Co-hosted with the European Crafts Alliance (ECA), our upcoming make-a-thek community call explores how craft and maker culture contribute to community building, resilience, and social inclusion. Together, we will look at how creative initiatives become spaces for civic engagement, shared learning, and collaborative production – through the lenses of People, Place, and Resources. To ground … Continue reading “15th July 2026 Community Call: Crafting Connected Communities (ECA x GIG )”
This year, re:publica’s motto “Never Gonna Give You Up” centered on resilience, solidarity, and fighting for a better future amidst ongoing global and technological crises. At a moment when democratic values, open knowledge, and community infrastructure all face serious pressure, the Makerspace was a dynamic interface on the ground connecting these critical topics. Curated for … Continue reading “Making together: The Makerspace at re:publica 2026”
Somewhere between freshly roasted coffee, invigorating workshops, and the formation of a midday Capoeira circle (😲), something clicked into place. An annual highlight for the GIG community, this year’s GIG Week was a reminder of why the network exists: not to simply talk about changing the world, but to be surrounded and inspired by people … Continue reading “Building community resilience: GIG weekend 2026”
Somewhere in a library in Punggol, Singapore, a machine the size of a small suitcase is pressing dots into a sheet of aluminium — dots that a blind person can read. The machine did not come from a manufacturer. It was built from 3D-printed parts, stepper motors, and a solenoid, following instructions available for free … Continue reading “From Bhutan to Singapore: spreading an open-source Braille printer across Southeast Asia and to the world”
The Makerspace remains the heart of the ever-growing re:publica conference. While we talk about big tech and the next breakthrough, we know that nothing truly grows without a community behind it. For us this is certainly the case, with the GIG community growing over the past 12 years, bringing together tinkerers, grassroots innovators, and social change … Continue reading “The Makerspace returns to re:publica!”
The fashion industry has a waste problem. Every year, 92 million tonnes of textile waste is generated globally, while garment use has decreased by 36 percent since 2000, meaning clothes are being made faster and discarded sooner than ever before. Waste is built into the process from the start, where roughly 15% of fabric used … Continue reading “Local Hubs, Global Impact: The Blueprint for a Sustainable Fashion Revolution”
This year’s GIG week was welcomed by a very special and exciting gathering. On Sunday, May 25th, GIG members from across the world gathered at the Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin for the first GIG reunion of 2025, a dynamic showcase of open, circular, and regenerative innovation that set the tone for the week ahead. Across … Continue reading “GIG Week 2025 Recap: Showcase of Open, Circular, and Regenerative Innovation”
Co-hosted with Fab City Foundation, our upcoming make-a-thek community call brings together practitioners, makers, cultural organisations, and circular economy actors to explore how local ecosystems can support more circular textile practices and collective action. We will draw on two grounded examples to spark the conversation. In the Bergisches Region, Adriana Cabrera’s work builds on second-hand … Continue reading “22nd April 2026 Community Call: Towards Textile Circularity – Building Regional Impact Networks”
This article was originally written in German by Geraldine de Bastion for the INKOTA Network on 4th March 2026. Read the original here. In the public eye, artificial intelligence (AI) is often portrayed as a technological marvel operating in an immaterial cloud, free from physical constraints. Yet the reality in Nairobi, Kenya paints a radically … Continue reading “The Infrastructure of Power: Artificial Intelligence between Global Innovation & Structural Exploitation”
Together with Fashion Revolution Germany and Circular Fashion Foundation Poland, GIG hosted a make-a-thek community call that brought together library practitioners and circular fashion advocates to explore how libraries can become meeting points that connect communities around advancing circular fashion. Our speakers included Ariane Piper (Fashion Revolution Germany e.V.) and Agata A. Zgliczynska (Fundacja Mody Cyrkularnej/ Fashion Revolution … Continue reading “Collective Movement & Community Participation in Fashion Revolution”
