LIVING IN A HACKERSPACE
“What is a hackerspace?” I hear you ask.
Well, from what I’ve gathered, it means something slightly different to different people and can take different forms in different places. But according to the ultimate and definitive source of all true and accurate knowledge (aka WIkipedia), “a hackerspace (also referred to as a hacklab, hackspace, or makerspace) is a community-operated, often "not for profit" , workspace where people with common interests, such as computers, machining, technology, science, digital art, or electronic art, can meet, socialize, and collaborate.”
I believe hackerspaces are normally places where people come together to hang out and collaborate on projects, not places that people call home. However, in my case, I moved into a an old chapel that’s been turned into a hackerspace, located in North Wales, where about 13 other people (and 2 cats) currently live.
To give you an idea of what it’s like, on my first full day here, I ended up on the top of a hill filming two of my new housemates testing out some homemade skis. The straps were 3D printed using one if the many 3D printers we have here and this was a first prototype. I wasn’t convinced about the whole thing but they actually got further than I anticipated! I’ve quickly learnt that everything and anything can be 3D printed, from skiis to rocketship cookie cutters.
This is a place of crazy ideas and creativity. For example, the super cool light fixture (below) was completely upcycled. The coloured glass part was found in a dumpster along the coast of North Wales, the copper and clear glass piece was recycled from an old caravan and the top/base came from an old stool.
There is a variety of people living here. Some people are short term workawayers (aka volunteers), some people have been here for a while. We have people from America, Hong Kong, Germany, Lithuania, and the UK. We have tech nerds and hippies and musicians and writers and chess players. As you can imagine, things are rarely boring. Sometimes I do find it a bit overwhelming living and working with the same people, especially during lockdown. There’s constant human interaction and stimulation, and every though I enjoy hanging out with the people here, I have to remind myself to spend time along to recharge
This place has become an escape for a lot of people who don’t feel they belong anywhere else, and it’s a very open space, so people tend to be upfront about their trauma and issues. Which in general is amazing, however it can get a bit heavy sometimes too. I do feel my experience last year living on a tall ship has really helped me and I’ve been able to implement some of the lessons I learnt, particularly in terms of separating myself from the situation when necessary, and not getting bogged down in the drama.
The amazing thing about living with such a diverse range of people is that so much to take in and learn. Everyone has a variety of skills and are happy to share their knowledge. I hope I can soak up as much as possible while I’m here, while also contributing and using the time to improve myself. It took me a little bit of time to find my feet here but I think I’m starting to really settle in. I’m even starting to love the cats (don’t tell my dog though).
