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Prelims

Leandros Savvides (Global College, Cyprus)

3D Printing Cultures, Politics and Hackerspaces

ISBN: 978-1-80071-666-7, eISBN: 978-1-80071-665-0

Publication date: 26 October 2021

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Citation

Savvides, L. (2021), "Prelims", 3D Printing Cultures, Politics and Hackerspaces (Digital Activism and Society: Politics, Economy And Culture In Network Communication), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. i-xxi. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80071-665-020211015

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021 Leandros Savvides. Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited

Half Title Page

3D Printing Cultures, Politics and Hackerspaces

Series Title Page

Digital Activism and Society: Politics, Economy and Culture in Network Communication

The Digital Activism and Society: Politics, Economy and Culture in Network Communication series focuses on the political use of digital everyday-networked media by corporations, governments, international organizations (Digital Politics), as well as civil society actors, NGOs, activists, social movements and dissidents (Digital Activism) attempting to recruit, organise and fund their operations, through information communication technologies.

The series publishes books on theories and empirical case studies of digital politics and activism in the specific context of communication networks. Topics covered by the series include, but are not limited to:

  • the different theoretical and analytical approaches of political communication in digital networks;

  • studies of socio-political media movements and activism (and ‘hacktivism’);

  • transformations of older topics such as inequality, gender, class, power, identity and group belonging;

  • strengths and vulnerabilities of social networks.

Series Editor

Dr Athina Karatzogianni

About the Series Editor

Dr Athina Karatzogianni is an Associate Professor at the University of Leicester, UK. Her research focuses on the intersections between digital media theory and political economy, in order to study the use of digital technologies by new sociopolitical formations.

Published Books in This Series

Digital Materialism: Origins, Philosophies, Prospects by Baruch Gottlieb

Nirbhaya, New Media and Digital Gender Activism by Adrija Dey

Digital Life on Instagram: New Social Communication of Photography by Elisa Serafinelli

Internet Oligopoly: The Corporate Takeover of Our Digital World by Nikos Smyrnaios

Digital Activism and Cyberconflicts in Nigeria: Occupy Nigeria, Boko Haram and MEND by Shola A. Olabode

Platform Economics: Rhetoric and Reality in the “Sharing Economy” by Cristiano Codagnone

Communication as Gesture: Media(tion), Meaning, & Movement by Michael Schandorf

Chinese Social Media: Face, Sociality, and Civility by Shuhan Chen and Peter Lunt Posthumanism in digital culture: Cyborgs, Gods and Fandom by Callum T.F. McMillan

Forthcoming Titles

Media, Technology and Education in a Post-Truth Society: From Fake News, Datafication and Mass Surveillance to the Death of Trust by Alex Grech

Environmental Security in Greece: Perceptions from industry, government, NGOs and the public by Charis(Harris) Gerosideris

Title Page

3D Printing Cultures, Politics and Hackerspaces

By

Leandros Savvides

Global College, Cyprus

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley BD16 1WA, UK

First edition 2021

Copyright © 2021 Leandros Savvides. Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

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No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters' suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-80071-666-7 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-80071-665-0 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-80071-667-4 (Epub)

Dedication

To all those people who tirelessly work to redefine the world toward the interests of the vast majority.

