Maker Fest to Include Design, Art From Next Edition

AHMEDABAD:
From a desktop operating system for building, managing and scaling anything related to electronic and digital to ‘quantum materials’ used for exponential 3 D printing, the Maker Fest 2017 showcased a range of inventions, creations and disruptive ideas over the last three days.
Silicon Valley angel investor Asha Jadeja Motwani who brought the Maker Fest to India in 2013 and inspired others to hold such events across different cities in the country, is now seeking to expand its scope by integrating art and design concepts into the Maker ethos.
“We have a real opportunity now to leapfrog technology using machine learning technology and Artificial Intelligence. Art is an important part of visioning the future and we need tech savvy artists to bring art and design together to create real products for real markets,” said Asha.
From next year onwards, the entrepreneur and venture capitalist said there would be a serious inclusion of design into the MakerFest, which concluded here today. Over 150 makers and 25 startups participated in the event, which saw over 25,000 visitors including schoolchildren.
Artists Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu, co-founders of the ongoing third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale visited the event.
“It is incredible to see the children here bringing such amazing inventions into the world. There are great possibilities of improving the artistic and aesthetic elements” Bose said.
The artist said the maker event provided loads of possibilities forcollaboration.
“KBF will be organising some workshops and will firm up plans to discuss future tie-ups with Maker Fest,” Bose said.
Incidentally, Kerala is co-hosting the FabLab Asia Netw
ork Conference, a global gathering of cutting edge digital fabrication technologists and participants will also visit the KMB.
Both Bose and Riyas were given a tour by Asha of the Maker Fest venue at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences of Ahmedabad University.
16-year- old Yash Bansal from Meerut with his ‘gas watcher’, agroup of engineering students from Odisha with their rocket launcher and an innovation that enables 2D images to create physical surface textures on 3D meshes caught the artists’ eye.
Riyas Komu, who described himself as a traditional artist, said the event offered him a great learning. “For me this is a learning…hope I can incorporate aesthetics into the inventions of these young people,” said the artist and sculptor.
V Sunil, a key creative force behind the ‘Make in India’ campaign who was among the visitors, also stressed on the importance of design in technology.
“There is immense potential for India to become a country which can produce world class design with better coordination between the different agencies– government, the startups, the manufacturers etc” he said.
“It is possible that the next big international design product like theApple iphone even may come out of India.”
Sunil has committed to bring the full support of Make in India to take the Maker Fest to the next level.
Commenting on a device created by Prateek Parmar that fits an entire CPU into a palm-sized device, which Asha dubbed as “a disruption like never before,” Sunil suggested modifications in the design to make it more aesthetic and visually appealing.
The Maker Fest turns into a private company from this year onwards and has appointed a group of 4 Chief Executive Officers and 2 Chief Operating Officers.