Summer Workshops

July 11 to July 15, 2010

We use our hands as a way of knowing and understanding the world. The hand is also a powerful metaphor for being human and the first tool before all other tools, both for us as individuals and for our species.

How do makers use the sense of touch, movement, and repetition to inform the work that they do? Do new technologies make us ‘out of touch’ or are they an extension of the hand? What does ‘the hand’ represent to our culture and to makers? How is tactile information different from rational thinking? Through touch, can we rediscover what we already know?

These and other questions and ideas will be examined through presentations, discussion, and studio workshops.

The format of Haystack’s conference differs from that of many conferences—it is intimate in scale and allows for ample time for informal discussions with presenters. It also features a studio component, with hands-on workshops providing another way to investigate the conference theme.

Conference presenters will each give a talk—either about a topic related to the hand or about their own work and the role of the hand in its development. These will be augmented by workshops, discussion groups, group creative process activities, and panel discussions.

Conference participants register for the studio-based activities and discussion groups through daily sign-ups.

2010 Summer Conference Presenters and Workshop Leaders are listed below. Click on each name to read a brief biography and description of their seminar topic or workshop session for the conference.

CANCELLATIONS

There is a full refund, less a $50 cancellation fee, for cancellations received by June 26th. There is no refund after that date.

2010 Summer Conference Schedule