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
