There is a growing movement towards a post-consumerism lifestyle, where people are looking to make things themselves instead of buying off shelves: the Maker Movement.
A convention taking place next weekend in Durban aims to alert more people to it, and to show how accessible the information is, to make things.
"MakerCon is a showcase and celebration of the Maker Movement - a global phenomenon of people sharing ideas and harnessing technology to make things. From 3D printing to leather craft, custom furniture and robots, there is something interesting to see, touch and make," says Steve Gray, founder of Durban's MakerSpace. "We expect over 2 000 visitors over the course of the event."
The MakerSpace in Durban, a place where these types of workshops happen all year round, has been open for a year.
Gray says people are seeing the Maker Movement as the future of job creation: "Either people who hate their regular jobs are finding what they love to do, and seeing they can make money from it, or there are people who do not have jobs and are learning skills that will give them some form of income."
Gray hopes MakerCon will be an annual one.
"It will not be like a regular expo where the exhibitors are just trying to sell imported stuff to people. At MakerCon, exhibitors invite attendees into their world, to observe the process."
Convention-goers will have the opportunity to 3D scan and 3D print a bust of themselves, to learn leather craft or design jewellery.
Every half-hour there will be a different workshop for attendees to take part in; some workshops may have a small fee to cover cost. There will also be an Internet of things (IOT) hackathon taking placing over the weekend that attendees can observe.
Exhibitors and attractions will include a 3D print farm and Ardunio playground, IOT WiFi robots and connected devices, drones and a graffiti wall.
The event will take place at The Design Factory on 28 and 29 November, 9am to 5pm.
Tickets are R30 for adults and R20 for children, and can be pre-purchased online here.
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