List of Figures and Tables

Figure 3.1. Adrian Bowyer and his Darwinian Marxist concept inspired fabulous St. Pauli members, enough to earn a place on the wall in the middle of the workshop.
Figure 3.2. Nottingham hackerspace hosts on its walls utopian comic images of manufacturing in space, signifying the culture of utopian thinking of some of the users of the space. 3D printing is a source of imagination for space manufacturing.
Figure 3.3. Still in early stages, but the power of imagination seems to be a primary motivating factor at least for younger users.
Figure 3.4. Marsapia, a 3D printed habitat design on Mars, for NASA 3D print habitat design challenge.
Figure 3.5. Joseph Beuys is an inspiring figure for fabulous St. Pauli. His philosophy of humanistic and artful production of objects through the concept of “Gesamtkunstwerk” resonates well in circles where art and science can be intertwined and ultimately political.
Figure 3.6. #Additivism, post by Daniel and Morehshin on Instagram, raises issues against mainstream utopian thinking.
Figure 4.1. Some historical facts on a wall next to the entrance of the Makers Yard, reminding the present users of the interesting history of the building.
Figure 4.2. Support for the refurbishing of the building was provided by the EU, part of the EU regional funds. This inscription is located at a central wall inside the Makers Yard.
Figure 4.3. Fixers' manifesto as it appears on the website, available freely online. A printed version of this is located at the entrance of “NottingHack.”
Figure 4.4. A digital board shows the tweets made by the people who are present at that time at Derby Maker Faire, as a real-time surprise map of creations within the space.
Figure 4.5. This board is located in the Central kitchen room of Cambridge Makerspace. In the middle is located a note on “Do-ocracy,” which is a core functioning mindset.
Figure 4.6. Cambridge Makerspace's room for reading and presentations. There are books for help as well as inspiration on the walls.
Figure 4.7. Sponsors of Cambridge Makerspace next to the entrance.
Figure 4.8. Some woodwork being done at Fabulous St. Pauli. The room in front of the woodworkers is used to create things with microelectronic components.
Figure 4.9. Fabulous St Pauli. Adrian Bowyer is the first plate starting from the top left. Second to right, Neil Gershenfeld, academic at MIT and founder of Fab Lab movement.
Figure 4.10. Introduction to 3D printers at Fabulous St. Pauli. On the left, a laser cutter; on the right, a bookshelf; and in the middle, a working table.
Figure 4.11. Basic first aid kit at Leicester Hackerspace.
Figure 4.12. To the left is a RepRap under construction; to the right, an Ultimaker 3D printer. St. Pauli, Hamburg, Germany.
Figure 4.13. A complex object printed as a single one for the purpose of showing the complexity of prints. Derby Mini Maker Faire 2015.
Figure 4.14. The event is organized in such a way to appeal to all ages, but there is particular focus on youngsters.
Figure 4.15. A Microsoft stand at Derby Mini Maker Faire 2015, advertising robotics.
Figure 4.16. The twitter wall. People create a pool of personalized information stories which others can access without knowing each other in person. Everyone can learn from everyone else.
Figure 4.17. Phone cases made by 3D printing and a laser cutter as part of creating a DIY phone workshop in St. Pauli.
Figure 4.18. A printed object as a replacement for a product.
Figure 4.19. A custom-made handle for an already-existing object.
Figure 4.20. Stacking the fridge with drinks for the community while waiting for a 6-hour print.
Figure 4.21. Niels preparing a 3D printing workshop.
Figure 4.22. 3D printing workshop at Fabulous St. Pauli.
Figure 4.23. Launching a book on the right to the city at a squatted building near the fishing docks of Hamburg. The place is full of activists, students, academics, artists from all over the city.
Figure 4.24. The new location for Fabulous St. Pauli.
Figure 4.25. Everyday life at Park Fiction, also known as Gezi Park.
Figure 4.26. A mapping of the right to the city network within the area. Underneath, machines for the knitting workshop.
Figure 4.27. Introduction to the general idea of a Fab Lab as well as introduction to Fabulous St. Pauli. Visitors are surrounded by 3D printers, a laser cutter and a heat press machine.
Figure 4.28. Helping migrants without papers and refugees is a major concern at Fabulous St. Pauli. Clothes were collected to distribute to those who need them. A laser cutter workshop takes place next to this.
Figure 5.1. The frappe machine exhibited at the shopping mall. In the center of the table is the hand-written caption citing the popular expression “yes, it can even make a frappe!” in the Cypriot Greek dialect.
Figure 5.2. Objects printed from the visit in choirokoitia archaeological site. The exhibits are stored in the art class after completion, the original are stored in a museum at the city center.
Figure 5.3. Benjamin's Tiltmeter Device.
Figure 5.4. Aleksander Is Trying to Calibrate His 3D Printer to Show Me How It Works.
Figure 5.5. Printed Part and Hardware for Creating Gift Robots.
Table 2.1. Early Additive Manufacturing Companies.

List of Abbreviations

AM

Additive manufacturing

CAD

Computer-aided design

CBPP

Commons-based peer production

CEO

Chief executive officer

CLIP

Continuous liquid interface production

CNC

Computer numerical control

DARPA

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

DIY

Do it yourself

EU

European Union

FDM

Fused deposition model

IP

Intellectual patent

IT

Information technology

LOM

Laminated object manufacturing

MTC

Manufacturing Technology Centre

NASA

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NSF

National Science Foundation

OSAT

Open-source appropriate technology

PLA

Polylactic acid

PVA

Polyvinyl alcohol

R&D

Research and Development

REMAP

Rehabilitation Engineering Movement Advisory Panels

SL

Stereolithography

STEM

Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics

STS

Science and technology studies

USB

Universal Serial Bus

UT

University of Texas

WEF

World Economic Forum

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank a number of people who contributed, one way or another, to the completion of this work. Without them, I would not have the courage to continue during the most anxiety-ridden times filled with doubt. This book is a journey that started with a simple question reformed during my PhD years between 2013 and 2019 at the University of Leicester and hopefully engages in a conversation that will continue to do so in the future.

