Kwartzlab Society Inc.

 
Gus, Eric, Karl, and I attended TEDxWaterloo on Thursday. Fantastic experience. Great crowd, great talks, great afterparty.
 
Here we are at The Gig theatre (the old Highland cinema), lining up to get in.
  

More after the break…
Spoiler: Amy Krouse Rosenthal was my fave.
  

 
Backyard astronomer extraordinaire, Darryl Archer, rocked the lab tonight, presenting the solar system through his amazing pictures.
  

More after the break…
  

 
A few of us from the lab had a beer and great discussion with Cathy and Roger Farwell last Friday. Cathy generously offered kwartzlab her/their kiln! Whoo hoo! and thank you!
  

More after the break…
  

 
Hey makers! Come and space out with us on Tuesday! Karl has invited Darryl Archer to the lab to blow your mind with pics from his killer backyard observatory.

Please help us spread the word: print and post this poster

More details on Karl’s blog
  

Happy making,
 DW

 
We just threw our money down for Maker Faire 2010. Tickets/flights/hotel. You should come too. It’s going to be awesome! Any doubts? Check out my blog postings from last year’s Faire.

Ping me with your travel plans when you actually book it. It will be cool to link up all the Canadians at the Faire.
  

Details on our travel plans after the break…
  

I’ve received some great feedback on the 5 + 5 event via email/blogs, some of it summarized here:
  

• from Hilary’s RQ blog: “Sooooo wicked!… I HIGHLY recommend you attend the next Kwartzlab 5+5 event. Awesome speakers, guests, space, beverage options and ideas.”
• Cathy Farwell, Artist, and one of our speakers; “The concept behind the lab is fabulous. The event last night was a great opportunity to learn more about your plans, meet and talk with some of the kwartzlabbers; most enjoyable.”
• Denise Strong, Artist, another of our speakers: “It was a lovely and animated evening, and what talent your group has, I love the inventiveness with which you operate and there seems to be a lot of respect and mutual cooperation among the members.”
• Rob Ring, Artistic Director, CAFKA: “I thoroughly enjoyed tonight. Artists and engineers/programmers have so much in common that it’s great to have an event like this where cross-pollination can happen.”
• from the UW Critical Media Lab blog: “This was a chance for folks to find out what Kwartzlab is all about, and it’s obvious that they’re all about making cool stuff–with passion…Hope we get a chance to figure that out as CrimeLab and Kwartzlab engage in an ongoing collaboration.”
• and lots of positive verbal feedback too.

So the experiment was a success and demonstrated that creative people, regardless of their discipline or domain, fuel each other’s passion for making. The evening reinforced my belief that a diversified group in kwartzlab creates a very robust organism that can grow and adapt and persist in a harsh environment. Let’s be a good constructive virus with guerilla tactics, too stubborn or stupid to recognize limitations.
 
I’ve had a number of volunteers offer to speak about their work at kwartzlab, both in the 5+5 format as well as longer timeslots. Thank you! You totally get it! When you come to the lab as a contributor and collaborator, and not just a consumer, you’ll get a 10x return on your energy. Bravo!
 
If you would like to speak at the lab, please contact me. We have no money, so we can’t pay you in cash, but will pay much respect for your contribution to the creative ecology. And we never forget a friend who has put out and pitched in to help the lab.
 
Happy making!
 DW

 
The 5 + 5 event was really fun. Great turnout and great energy. Thanks to all who participated by speaking, prepping, watching, and helping spread the word. If you liked it, email me. To get in the loop on our events you can follow me on Twitter. You can also follow kwartzlab.
 
Photos by me and Ed Maste (thanks Ed!)
  

More after the break…
  

 
Find out tonight at 5+5. 7pm at the lab.
 
Happy making,
 DW

 
Event tickets are on sale now! James bought his too. This is going to rock.
 
Any suggestions on how our whole extended posse from SW Ontario can keep in touch at the event? Like, “hey, it looks like a bunch of people from kwartzlab are eating paella in the picnic area! I think I’ll join them”. I’ve heard Twitter and Google Latitude, but not sure how that would work. Support for GPS is a must, and I’d rather not have to post updates, but just share my location automagically with a select group. A multi-platform solution will be best.
 
Can hardly wait ‘til May.
 
Happy making,
 DW

 
5 local artists
5 kwartzlab makers
5 minutes each
@ kwartzlab
 
We are bringing together makers and artists to talk about their work. Come join us.
 
Our speakers are:

• James Bastow
• Cathy Farwell
• Gus Gissing
• Jack Jackowetz
• Sarah Kernohan
• Denise Strong
• Alex Williams
• Karl Williams
• Darin White
• David G. White

More info at the event posting.
 
Help spread the word with this poster
 
Happy making and welcome to the experiment.
 DW