The organization of personal fabrication : Hackathons and makerspaces as semi-professional places for creative making

Maker and DIY cultures, as well as the trend towards personal fabrication have gained recent visibility in HCI research. While first reflecting on makers as a new user and “social actor”, current rhetoric has shifted towards the maker movement’s potential for empowerment and democratization. By focusing on places and the organization of personal fabrication we are drawing lines between amateur vs. professional, and home vs. work settings as well as leisure vs. educational motivations. Here we discuss and map out the characteristics of semi-professional places for making in the light of a small study from a hackathon event. ; Accepted positioning paper in workshop "The Future of Making: Where Industrial and Personal Fabrication Meet"