted to go and see what people were going to share. Such a fun couple of hours!

First, Daiki introduced me to Toshi, the "boss" at the cafe, who later introduced me to the two Autodesk Japan reps who were there. One of them does the workshops for their apps, and would be a great option to visit school at some point.

The presentations ran the gamut from wearable art of a more conceptual bent, to beautiful jewelry, to installations, to useful objects, to . . . well, lots of things!

There was a group of recent art school grads with a project called "Dialog" which included "secret sentence" jewelry, "conversation" necklaces of circles of acrylic with magnets, a dialog about the weather, and a touch concept that was wearable in two parts (over and under clothing) with magnets, and ripple jewelry (this all makes more sense with photos of the objects . . . )

Saori Kanihiro presented her writing earrings, beautiful thin brushstrokes of language turned into jewelry.

Apistec.jp presented about 3D printing and the printer kit he has available.

The MESH project, Make, Express, Share, from Sony, presented their sensors that have sort of scratch-like interfaces  - connective DIY kind of things that let you do all sorts of things pretty easily.

Last in the evening was the XSense presentation, which includes 3D CG, Projection Mapping, and 3D printing - the concept of boundary dissolution, boundaries between old / new, traditional arts / contemporary culture, etc.

 Here's the link to the page of presenters for the evening. Otherwise, here are some of the quick shots I took of presenters and things they shared.

Fab Cafe Shibuya: Best PD in ages . . .

2/23 was a PD day at school, and three of us were lucky enough to be able to travel to Shibuya to go to the Fab Cafe and meet with Daiki, who gave us a great overview of the space, tools and software one could use in the space.

We did quick hands on with AutoDesk 123D Make, 123D Creature, Adobe Ideas, and talked about 123D Catch, MeshLab for simplifying triangles, Grasshopper as the plugin for pyroetric modeling in Rhino, and other options like Modo (mesh), and 3DS Max, as well as Tinkercad and Sketchup.

We got to output a quick vector sketch to the laser cutter, in two versions of acrylic (two thicknesses, one also was a mirror).

We collaborated on a "creature" in 123D Creature and output that to the 3D printer.

Here's Dave getting scanned

We also got to play with the Sense 3D scanner  - first Dave got scanned, then I did. :)

Here I am, scanned! 

There are other options (this didn't have great resolution) such as the Makerbot digitizer, and the iSense for the ipad. Kids can also use 123D Catch on their iphone or android, which seems to have the same resolution (roughly) as the Sense scanner.


Here are a few other neat things we saw around and about on our visit:

showing settings with the laser cutter on acrylic

showing depth/darkness settings on the laser cutter

scale and resolution from the 3D printer

18th Japan Media Arts Exhibit at the National Art Center, Tokyo

Stopped in to see the 18th Japan Media Arts exhibit at the National Art Center in February. 

The video installation was fascinating - the first thing when you came into the exhibit. 

The Ingress mobile gaming application was interesting too, from Google's Niantic labs. 

(short summary from the award page: Ingress is a mobile application which transforms the real world into a massive multiplayer mobile game based on real-world locations, including cultural landmarks such as public works of art, historical sites, and unique works of architecture. Ingress uses GPS and a global mapping database to merge a fictional world with the real world. )

I also particularly enjoyed an installation with music and dance made to reflect the sounds and audio patterns associated with the making of traditional Japanese crafts (weaving, drum making, woodworking and ceramics). Here are photos of the woodworking examples displayed: 

The guys who were at the Maker Faire with Handiii were also in this exhibit with the prosthetic. They won one of the awards for excellence. Here's the summary: 

"handiii is a myoelectric prosthetic hand designed to offer flexibility and choice. Myoelectric bionic arms are prosthetics that people who have lost limbs can control intuitively through faint electrical signals (myoelectric) in the muscles, which are measured on the skin remaining on the arm."

The key is that they keep the cost down to under ¥30,000 (or $300usd), so it's affordable. 

Pecha Kucha January 2015 (vol. 121)

I finally made it to a Pecha Kucha at Super Deluxe.

So glad I went early - by the time it started it was packed, and by the end there were 450 people or so in attendance.

