Mortal Coils & The Transfer of Skills

Every year, our family sits down at the table to discuss what skill we will transfer at Maker Faires across the country. The idea of doing something more "techie" and cool is always a temptation but, for one reason or another, we always come back to a simple, traditional craft that requires a skill to complete. The skill itself varies but always manages to tie into something that is at the core of STEM, something that is pivotal to truly understanding some complex technology later on. This year we chose wire. 

Wireworking can be seen throughout history in civilizations that have come and gone. The intricate coils were not only symbols of cultural significance but, they reminded the curious eons later that we are all, in our humanity, bound by our mortal coils. Humans have a lifecycle, they are pounded and daresay, hardened, by life's challenges as they walk a thin wire we call the timeline of history. What humans make of themselves, how they are remembered, isn't in what they made, but what they transferred to others- be it a memory, a smile, an artifact, or a skill. 

This year during Maker Faire at The Henry Ford, we will be using wires to create and connect. It is our hope that in highlighting traditional wirework, the wires that were used in so many of the wonderous specimens of innovation and technology within the museum will be seen in a new light. We look forward to seeing you. ~AG

MakerFaireDetroit2018