I am pleased as punch to announce our first Artist in Residence for 2015, the one and only, Darin White!
Darin White is a maker/photographer/storyteller who helped start kwartzlab and who loves to encourage making wherever he goes. With a background in software development, fine art, and a self-taught understanding of electronics, White tackles cross-discipline projects at the intersection of these domains. As a twenty-year resident of Waterloo Region, White invests his skillset in documenting and sharing the fantastic and diverse endeavours of local makers and the buildout of our creative ecosystem. His focus for 2015 is to help figure out how content creators can be fairly paid to support a sustainable make-o-sphere, thus increasing the awesome in Waterloo Region. Follow his progress at http://makebright.com
I have been dreaming of a kwartzlab member’s photo wall for the better part of 2014. After several personal attempts at gathering member photos, yielding in poor results, I am happy to pass the project on to someone who is way more qualified. Darin’s skill and passion for photography along with his historical connection to kwartzlab make him the perfect person to finally make this happen. Seriously, this guy gets things done! Oh and he also shows up– check out documented proof of Darin’s continued interest and support of kwartzlab after his decision to leave the group and focus on his makebright projects.
” I propose creating a maker portrait wall featuring 4×4″ photographic prints of all sixty current kwartzlab members. One goal is to strengthen the sense of belonging for members and provide a physical manifestation of the notion that the magic of kwartzlab isn’t in the shop or in the tools, but rather in the people. Another goal is to communicate externally that all things in the world, however complex and sophisticated, are made by people like you and me. This helps demystify the made world and lowers the threshold to encourage new makers to own their world rather than be subject to it. Thirdly, it has almost always been the case that it is rare for all members to be together in the space at one time, so have photos of the collective reminds members and visitors alike that, present or not, the greater “we” of kwartzlab is large and growing and diverse and cohesive.”
We look forward to having Darin back at the lab, he will be setting up a lit photo backdrop on Tuesday Open Nights in January and February to capture our member’s portraits. Additional days will be set up to accommodate those who can’t make it on Tuesdays. The final piece will be installed on our art wall in March.