Vol 121 Pecha Kucha Super Deluxe, Tokyo
Photos by Michael Holmes

The presentations were inspiring - some more than others, but on the whole a positive evening. The Vol 121 event page is here.
The ones that stuck out for me were:

Magnus Celestii : Joseph Walsh Studio

Express Yourself: Sato Sugamoto
Is this a Planetarium: Masashige Iida

The two presentations I thought would be interesting but maybe didn't have the depth or scope I was hoping for were:

Fab Cafe: Kristin Smith

Un-Learning Creativity: Steve Baker & Project Esin


Here are the other photos from the event photographer.

Maker Faire Tokyo

Maker Faire Tokyo
November 2014

I spent a fun day at Maker Faire Tokyo, surrounded by innovations and inspirations in a variety of media, function and purpose. 
(photos below are from my flickr set, if you prefer to view them that way)

3D Design - course revision

Redesigning the CAD Theater Design course to incorporate more options for 3D output with our new facilities. Collaborative effort with Theater Design teacher David Neale.

Before:

Ideas:

After:

In search of ideas for instruction . . . Coursera Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society

In hopes of finding some inspiration for a throughline of incorporating design thinking with actual product / object design, I found a Coursera offering that seemed to fit the bill. Karl Ulrich taught Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society which gave me a great example of how to incorporate the design process from idea / brainstorming / need finding stage right through several revisions of an actual object. 

Here is the link to my blog from that 8 week course with my weekly reflections, processes, drawing exercises and photographs of the product created. 

(Drawing exercises and orthographic projection)

Design: Creation of Artifacts in Society

Combine fundamental concepts with hands-on design challenges to become a better designer.

by Karl T. Ulrich ,  University of Pennsylvania

Create, Make, Learn at Generator Space in Burlington, VT July 2014

A short two weeks after my Anderson Ranch experience, I was at Champlain College in Burlington, VT for the Create, Make & Learn Summer Institute.  The STEM/STEAM focus of this workshop let participants choose from three strands - or personalize their learning and pick the relevant parts of all the strands.  I explored 3D fabrication with the addition of the laser cutter, and added electronic circuits with Arduino, Little Bits, Makey Makey, and sewable circuits. We took advantage of the resources in the area, including the Generator Space, visited the Champlain College facilities that support their MFA and MS programs in Emergent Media, the gallery exhibits of interactive 3D and multimedia artwork, and Blu-Bin, a commercial storefront where you can take your 3D file and have it printed for you. Working side by side with K-12 educators in the science, math, art, library and technology disciplines, allowed us to cross-pollinate our ideas while we learned together. 

3D modeling software, processes and output devices are all aspects of a contemporary production model, both for fine art and the commercial world.  Rapid prototyping is a given, and the ability to create the digital model to spec, test with feedback, and then revise is an integral part of any sculpture, jewelry, metal or glass casting or other fine art process, in addition to the engineering / industrial design aspects of these tools.   The electronic circuitry of Arduino, etc., allow artists to create work that is responsive to its environment, to the viewer, or to any outside stimulus. As wearable electronics become more a part of day to day life, so will they be able to control microcircuits which record data, respond with visual, audio or tactile means, or otherwise bridge the gap between a person, their environment, data and other objects or people.  The potential for all of these tools to be more fully integrated into the Creativity, Innovation and Design strands at ASIJ, K-12, is right in front of us, particularly with the new design spaces, RED Room experiences and other electives at the middle level, and the integration into existing and to-be-designed courses at the high school level.  I’m excited to align future opportunities for ASIJ high school art students with the current groundwork being laid in grades 6, 7 and 8.  I also plan to revise the current sculpture curriculum to include digital 3D modeling and output, and to work with David Neale and others in the fine arts department to align our current and future  2-d and 3-d graphics courses in ways that support student creative endeavors as they move into post-secondary work in these digital environments, while maintaining the connection with how they translate to physical objects. It's a very exciting time to be working in the Arts with technology! 


Create, Make, Learn Summer Institute 2014

Strand 1: Join the Maker Movement with STEAM Powered Learning 
Looking for a way join the maker movement and start building your 'maker' skills? Spend the week 'making' while you re-imagine your learning space to include more affordable, accessible, powerful technologies that add  STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art and Math) to K-12 classrooms, libraries,  learning labs, and community spaces in ways that meet both Literacy and Next Generation Science Standards.  In this strand, you will...

