Makers connect us with innovation and self-expression while supporting the economy of cities

摘要

There was a brief moment, not long ago, when it felt as if we'd crossed the divide between our sensate selves and an unknown realm of digital abstraction. We watched while architects let their parametric software loose to create never-before-seen forms even as the world of finance became fascinated by computer programs that moved money around without input from savvy investors. In the midst of this rapid shift to the uncharted era of big data, our innate humanity sought ways to assert itself. The maker movement-representing our need for self-expression through intelligence, creativity, and emotions in the service of fabricating tactile, beautiful, unique, and useful things-began to reclaim our complex humanity by embracing time-tested skills.