HDSA2017 - On and Off the Grid

During the summer of 2017 Hackers & Designers invites an international group of ambitious participants to learn by creating, researching, and discussing. The program of the Hackers & Designers Summer Academy in 2017 (HDSA2017) includes workshops, talks and lectures lead by well versed talented educators and professionals skilled at teaching and sharing information of their own research and practice to groups of individuals who are self-initiators, curious and innovative in their fields. People who are not afraid to open, break or rethink software and hardware concepts and the like to reflect and research the ethical consequences that arise in our contemporary information society.

– Fill in our Typeform to sign up for the 3rd edition of the H&D Summer Academy.
– The deadline is May 30, 2017. (First come first serve)
– Spoken language is English
– All workshops are accessible for both the tech-savvy and the newbie nerds.
– Full program, welcome dinner, daily lunch, free access to the public programs: €350,00 (excl. VAT)*

Program
The program is available here: http://hackersanddesigners.nl/HD-Program-2017.pdf.

The 2-week workshop program will conclude with an exhibition accompanied by a public lecture program at Mediamatic in Amsterdam.

Investigating means of going on and off the grid
In order to bring the diverse disciplines together in a meaningful way, the HDSA2017 program focuses on the thematic thread and the process of going ‘on and off-the grid’, – a crucial societal topic and ongoing discussion at stake in both design/art and developer practices.
By developing an elaborate hands-on program H&D invites the Summer Academy participants to reflect and question dependence and obedience of our daily work and living environments. How can we, as modern nomadic workers who often do not differentiate between work and private life, look critically at infrastructure, networks and systems we rely on? Are we as steadily connected networkers capable of disconnecting from existing grids? Can we rethink and build self-sustaining environments that shape our future practices in unexpected ways?

The program shall challenge and activate the participants to use and push the boundaries of existing technology and programming platforms (web, hardware, software), networks online/offline (internet, deep web, darknet, peer 2 peer, blockchain), and user experience, all in a practical manner while incorporating content matters and ethical consequences of the proposed technologies and processes.

DIY (Do it yourself) & DIT (Do it together)
In order to develop a deeper understanding of the qualities and disadvantages of technology we need to look inside the black boxes of the technology that we heavily rely on in our daily physical and digital, and our private and professional lives. Therefore a hands-on approach and the challenges that come with making stays central throughout the whole program. We urge the participants of the summer academy to collaborate in opening the box, look inside it, rummage through it or even make their own boxes.

H&D believes designers and artists should be empowered with the tools of the digital realm including coding and hardware usage and construction. Conversely technologists should be more comfortable and effective in engaging in creative processes through familiarity with the vocabulary of designers and artists. All disciplines should become more comfortable in theoretical and social discourse, and thus be asking questions such as should we instead of can we.

• If the HDSA2016 is not sold out, there is an option to participate in one of the program blocks. The price of one program block is €200,00 (excl. VAT)

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