Open MAKE: Tools

A collaboration between the Exploratorium, MAKE Magazine, and Pixar Animation Studios, Open MAKE is a monthly program highlighting the tools, techniques, and ingenuity of local Makers. Visitors are invited to participate in tinkering and making activities inside the Tinkering Studio, where Makers from around the Bay Area will share their work. In addition, Gareth Branwyn, Editor-in-Chief of MAKE Magazine, will interview Featured Makers in the McBean Theater.

This month’s theme was tools. Six Featured Makers were interviewed in the McBean Theater between 1 and 2 p.m., talking about their work and process, and taking questions from the audience. The interview was be webcast live! Please go to bit.ly/openmaketools to watch.

Tim Hunkin played with us last year, helping visitor solder and spot weld on the floor, and building the wonderful archway that adorns the Tinkering Studio. This year he returned as a Featured Maker, and his talk literally made sparks fly!
Moxie is a wonderful artist who specializes in needle-felting wool to make it do strange and wonderful things.
Chef Elizabeth Falkner, of Citizen Cake fame, is an expert at using kitchen tools and can stretch the boundaries of what pâtisserie can accomplish!
David Lang and Eric Stackpole have started a community of tinkerers, engineers, and programmers to build an OpenROV, a remotely operated vehicle to go hunting for treasure at the bottom of abandoned mines.
Benjamin Cowden builds delightfully quirky machines that accomplish human behaviors, like kissing or licking a lollipop.

And back in the McBean Theater at 3:00pm Cinema Arts offered Tooling Around, a selection of short animations and documentaries exploring the boundless ways that tools can be creatively used beyond function!

Scheduled Workshops

Henna Lounge – The Art of Mehndi with Darcy Vasudev

Sat, Mar 17 — 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Henna, or mehndi, as it is sometimes called, is both the name of a plant, and the name of an ancient form of temporary body decoration. Used mainly for celebratory events such as weddings, festivals, and holidays, henna is thought to bring good luck. Even after thousands of years, only the most basic tools are needed to create beautiful, intricate designs. Darcy Vasudev, founder of Henna Lounge, demonstrates how to mix henna using all-natural ingredients. Mixing will be followed by a short course on freestyle pattern creation. Participants have the choice to “try their hand” at creating their own work of body-art, or receive a small traditional motif from Darcy. Henna designs can last for 1-3 weeks, and are sure to be a conversation piece everywhere you go.

In the Tinkering Studio, we made needle-felted creatures with Moxie, created three-dimensional shapes by sewing sheets of fabric together with Judy Castro, fused plastic with clothes irons, used sewing needles and conductive thread to make circuits embedded in bracelets and badges, and used motors and other tools to take Light Painting to a whole new level.

In the skylight area, many local makers shared their passions. Henna artist Darcy Vasudev drew some temporary tattoos, Meredith Scheff showcased her soft circuitry, master puppeteer Dax Tran-Caffee hosted a large scale stop-motion animation with cardboard puppets, Tim and Nicole taught people to use some tools properly and creatively, and much more!