• Make Games

• Make Prototypes and Print Them in 3D

• Make dazzling eTextile projects

• Make with Code (Arduino)

• Make a Musical Synthesizer 

• Make Cool Inventions with Programmable Circuits (Lights, Sensors, Buzzers, & More

• Make Minecraft part of your learning space  

• Make Old Toys into New Inventions

Strand 2: Maker Empowerment
Want to move from an emerging maker to a MAKER?  This session will help you dig deeper into the maker-ed world and empower you with more maker skills.  Each day will feature sessions on a new topic that will allow you to journey beyond the basic.  Choose a new topic each day OR focus on your own personalized maker goals while accessing maker resources (people, ideas, and tools) all week long. Session availability will depend upon enrollment preferences.  Topics may include...

• Intermediate Laser Cutting- including lllustrator

• Intermediate 3D Printing including 3D Modeling and 3D doodling 

• Circuits, Coding, & eTextiles

• Microprocessors, Robotics,  & Internet of Things

• CNC/ Welding/ and other Design Technologies

• Building a Drone

• Personal or Collaborative Design Challenge

• Personal Maker Project

• Building a 3D Printer 

• Making with Minecraft (Advanced Modeling, 3D Printing, Coding)  

Strand 3: Create and Make with iPads, iPods, and iPhones
This strand will kick off with the renowned expertise of RETN for "Making High Quality Movies."  The week will be filled with opportunities to CREATE and MAKE with your iPads in ways that meet Common Core standards.  Come and...Make high quality movies

Strand 4: Creating with Chrome
Got Chrome?  Learn to use Chrome Apps that bring out your creative genius.  Combine cameras, smartphones, Chromebooks, PC's and laptops to create magnificent movies, dazzling digital media, engaging ebooks,  amazing audio and more, with topics like... 

• Creating with Google Apps

• Dazzling Drawing

• Making Movies with WeVideo

• Creating with Chrome Apps

• Making eBooks

• Teaching Like an Artist with Chrome

• Making Models

• Making Games

• Making with Code

• Intro to Minecraft  

Anderson Ranch June 2014

 

Anderson Ranch June 23-27

My first PD experience of the summer was a week long 3D Printing and CNC output workshop at Anderson Ranch in Snowmass, Colorado. The course was led by Norwood Viviano , a noted sculptor and sculpture program coordinator at Grand Valley State in Michigan.  We spent the week exploring the software Rhino3D, which is the pro level software used in many college programs.  Lucky for us, it remains a free download in the Mac version, so we can use it with students immediately, augmenting our current use of Thingiverse tools and files in other areas of the school. The workshop was a great opportunity to work with sculpture professors from several colleges, professional artists and tech support for college programs as they worked to explore the ways 3D printing and CNC output will dovetail with their existing programs.  Rhino files transfer to the MakerBot software, which output to two different versions of the MakerBot printer. One printed PLA and one ABS, and we were also able to experiment with the dissolvable support filament for more complex prints.  In addition to 3D printing, we also had access to CNC machinery, and in the interest of time and materials we worked in rough form in 4” blue styrofoam.

Digital Sculpture: 3-D printing & CNC cutting – S0505

Norwood Viviano

SKILL LEVEL: I – III

CONCEPT: In this fast-paced workshop, we explore 3-D computer modeling and its potential within a sculpture practice. Students are introduced to Rhino software to create sculptural elements via 3-D printing and CNC machining. We discuss methods of combining new 3-D digital technology with a variety of sculptural techniques while exploring some of the most readily available CAD software packages and 3-D printing technologies available. Norwood leads examinations of various concepts, including hybrids, inventions and numerous strategies for digital fabrication.

MEDIA & TECHNIQUES: Students use Rhino software, 3-D printing and CNC machining; MakerBot additively prints parts in plastic and CNC subtractively carves parts in wood, and/or foam; thin plywood, Sintra plastic, acrylic and soft woods. Students are encouraged to bring laptops with current design software. 

ACTIVITIES: We learn through demonstrations, presentations and individual and group discussions to further the development of concepts and facilitate a better understanding of new technology and processes. The week is spent investigating CAD software, 3-D printing and CNC machining, culminating in a group discussion

FACULTY: Norwood Viviano heads the sculpture program at Grand Valley State University, MI, where he teaches courses in 3-D printing and foundry. He received his M.F.A. in sculpture from the Cranbrook Academy of Art. Recently, he was awarded residencies at Kohler CO., Tacoma Museum of Glass and the Corning Museum of Glass.

The back story . . .

Perspective