Things learned at SXSW Interactive
One.
I haven’t switched personalities. I went to the exact sort of tech panels at today’s conference that one might expect me to go to: accessibility, communities, mobilization, crafting and feminism. SO PREDICTABLE.
Two.
The younger folks always swear more than the older folks. And there are lots of younger folks at SXSW.
Three.
I’m a big fan of tapas. And sauternes. And I should have more of both. Also, I should just go to Spain. Or Europe, generally. Or anywhere. I should just travel and eat more interesting food.
Four.
I’ve never been anywhere with such a large collection of nerdery/geekery/etc. in one place. Perhaps only a Star Trek Convention could compete with this. This is the one arena in which I feel totally safe to use my cell phone to Twitter and text madly. Because everyone just assumes you’re live blogging, and that’s cool. I got into one conversation today with someone about what we were going to blog about this event. Madness!
Five.
The crafting panel: okay, first, there was a woman knitting, which is cool at a tech conference. Second, I met the BurdaStyle folks, and that was awesome.
[Note: The woman who was knitting found me! Her name is Julia - see comments :)]
The panel, well, it was interesting, but I was hoping for something more provocative. The folks were interesting - they talked about uses of technology in crafting - adding diodes and lights to things, experimenting with hi-tech fabrics in sewing, etc. etc. The idea was to experiment with new mediums and new methods of expression, with the idea of not being afraid to venture out into things usually left to engineers. And I think the project of pushing boundaries beyond traditional craft materials and concepts is great. Crafters absolutely should explore new mediums for expression.
But in the end, I wish this panel had relied a bit less on what I thought were some cliche ideas. Their definition of technology … well, technology isn’t math or futuristic electronics or wires or diodes. It isn’t a useless gadget you superimpose onto a thing like taping a light bulb to a dress. It’s not an awkward, inexplicable addition to a traditional craft.
The best technology is always integrated - it’s not the end product, it’s actually part of the process. Technology is how we use what we have, how we make our lives better, how we add meaning, how we improve - it’s innovation, new tools, new processes, new ways to do things. Technology isn’t the future, technology is here, it’s in our everyday lives.
I really missed a recognition that crafters are already huge into technology, not just getting started. In fact, given the innovation and creativity I see from fellow crafters, in a lot of cases I’d say craft IS technology.
Think about tech crafters use already: my sewing machine is a damn fine piece of technology (they did mention this). The blended fabrics we use are the product of technology, and so are most micro-knits, milled fabrics and prints - like cotton quilting prints. Even the plastic rulers and plastic zippers I use are chemistry tech. The metal pins and needles we all use are amazing technology - how do you think those pins got standardized to such precisely correct diameters? There are so many ways beyond these that technology that has already been molded into our crafting lives.
More of my 2 cents.
I’d really hoped that they’d look at crafting and technology from a new media standpoint - crafters have taken a real interest in online interactive technology to explore, invent, open source, trade, experiment, connect and commercialize.
Crafters more than many groups have really embraced what this techie conference is all about - interaction and conversation. Crafters belong here, they should be a part of this conversation about interactivity. I’ve personally seen and met crafters of all ages, from many countries, many socio-economic groups, doing many crafts. But they’re all participating in the same circles, reading the same blogs and magazines, keeping up with crafting trends, and making friends. I think it’s an incredible phenomenon, and worth a serious look.
On a personal level, technology is YOU, dear readers, through this blog. I value all of you and my conversations with you. I try to say hi when you stop by, and read what you have to say too, and it makes my day to get comments and feel like I’m not talking to myself or the wall 
And I think that’s the technology I wanted to talk about today, this extraordinary phenomenon of all of us - it shows so well that technology is necessarily an end in itself, it’s a means to an end, and the end is human interaction.
Panel “Why Sewing and Knitting Still Matter” - about mixing “technology” with “traditional” crafts to create new things and push boundaries. From left that’s Mouna Andraos of Electronic Crafts, Alison Lewis of IHeartSwitch, Syuzi Pakhchyan of SparkLab, Diana Eng the fashion designer (hidden) and Natalie Zee Drieu of Craft
Nerd Out
Dear Readers,
From today through next Tuesday from morning through night, I’ll be at SXSW interactive, which you might know is going on here in good Austin. So I might be a little more absent than usual, but hopefully I’ll come back full of ideas!
Did you know there’s even a panel today of crafting interest? It’s called High-Tech Craft: Why Sewing and Knitting Still Matter. The description says:
Traditional crafts such as knitting and sewing are surging in popularity today thanks to the growing Do-It-Yourself (DIY) movement. These modern crafters on the panel not only promote the notion of DIY, they are using technology to reclaim these old techniques. From soft circuits and mathematical knitting to fashion technology and wearable computing, find out more about this new trend of high-tech…
Panelists: Natalie Zee Drieu (Senior Editor, CRAFT Magazine), Syuzi Pakhchyan (SparkLab), Alison Lewis (Producer, IHeartSwitch), Mouna Andraos (Electronic Crafts), Diana Eng (Fashion Designer, Diana Eng)
Mostly I will be going to panels about promoting community via the interwebs (actually, the crafting one still works for that, doesn’t it?), including things on promoting nonprofit interests or causes via the web, volunteerism, and other sorts of lovely interesting things.
NERD FUN! See you soon, y’all
Mission Espiritu Santo - Part Dos
More from my mission trip this weekend. I couldn’t leave it without showing you some of the mission, because it really is quite beautiful, and all I could do yesterday was talk about fiber. I’ve been thinking about dyeing things all day. So here’s another mostly picture post, just to show some of my trip. Oh, and sheep!
Maybe you remember me saying I love Gregorian chant? Well, here’s a bonus - I found a rare CD of Gregorian chant performed there in the Espiritu Santo chapel! It’s called, appropriately, Gregorian in Goliad and is not really available so much, it just happened to be available because of the place. I’ve been enjoying it very much. I told you I had the perfect trip.
First, animals with hooves! I may have mentioned impromptu sheep herding yesterday? These fine fellows had escaped their pasture on 183 and were trying to wander down the road. A quick U-turn and stop in front of them, and they turned around and wandered back into their field.
Sitting on a cool, breezy porch, sipping blue cream soda, watching the sky. The (newly painted!) mission sanctuary through the arches.
A couple of details. On the left, an exposed piece of wall left over from a wall that no longer exists. This wall was once part of the living quarters of the monks - walls sheltering rooms now open to the sky where young pecans grow. On the right a canon and cacti growing in a carved gourd, familiar elements of this life.
This sort of arched passageway says “monk” to me - whether it’s the interior passageway around the courtyard of a cloister, or an outdoor breezeway like this. I’ve always dreamed of having something like this as part of my house, a deep passageway of shady calm.
When I walked out of the fiber lesson, this is the sight that greeted me as the sun started down toward the horizon. This tree, with inch-long thorns and resident spiders, is one they use for dyeing fabric. The chapel, well - it’s still in use, and in fact was refurbished, refurnished and re-painted using historical dyes and patterns four years ago. You can even get married here if you’d like.
This was my favorite photo of the trip, just a homey, simple scene. Cotton is a bear to grow, a bear to pick (thorns, bugs, etc) but it’s beautiful on the stem or dried. And the quality of light that day just was amazing. I think I would be a happier person if I could choose the quality of light for my life.
Hope you’ve enjoyed my little tour!
