MAKER CHATS welcomes Stephen Gray, founder of The MakerSpace in Durban, South Africa. The MakerSpace is about lowering the barriers of entry for people to express their creativity in a physical way. It is about people getting together, working creatively, inspiring each other, engaging with new technology, and building a “bottom-up economy” since 2013.
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About The MakerSpace
The Maker Space exists to share knowledge and equipment that enables anyone to make anything.
We exist as a hybrid organisation through The Maker Space Foundation Non-Profit company which hosts our community and social development programs, and our associated commercial entities offering eventing, corporate training and advisory through MAKERS BE LIKE PTY, and production services through LASER SPACE
Contact The MakerSpace here and follow them on Facebook and Instagram
The MakerSpace Goal
Our goal is to launch and support 200 maker spaces in Southern Africa, creating a safe place where people can come and learn, be inspired, unlock creativity and potential, free themselves from corporate slavery and a life of mundane work that they hate.
The headquarters are in Durban, South Africa located at 51 Station Drive. The MakerSpace has Lasercutters, 3D printers, and Small CNC’s. They also offer Should you wish to visit them, visitors are welcome on Thursdays from 1pm – 8pm.
What are Makers?
MAKERS make things, using both cutting edge technology and age old methods, or often a combination of both. Makers find value in making something by hand, giving a physical product more value because of the thoughtful, careful and useful way it is designed and made. Makers are not aiming for mass market for their product, they are simply expressing something they love, and in the process creating something worthwhile for the niche that they represent. Makers Openly share resources, expertise, equipment and encouragement because they choose to believe that we can do more together than we can apart.
What are the Makers saying…
Meet Yanga, one of the faces of The MakerSpace Kwenza Project. He has learnt things like building his own CNC camera slider and using tools like Design, 3D printing, Laser Cutters and programming electronics. This has been Yanga’s experience so far:
To say I’ve learnt alot from the makerspace would be kind of downplaying the potential they’ve helped me to realise with all the interesting tools and resources but what really stands out of the things I’ve learnt during my time here is how to use tools and components effectively and correctly.”
Meet Muzi, another face of The MakerSpace Kwenza Project. He has learnt things like building his own CNC camera slider and using tools like Design, 3D printing, Laser Cutters and programming electronics. Here’s what he had to say about his experience thus far:
At The MakerSpace I received technical training which improved my technical skills. I have learned how to control the stepper motor and used it on a CNC machine for different projects to change the world. I gained the design skills to come up with creative solutions that are easier to implement. The MakerSpace environment has changed my thinking ability to be innovative in order to change the world.”
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