“We are what we create together”

re:publica #18 is happening again and we are excited that a vibrant, diverse community of innovators joined for the 6th Global Innovation Gathering (GIG). The GIG network brings perspectives from across the world to Europe’s leading conference on the Internet and society. Every year since 2013 the Global Innovation Gathering hosts a track and since 2015 a pop-up Makerspace to showcase innovations from all over the world. In the past couple of days over 85 people from 30 different countries arrived in Berlin to meet up, share sparkles, experiences, design projects and prepare for re:publica with speakers representing projects in Kenya, Pakistan, Nepal, South Sudan, India, Brazil, Colombia and many more.

You find many of our sessions in the Tech for Good and also in the tracks such as Blockchain, Fe:male Digital Footprint, or re:health.

We will be reporting on how the unconnected are connecting themselves, how Zero Net Neutrality unintentionally accelerated Fake News, tell you about how we undertake Digital skills trainings in fragile contexts and what Crisis Response Makerspaces do exactly and also be hacking the ivory tower.

The Makerspace at re:publica 2018

Where the global maker community meets

Ever since 2014 the GIG Makerspace is bringing the global maker community to Berlin to host the best diversity of 3D printing, laser cutting, soldering, wiring, moulding and building. Hosted by GIG, CADUS, The Constitute and the Fab Lab Berlin, the makerspace provides re:publica guests with space to experiment and explore the world of DIY electronics and hardware innovation with hands on demas and workshops: like creating Raspberry Pi mini-computers, a Twitter timeline data clinic, building a sound-sensitive glowing personal mini cloud on a string, sewing your very own feminist light patch statement, and let’s dance with Pepper, the robot. Collectively, we will be building open lights for wheelchair users, show you how we make our own bio-plastic, empower playgrounds with science kits.

To find all Makerspace sessions, times and descriptions go to 18.re-publica.com/en/sessions and select Stage: Makerspace indoor/outdoor.

This year, the makerspace is moving to the back hall with an indoor and outdoor space. Apart from our meetup and workshop programme you can also meet pepper, the robot, certify GnuPG keys, try out mechanical typewriters and check out tools and inventions from around the world.

To find us go towards the re:laxed area and just look out for the big and blue sparkling GIG labmobile.

We are very grateful to and honoured to be collaborating with our partners this year: startup accelerator AIRBUS BizLab, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), CADUS – who are redefining global solidarity, the healthcare-for-citizens EU project Careables, The Constitute and their fabulous FABMOBIL, the just as fabulous FabLab Berlin, officially representing our homebase: the Senate of Berlin with StartUp AsiaBerlin, the German Maker ecosystem magazine MAKE: Germany, and last but not least YourStory who are shaping and documenting the making of new economic history.