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Make/Do at Future TenantThe DIY (Do-It-Yourself) ethic has been popular for a long time, and its proponents have a variety of reasons for choosing this route. In an age when many of the products and appliances we use everyday are sealed in plastic cases and not made to be repaired by the user, many people are taking back control over the objects in their life by making them themselves. Others choose DIY in order to save money, or to customize an item to fit their specific needs or tastes. Another attraction is the sheer satisfaction that comes from making something with one’s own hands or learning a new skill. Self reliance and the do-it-yourself ethic is certainly not new, but is enjoying more widespread popularity now than ever before – thanks to the accessibility of tools for both creation and distribution. Things like open-source software and affordable microcontrollers have made it possible for the ordinary person to accomplish tasks once the sole domain of experts and corporations. People who make things like to share their inventions with others, and the combined ubiquity of digital cameras and the internet have made it easier than ever for people to share their creations, find how-to information, and swap project ideas. Make/Do celebrates the work of innovative Pittsburgh-area designers, artists, musicians, inventors, and other do-it-yourselfers. The creative output on display includes artworks, gizmos that solve problems in ingenious ways, practical (and impractical) ideas for around the home, and homebrewed answers to needs that would send most people to the local mall. Kevin Smith and Maurice Rickard will be doing an ongoing sound performance during the opening reception using sound generated from obsolete electronic toys and altered video from old Atari games. Also during the reception, Free Ride will be making margaritas in their human – powered “bike blender.”
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