As such, I would like first and foremost to thank my PhD supervisors, Dr Dimitris Papadopoulos, Dr Martin Corbett, and Dr George Kokkinides, for their invaluable assistance and guidance. They were undoubtedly a significant influence on the development of my ideas surrounding new technologies and the culture that surrounds 3D printing and hackerspace audiences. More specifically, Dr Dimitris Papadopoulos opened up my vision in terms of cultural traces of the new technologies, Dr Martin Corbett provided a nuanced perspective on what is important about the study, and Dr George Kokkinides touched upon the flow and layers of my work. I will be forever grateful for their support but most importantly for showing me that good research does not always mean taking a safe route.

Professor Athina Karatzogianni, thank you for believing in my work and for your psychological assistance whenever needed. Without your confident voice and editorial series, this book would sit somewhere between the back end of some desk, piling dust. I hope this work contributes to the series as an extra layer of understanding new developments in technology, culture, and ways of being in the world.

I also want to thank all the people who reviewed parts of this work and whose comments helped me navigate between my feelings and thoughts. I would like to thank Dr Christos Kostopoulos for sharing a home with me for two years, during which our fruitful discussions formed the basis of my understanding on the subject matter. My friends and colleagues created an environment of support, within which I could nurture my thoughts and organize my work; Marco Checchi, George Patsiaouras, Annie Ferra, Haris Gerosideris, Matteo Ciccognani, Maddalena Tacchetti, Crhistos Giotitsas, Dafni Mangalousi, Thomas Swann, Christiana Taousi, Precious Orhie Akponah, Andrea Ghelfi, Nerina Boursinou, Tony O'Tierney, Foteini Panagiotopoulou, Margherita Grazzioli, and the rest of the PhD community, thank you for your friendship and the stimulating environment.

I would like to thank all the people who helped me during my ethnographic journey, without whom I would not have any understanding of the culture and process of hackerspaces and people contributing to the world by trying new ways of creating. I would like to thank Leicester Hackerspace for their hospitality and initial welcome into this world of Makers. In addition, the people from Fabulous St. Pauli (especially Niels Boeing) have captured my heart in terms of helping me understand recent developments in technopolitics, giving an enchanting interpretation of art and science. Nottingham Hackerspace, Derby Mill (Hackerspace), The Grammar School Innovation Center, thank you for having me and for allowing me to interview at your premises. In addition, I would like to thank Johan Soderberg and the FOSS community who gave me the opportunity to present parts of this work at their conferences, while also providing a vital environment to nurture my understanding of the politics of open-source communities.

Furthermore, I would like to thank my internal and external examiners, Professor Simon Lilley and Professor Steffen Boehm, for enhancing my understanding of what a PhD is and how to approach theoretical and practical issues during fieldwork and being supportive of my work while giving me constructive critiques. Their feedback was helpful in reimagining parts of this work.

Apart from the people in academia, the people in my life gave me important psychological boost to finish this work, including friends and family. To my parents Savvas and Dora, who are not always sure of my decisions in life, yet are always there; to my partner, Natalia, who gives me a little push during days when I doubt myself the most.

Finally, I would like to thank the team of people behind Emerald Publishing, who despite changes in the structure of the organization and a blazing pandemic managed to keep me calm and be extremely helpful during the process of publishing this book.

Abstract

This book examines the emergence of 3D printing culture outside the professional lab, predominantly in Hackerspaces, Makerspaces, and Fab Labs. Such spaces constitute important sites in the development of open-source, desktop 3D printing and provide conducive conditions for the spread of the technology to and often beyond technologically informed publics. Specifically, this research addresses the convergence of activism and the maker culture with prevalent cultural imaginaries such as the visionary creator within decentralized and distributive manufacturing, the vision of autopoietic social systems, or the imaginative leap to space colonization. In addition, it explores the emergence of grassroots innovation and how it is configured through 3D printing. In order to observe the aforementioned social phenomena, I conducted multi-sited ethnography in several experimental spaces in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Cyprus. The selection of the sites represents different types of Hackerspaces, Makerspaces, and Fab Labs: some of them bring hobbyist maker communities together, while others were explicitly conceived as political interventions and others operate as informal startup incubators. In my fieldwork I followed users of 3D printing technology as they navigate their activities through grassroots workshops, multiple associated communities, and broader hacker networks.

Drawing on the findings of my research, I argue that the emergence of digital DIY and maker cultures was not only powered by 3D printing technologies but also played a vital part in creating, expanding, and disseminating knowledge of 3D printing further afield. Within this process, 3D printing users become developers themselves who simultaneously reinvent forms of consumption, processes of learning, and reconceptualizing the relationship between science and craft. Despite the apparent social and collective nature of these practices, there is also a parallel individualistic twist at the heart of the maker culture. The book contributes to a growing debate within science and technology studies, which is concerned with the emergence of citizen science and civil society interventions in shaping technology. Moreover, it touches upon challenges and motivations in the field of grassroots innovation by examining how it is organized and conducted in semi-informal contexts such as the Hackerspaces, Makerspaces, and Fab Labs.

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