Abstract:

This paper presents the proposal of introduction of Maker Culture concept, references and practices, as a possible solution for articulation between Art and Technology in the framework of a public institution of technological education. The practice of teaching art in this institution shows a discipline on the margins of its scientific and technological processes. Maker Culture (or Maker Movement) is considered an extension with more technological and technique aspects of the Do It Yourself (DIY) culture, in which anyone can build, repair, modify and manufacture objects, machines, designs and processes with their own hands . The Make It Yourself (MIY) absorbs the wide range of information provided by digital and information technologies. In this spirit, arose the proposal of the subject taught by Neil Gershenfeld (2012) called "How to Make (almost) Anything" in 2001 at the Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which was one of the origins of this culture. The focus of Gershenfeld (2012) consisted in drawing a parallel between personal computing and personal manufacturing and the boundaries between computing and physics. Back to the Art discipline, some actions started in 2013, and were composed of: technical visits in Maker spaces in Brazil and abroad; preparation of the Project Art, Design and Technology in Art course for mid-level/technical students; presentation of the results of the project in a science outreach conference; printer assembly 3D through participation in a workshop on international laboratory; creation of a research group. The adopted procedures culminated in the proposition of the 1st Maker Journey in the institution, held in March 2016. This event was composed of: presentation of the documentary "Print the Legend" (USA, 2014); public and interactive display of 3D printers by a group consisting of "makers" coming from businesses, social groups, private sector and industry and a discussion forum about Maker Culture in a Science Café format. The objective of this set of achievements was to show the art discipline as articulator element of dialogue with technology and conceive, from that position, a multi-disciplinary laboratory that brought together the two areas. The "Journey" opened prospects for dialogue before unviable, between Art and technical areas of the institution. As imminent results, the “Journey” became possible rapprochement between Art and an engineering research project, specifically for the construction of a vehicle and an electronics department project, related to food technology. Another point resided in the fact that the relationship between Art and Culture Maker opened possibilities for a new look at this subject, before marginalized, and now with better projection in front of other sectors of the institution.

Keywords:

Maker Culture, Art, Technology, Multidisciplinary Laboratory.