Location: tiilt lab at Northwestern University (Mudd Library 3104)

Part I: Introductions, setting the context for making, and making!

Time: 9AM | 1 hour 30 minutes

Workshop facilitators will lead introductions and set the context around making with attention to somatic experiences. Participants will engage in initial reflections around prior experiences and feelings around making.

Participants will be introduced to the laser cutter tool and its features for transforming hand-drawn images into laser cut objects. Participants will then have the opportunity to reflect on objects or memories that they wish to convey into a design for a laser cut artifact.

Break

Time: 10:30AM | 30 minutes

Participants will enjoy snacks and drinks together.

Part II: Exploring somatic openings

Time: 11AM | 1 hour

While objects are laser cut, participants will join workshop organizers in a separate room to engage in a dialogue circle. The group will work to answer the following questions:

• How does attending to the mind-body during making shape their making experience and their senses for a maker identity?
• What feelings emerge as key to the experience?
• What do these reflections on somatic experiences open up for thinking about research in makerspaces, specifically facilitating or designing maker activities?

In this part of the workshop we seek to surface somatic experiences from our past, present, and imagined making practices whether as researchers, educators, or students. We hope that this surfacing will help direct emerging language, design goals, and the considerations or challenges of attending to somatic experiences when making or supporting making.

Participants will engage in an interactive painting that illustrates their feelings and emotions as they discuss. The painting will document the workshop timeline and the different feelings and ideas that come up for participants.

Post-Workshop

Participants will take their own created, laser cut artifacts with them. The collaborative mural and next steps for participants to stay engaged with making will be sent as a follow-up to participants for future reference.