zoom
o r g / e d u
H a y s t a c k E m b r a c e s H ig h - T e c h
This module is an
example of small-scale
manufacturing made
with a CNC router.
W H AT ROLE DOES DIGITAL
p r o d u c t io n p la y in c r a f t , a f ie ld
t h a t r e v e r e s s k ille d h a n d w o r k ?
I t ’ s a q u e s t io n t h a t H a y s t a c k
M o u n t a in S c h o o l o f C r a f t s ,
c e le b r a t in g t h e c a m p u s ’
50
th
a n n iv e r s a r y t h is y e a r , h a s b e e n
d is c u s s in g f o r t h e p a s t d e c a d e ,
s t a r t in g w it h
2002
’ s s y m p o s iu m
“ D ig it a l D ia lo g u e s : T e c h n o lo g y
a n d t h e H a n d , ” a p a r t n e r s h ip
w it h t h e M a s s a c h u s e t t s I n s t i-
t u t e o f T e c h n o lo g y .
N o w H a y s t a c k h a s t a k e n
t h a t d ia lo g u e t o th e n e x t le v e l.
T h a n k s t o a n a n o n y m o u s
$
145,000
g r a n t , t h e c a m p u s n o w
h a s a b r a n d - n e w d ig it a l “ fa b la b ”
- s h o r t f o r f a b r ic a t io n la b o r a -
t o r y - w it h a la s e r c u t t e r , C N C
( c o m p u t e r n u m e r ic a l c o n t r o lle d )
r o u t e r , a n d p r e c is io n m illin g
m a c h in e , s e t t o o p e n f o r it s
s u m m e r
2011
s e s s io n s . T h e
la b fe a t u r e s t o o ls t h a t w e r e
in c o n c e iv a b le
50
y e a r s a g o ,
y e t a re l i k e ly t o p la y a r o le in
c r a f t ’ s f u t u r e .
T h e f a b la b c o n c e p t o r ig i-
n a t e d s e v e r a l y e a r s a g o a t M I T
in a c la s s c a lle d “ H o w t o M a k e
( A lm o s t ) A n y t h in g . ” O n p a p e r
i t ’ s n o t h in g m o r e t h a n a c o lle c -
t io n o f d ig it a lly c o n t r o lle d a n d
c o n n e c t e d t o o ls , b u t th e id e a is
t o e n a b le in v e n t io n : I n a fa b la b ,
a n y id e a c a n q u ic k ly b e c o m e a
p h y s ic a l r e a lit y . M I T h a s s in c e
s p a w n e d la b s a r o u n d th e w o r ld .
H a y s t a c k j o in s a n e x is t in g n e t -
w o r k o f m o r e th a n
50
f a b la b s
o n f iv e c o n t in e n t s , a ll w it h th e
s a m e t o o ls . H a y s t a c k is t h e f ir s t
c r a f t - s p e c if ic o r g a n iz a t io n to
h a v e o n e .
T h e id e a f o r a p e r m a n e n t
f a b la b a t t h e s c h o o l g r e w o u t
o f a t w o - w e e k v is it d u r in g a
2010
s u m m e r s e s s io n f r o m N e i l
G e r s h e n f e ld , d ir e c t o r o f M I T ’ s
C e n t e r f o r B it s a n d A t o m s a n d
f o u n d e r o f t h e fa b la b p r o g r a m .
S t u a r t K e s t e n b a u m , H a y s t a c k ’ s
d ir e c t o r ( a n d a n e w A C C t r u s t -
e e ) , h a d in v it e d h im t o th e
s c h o o l a s a v is it in g s c ie n t is t .
W i t h a p o r t a b le fa b la b in t o w ,
G e r s h e n f e ld a n d t h r e e M I T
d o c t o r a l s t u d e n t s s e t u p s h o p o n
t h e p ic t u r e s q u e M a in e c a m p u s .
