Lake Mac GLAM 1: Fab Lab and Maker Movement

This symposium will explore how Fab Labs and the maker movement support innovation and creativity. It will also examine the role it plays in reimagining how people can use traditional community spaces as maker spaces and creative hubs.

Throughout the day we will explore Fab Lab and the maker movement through research, case studies and hands-on experiences at the Swansea Centre, home of the Lake Mac Libraries Fab Lab.

We’ll explore the following:

• Fab City and Relocalising Production – Taking Fab Lab Concepts To A City Scale Model – Tomas Diez, Fab City Foundation
• State of the Maker Community and Maker Education in Australia – Graham Mitchell, Core Electronics
• Turning making into jobs and commercial opportunities – Liam Manning, SAPHI Engineering
• Fab Lab: A Global Movement – Sherry Lassiter, Fab Foundation

Additional details for the program and session schedule will be released shortly.

About the Presenters

Sherry Lassiter is one of the architects of the MIT global initiative for field on-site technology development, the Fab Lab program. A Fab Lab is a rapid prototyping platform for technical education, innovation and personal expression. The Fab Lab network includes over 2500 digital fabrication facilities in 125+ countries. Lassiter is President of the Fab Foundation, a non-profit committed to building technical capacity, improving individuals’ abilities to develop themselves and their communities and bringing access to tools and knowledge that cultivate and support innovating practices. Lassiter is currently engaged in enabling grassroots technology development by, for and of the community.

Claire Chaikin-Bryan is the FabLab Lead at Lake Macquarie City Council where she is implementing numerous initiatives to support Council operations and the community. Claire is a qualified Town Planner and Civil and Environmental Engineer with a background in construction planning and project controls, visual arts, graphics design, digital engineering and computer programming. She has been working in the Smart Cities space since 2016 and was the Australia/New Zealand 2020 Smart Cities Emerging Leader.

Liam Manning is Chief Commercial Officer and partner at SAPHI – a team of tech-agnostic solution providers specialising in the design, development, and integration of Industry 4.0 Technologies, Robotics Automation, AI/ML Systems and ESG monitoring.

Clients secure SAPHI’s team to consultant, design, build and manage the technical solutions they require to innovate. As a business leader, Liam & his team at SAPHI have worked hard to develop a truly tech-agnostic company, providing tailored technological solutions for heavy industry, mining and government.

Tomas Diez is a prominent figure in the field of digital fabrication and urban innovation, with a strong commitment to building more sustainable and equitable cities. He is the founding partner and executive director of the Fab City Foundation, based in Estonia, and the Meaningful Design Group, based in Indonesia.

Diez is designing and developing learning programs to transform our current educational system, including the Fab Academy, the Master in Design for Emergent Futures, and the Master in Design for Distributed Innovation. Tomas is a lecturer at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). He has also served as an advisor to various international organizations, including the European Commission, the World Bank, and the United Nations.

Ticketing Information

Tickets include morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and all presentations on the day.

• Professional $70 (plus booking fee)
• Volunteer/student $50 (plus booking fee)

About Lake Mac GLAM Professional Development Series 2023

Lake Mac GLAM is a series of professional development events for those working and volunteering within Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums.

These events aim to showcase the latest innovations and initiatives to enhance the creation and delivery of engaging cultural experiences at your institution.

The three-event series explores the following topics:

• Lake Mac GLAM 1: Creating Local Innovation: A Fab Lab and Maker Movement Symposium
• Lake Mac GLAM 2: Risk and Recovery: A Creative Industries Symposium
• Lake Mac GLAM 3: Strategies to build Audiences in Performing Arts and Events

Tickets to all three sessions can be purchased at a discounted rate:

• Professional $190* (save $20) (plus booking fee)
• Volunteer $140 (save $10) (plus booking fee)

Please note: The three sessions can be purchased as a package, but can be attended by different representatives from your organisation. Names and dietary requirements of attendees can be provided closer to the date.

About the venue:

The Swansea Centre, located on the Pacific Hwy has onsite parking with accessible parking off Wood Street. The Fab Lab is located at the northern end of the ground floor of the Swansea Centre.

This project was funded by the Australian Government under its Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Funding and Lake Macquarie City Council.

If you have any questions or feedback about the series please contact: artsculturetourisminfo@lakemac.nsw.gov.au