OPEN CALL HDSC2026 - Clouds to Commons: Regenerative Publishing Infrastructures
| OPEN CALL HDSC2026 - Clouds to Commons: Regenerative Publishing Infrastructures/en | |
|---|---|
| Name | OPEN CALL HDSC2026 - Clouds to Commons: Regenerative Publishing Infrastructures |
| Location | [[]] |
| Date | 2026/05/25 |
| Time | [[]] |
| PeopleOrganisations | Hackers & Desingers |
| Type | HDSC2026 |
| Web | Yes |
| No | |
📅 13–23 July 2026
📍 H&D Studio, NDSM-werf, Amsterdam
⏰ Apply by 25 May 2026 by filling in this form!
This summer, the Hackers & Designers Summer Camp returns to Amsterdam for a 11-day exhilarating communal experience of learning, hacking, tinkering and reimagining the cloud!
We’re inviting 20–30 people of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels, to join us as co-conspirators in a shared experiment.
☁️ From Clouds to Commons
“Cloud computing” has become a central pillar of today’s technological reality . The term suggests something immaterial, light, abstract, and placeless—data floating freely in the air. But this image obscures a far more material and violent reality.
The cloud is made of stuff:
The material reality of our digital habits involves deep-sea internet cables, resource guzzling server farms, precious metals mined to produce chips and more “stuff” to make up what we have come to call “the cloud”. The tangible “stuff” that connects computing to everyday reality is largely owned, governed and designed by corporate big tech companies that make all their decisions based on profit maximisation. Sustainability, social equity and democracy are not at the center of how these everyday infrastructures are built, developed or maintained.
🛠 What we’ll do
Together, we’ll:
- learn by doing through hands-on workshops & tutorials
- share skills with each other
- experiment with open source tools, storytelling, and publishing
- cook, eat, and take care of the space together
- open up parts of the process through public moments
This is not a bootcamp. There’s no fixed outcome.
The camp unfolds through what we make, test, and imagine together.
🔧 Ways of working
We’ll approach the theme through a mix of:
Hands-on hacking: Working with constraint as creative abundant source of inspiration: simple, low-tech, or repurposed tools and open source software to build our own server and publishing infrastructure. Configuring servers on minimal machines, stress-testing publishing tools under constrained network conditions, and experimenting with alternative interfaces that prioritise slowness, locality, and accessibility.
Speculative fabulation: Through world-building, character development, and visual storytelling, imagining alternative digital worlds not merely as technical systems, but as cultural imaginaries shaped by myths, promises and power relations.
Instant publishing: Reflection and knowledge-sharing as part of the daily rhythm of the Summer Camp Documenting and sharing as we go, through zines, radio, writing, or other formats.
🌱 Who is this for?
Are you a hacker, designer, artist, developer, writer, activist, researcher, parent, kid, or something in between?You don’t need to fit a label neatly or be an expert. We especially welcome people who are:
- curious about technology and other people
- interested in collective learning
- open to experimenting, sharing, and collaborating
Parents and caretakers are very welcome, kids can join the program with support.
🔄 Skill sharing
You’re invited (but not required) to host a session.
This can be anything: a workshop, walk, reading group, game, radio experiment, cooking session, movement practice, or something else entirely.
Think of it less as “teaching” and more as sharing something you care about.
🎪 Public moments
We’ll open the camp to visitors at a few points along the way through small events, broadcasts, and a final gathering with food, performances, and works-in-progress. No pressure to produce polished results. This is about sharing process.
💸 Contribution
We work with a sliding scale:
- €150
- €225
- €300
- or request a bursary (limited spots available)
This includes lunches, materials, and the program.
Travel and accommodation are not included, but we can help connect you to affordable options.
Kids join for free.
Bringing guests:
- We invite folks to bring their kin, young or old to join the program and to propose activities!
- Please indicate in the sign up form if you intend to bring someone.
- If your guest comes for only a few days we suggest a contribution of €15/20 per day.
📝 How to apply
🗓 Deadline: 25 May 2026
📩 You’ll hear back by 1 June
🏃 Activities will need to be finalized by 30 June.
📍Location
The summer camp will be hosted in the H&D/The Hmm studios located at the NDSM-werf. The NDSM area has a long history as a site of technological innovation, collective labour, and knowledge-sharing through shipbuilding, traces of which remain present in the neighbourhood and its residents today. By hosting Clouds to Commons at NDSM Kunststad, we aim to build a bridge between this industrial past and contemporary artistic practices that critically engage with digital infrastructure. At the same time, the area is undergoing rapid transformation, with new residents and developments reshaping NDSM, making it an important moment to create shared cultural spaces where different histories, communities, and futures of the neighbourhood can meet.
💚 A note on access
We use English as the main language of communication in the preparation of and during the Summer Camp. We are mindful of the fact that English is not the native language for many of us. Therefore, we try to use simple language and avoid jargon to keep things accessible for everyone. We aim to make the camp as accessible and supportive as possible. Let us know what you need, we’ll work with you to make it happen.
This program is made possible with the kind support of AFK
