The critical maker laboratory is an interdisciplinary research and teaching project existing as a collaboration between the Chair for Open Science (Critical Design / Critical Culture) at the Technische Universität Berlin (ECDF) and the research group ‘Critical Maker Culture’ at the Berlin University of the Arts (Weizenbaum Institute). The space was initiated as a site of inquiry with the aim to establish a temporary transdisciplinary and trans-university terrain that attempts to blur the boundaries of theory and practice, academia and activism, and science and civil society. In this context, students and researchers from different disciplines, institutions and geographies collaborate on project-base, to debate, prototype and formulate commons-based critical perspectives and practices.

The research, teaching and experimental design practice carried out within the group focuses particularly on feminist/queer, beyond western-centric and circular approaches to design, using practice-based methodologies of critical making and designing. The research projects aim to contribute to the growing field of interdisciplinary theory that describes and discusses the currently highly excluding politics of technology and the potential of using free/open and democratized technology practices (critical making, hacking and designing) to illicit critiques and counter-practices.

Team

Prof. Dr. Michelle Christensen
Prof. Dr. Florian Conradi
Ines Weigand
Berkay Soykan
Athena Grandis

Alumni

Dr. Stefanie Wuschitz (Postdoc Researcher, 2020-2021)
Marie Dietze (Research Associate, 2018-2021)
Rashid Owoyele (Research Associate, 2020-2022)
Igor Galligo (Research in Residence, 2022)
Dr. Patrícia J. Reis (Fellow, 2021)
Merle Ibach (Research in Residence, 2021)
Alice Stewart (Fellow, 2020-2021)
Dr. Denisa Reshef Kera (Fellow, 2020)
Sénamé Koffi Agbodjinou (Fellow, 2020)
Gameli Adzaho (Fellow, 2019-2020)
Marie Kochsiek (Fellow, 2019)
Pablo Torres (Research Assistant, 2021-2022)
Hannah Tatjes (Research Assistant, 2022)
Katharina Bellinger (Research Assistant, 2018-2021)
Lukas Wirsching (Research Assistant, 2018-2021)
Lisa Hoffmann (Research Assistant, 2018-2020)

Partners

Technische Universität Berlin / Institute of History and
Philosophy of Science, Technology, and Literature
Einstein Center Digital Future
Berlin University of the Arts / Design Research Lab
Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society