“ A s [ s t u d e n t s a n d f a c u lt y ]
g o t o v e r in it ia l w o r r ie s - y o u
d o h a v e t o u s e a c o m p u t e r , y o u
d o s t a n d b a c k a n d w a t c h th e
m a c h in e d o it s t h in g - t h e y
s t a r t e d t o t h in k a b it lik e I d o , ”
s a y s N a d y a P e e k , o n e o f th e
d o c t o r a l s t u d e n t s w h o h e lp e d
w it h t h e d e m o n s t r a t io n s a n d
t r a in in g . “ [ T h e m a c h in e s ] a re
j u s t t o o ls , a n d t h e p e o p le w h o
u s e t h e m d e t e r m in e w h a t t h e y
a re m a k in g . ”
I n th e n e w p e r m a n e n t la b ,
a r t is t s w i l l a u g m e n t t h e ir s t u d io
p r a c t ic e , u s in g d ig it a l t o o ls t o
c u t o u t p a t t e r n s , m ill p a r t s a n d
p ie c e s , a n d e x p e r im e n t w it h
d if f e r e n t m a t e r ia ls o r s h a p e s .
E v e r y o n e le a r n s b y d o in g - a
n a t u r a l e x t e n s io n o f c r a f t p r a c -
t ic e . T h e r e ’ s a s t e e p le a r n in g
c u r v e , b u t t h a t ’ s a g o o d t h in g ,
a c c o r d in g t o K e s t e n b a u m . I t
f o s t e r s a c o m m u n it y w h e r e a r t -
is t s c o lla b o r a t e a n d r e ly o n e a c h
o t h e r , t r a d in g id e a s , e v e n p u ll-
in g n o n - a r t is t s in t o t h e m ix .
A n d e v e n i f a r t is t s a r e n ’ t u s in g
t h e m a c h in e s , t h e y c a n w a t c h
n e w p r o c e s s e s a n d id e a s ta k e
s h a p e . O f t e n , j u s t b e in g in th e
la b is e n o u g h t o in s p ir e p e o p le
a n d p r o m p t t h e m t o t h in k a b o u t
t h e w a y a r t is m a d e .
W h i l e H a y s t a c k f a c u lt y
m e m b e r s g e t u p t o s p e e d in
th e fa b la b , g r a d s t u d e n t s f r o m
M I T w i l l b e o n h a n d t o h e lp
w h e n t h in g s ( in e v it a b ly ) g o
w r o n g . A n d , a s i t t u r n s o u t ,
th e s e M I T s t u d e n t s a r e ju s t
a s c r a f t y a s t h e s t u d e n t s a n d
in s t r u c t o r s a t H a y s t a c k .
“ S e e in g th e fa b la b c r e w
w o r k w it h t h e e q u ip m e n t
s h o w e d m e w h a t it m e a n s t o
h a v e a r e a l g r a s p o f t h e d ig it a l
w o r l d , ” s a y s T o m S p le t h , a
N o r t h C a r o lin a - b a s e d c e r a m is t
w h o t a u g h t a t H a y s t a c k d u r in g
th e s u m m e r s e s s io n w h e n G e r -
s h e n f e ld v is it e d . “ I f s o m e d e t a il
o f th e p r o c e d u r e s f a ile d t o m e e t
e x p e c t a t io n s , t h e y w o u ld w r it e
n e w c o d e . T h e y w e r e a s f a m il-
ia r a n d c a s u a l w it h t h e ir m e d i-
u m a s I a m w it h c la y a n d g la z e . ”
“ I t ’ s n o t t h e t o o l t h a t m a k e s
th e c r a f t s m a n , ” P e e k p o in t s
o u t . “ T h e r e ’ s n o t h in g t h a t a n y
o f th e d ig it a l f a b r ic a t io n t o o ls
c a n d o t h a t c a n n o t a lr e a d y b e
d o n e b y h a n d - i t m a y j u s t ta k e
m u c h , m u c h lo n g e r . ”
T h a t r e a liz a t io n is im p o r -
t a n t. T h e fa b la b m a c h in e s m a y
b e d ig it a l, b u t t h e r e ’ s a v e r y
h u m a n e le m e n t in t h e ir o p e r a -
t io n - a n d h u m a n s a r e n ’ t g o in g
t o b e r e p la c e d b y c o m p u t e r s
a n y t im e s o o n , a t le a s t n o t a t
H a y s t a c k . “ W e h a v e a le g a c y
t o m a in t a in , ” K e s t e n b a u m s a y s ,
“ b u t w e ’ r e lo o k in g in t o th e
f u t u r e w h ile w e ’ r e c e n t e r e d in
w h o w e a r e .”
-A N D R E W Z O E LL N E R
h a y s t a c k - m t n . o r g
Andrew Zoellner is
A m e r ic a n
C r a f t
’s assistant editor.
022 american craft jun/jul 11
Student photo: Ginger Aldrich / Campus photos (2): Amanda Kowalski / Module photo: Dan Bouthot
