Input > Output at Digital Revolution
The 6-day Get Started with Product Design workshop we hosted and ran with the Prince's Trust, culminated today with a one day exhibition Input > Output at the Barbican Centre, alongside programming for Digital Revolution.
The twelve young people saw the work they had produced with us at Makerversity presented to the public in pride of place in the Barbican's Fountain Room. The Prince's Trust programme - funded by musician and entrepreneur, Will.i.am's I.am.angel Foundation - targets young people from vulnerable backgrounds and helps them into work by building up their skills, confidence and creative thinking.
Will.i.am came along to the exhibition to see their work and spent time talking to the young people and interacting with the digital instruments each of them had designed and built. He said of the workshop:
"I am so proud that my work with the Prince's Trust is giving young people from vulnerable backgrounds the chance to join the Digital Revolution and make a valuable contribution to modern society."
Input > Output in the Press
AETHER and Pyramidi at Digital Revolution
Makerversity's exceptionally talented members of Vaults 2 and 14 are infiltrating the Barbican. The UNSEEN, John Nussey, Sam Tripp, Searu and Alex Bygrave have all been involved in major works on show now at Digital Revolution.
Image courtesy of the Barbican
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Searu and Alex designed and built the mechanics and electronics for the instruments in Pyramidi, a collaborative project by Yuri Suzuki for Will.i.am, which features three deconstructed instruments, programmed to play the music for a song written by Will.i.am, called Dreamin' About the Future.
These guys are all amazing, it's all amazing. Go! Go! Go!
But whilst you're here, or pretending to work, have a look at both projects featured in these highlights.
The Week that Was: Get Started with Product Design
Six days of intensive recording, mixing, coding, designing, modelling, making and one exhibition later (at Europe's largest multi disciplinary arts venue, no less), we've made it: twelve unique musical instruments made in just over a week.
I, for one, am exhausted (and only marginally better at Processing). I'm sure everyone who has been involved with the project will agree that we are insurmountably proud of what our young people have achieved.
Over the course of a six-day workshop, in conjunction with the Prince's Trust and generously funded by the i.am.angel foundation, Makerversity ran the programme 'Get Started with Product Design' with a group of twelve aspiring young creatives at our home in Somerset House.
Across the week, the workshop introduced the group of 17-25 year olds to a range of musical, electronic and digital making skills and they heard from professionals from across the creative industries and expanded their knowledge of the possibilities for employment within product design.
Their challenge? To produce a unique digital instrument each, using their newly acquired skills that would appear for a one-day exhibition on July 3rd, 'Input > Output', held at the iconic Barbican Centre as part of the programming for Digital Revolution.
...and even typeset exhibition graphics!
Will.i.am came to meet the young people at their exhibition on July 3rd spoke to them about their experience of the workshop and even had a listen to their unique recordings through their Electric-Painted, laser-engraved, MaKey-MaKey programmed, 3D printed objects!
Their work from the programme will be on display at the Barbican, named Input > Output, for the rest of the summer - go and see it!
And they’re off!
This week, we begin our 5-day workshop 'Get Started with Product Design', a collaborative project between Makerversity and the Prince's Trust.
After our taster day last Tuesday, we selected twelve aspiring young people - all aged 17-25 and come from varied skill and experience levels - interested in furthering their skills and learning more about digital making. Today, we set out on our challenge to record, design and build twelve digital musical instruments in one week.
Introducing the Dream Team
Alex Morrison, Brian Sannoh, Christine Hewitt, Christine Katerere, Christopher Adam, Hannah Buller, Jake De Freitas, Nathan White, Nathaniel Momodu, Mansur Rahman, Rodel Bernabe and Zachary Brockbank.
Keep an eye out for these guys! Next week, on July 3rd, they will be exhibiting their outcomes at the Barbican Centre as part of the programming for Digital Revolution! Incredible!
Pan Pearson Hackathon
Over the last two days, the Pearson Lab has been packed out with nearly 40 coders, programmers, designers and product managers from across the Pearson group alongside computer science students, all taking part in a hackathon to collaborate on software projects.
Eight teams took part in the event here, which ran in conjunction with 18 other hackathons around the world, including Australia, China, India, Sri Lanka, Canada, South Africa, Poland, Norway, the US and across the UK.
Teams competed for four different awards. See the winners below:
Best Use of APIs was awarded to the Pearson Ideas Wizards for 'Pearson Ideas'
A social ideas generation and collaboration platform that allows any employee at Pearson to add an idea and collaborate with anyone and everyone.
Most Innovative App went to 'Schoolrun'
An English language practice gaming app, in the 'continuous running game' style of TempleRun / Rail Rush with English learning tasks integrated into the game.
Best Business Problem-Solving App went to 'FutureLab'
Disrupting the centuries-old world of scientific publishing, FutureLab uses articles and code to generate a scientific PDF article and all the other data around it.
The People's Choice was tied between Schoolrun and FutureLab!
A great few days and a massive thanks you to all who took part!
CentrePoint 3D Printing Workshop
Yesterday, May 21st the Pearson Lab hosted a 3D printing workshop with CentrePoint, a charity which helps to provide opportunities for homeless young people, led by our very own Paul Sohi, of 2052 fame.
