NordiCHI is an international human-computer interaction conference, taking place biannually in the Nordic countries. It serves as a meeting place for academia, industry, practitioners, educators and others from a broad range of traditions and communities, addressing interactive technologies.
With the publication “Makers, Crafters, Tinkerers: How Identities and Biographies Come into Being”, a workshop was conducted to explore the following questions: Who are those makers, crafters, and tinkerers, and how did they become such? Do they self-identify as makers, crafters, or tinkerers? How did (or didn’t) they develop such identities, and how have those identities evolved throughout their lives?
Participants were invited to introduce themselves through representative artifacts, or also through materials, tools, or techniques they brought along. During the workshop, digital presentations were avoided to encourage interaction on a social and material level instead of a “presenter–audience” format.
Related research has shown that role model, especially close and trusted individuals, encourage the courage to engage with the unknown. The workshop aimed to foster such an atmosphere and enable self-reflection. During the workshop, individual activities were combined with pair and group discussions. The goal was to move away from the idea of “the best” maker and instead benefit from the diversity of experiences and life paths.