International Fab Conference in Mexico: Fabricating Equity
Join us this August for the FAB24 Conference in Mexico
The Fab Lab Conferences, held annually since 2005, are a global gathering of innovators, educators, and technologists who converge to share knowledge, collaborate, and drive advancements in digital fabrication and manufacturing. These conferences, organised by the Fab Foundation & local partners, have become pivotal in fostering the worldwide Network of Fab Labs and all the programs, projects and initiatives they developed. The impact of these conferences is profound, as they facilitate the exchange of ideas, promote critical and appropriate approaches to technology, and inspire local communities to develop sustainable, grassroots innovations.
FAB24, the upcoming international Fab Lab Conference set to be held in Puebla – Mexico next August 2024, will be a landmark event for the network. Under the motto “Fabricating Equity” the conference will focus on harnessing the power of digital fabrication to promote social justice, inclusion, and equal access to technology. Attendees from around the world, including makers, educators, policymakers, and innovators, will converge to explore how Fab Labs can be leveraged to address disparities and empower underserved communities.
As every year, the Fab Lab Barcelona team will be attending the Fab Conference to run and participate in workshops, to exchange projects and experiences and to support our Fab Academy, Fabricademy & MDDI students on their Graduation Day!
In the context of the EU-funded Project More4Nature, we will be running the Workshop FL4E – Fab Labs as key enablers for protecting the environment. This workshop will focus on the role of Fab Labs as spaces for environmentally aware communities to develop synergies that amplify their impact. We’ll also be running workshops related to other EU-funded, CitiObs and MINKE, exploring the capacity of citizens and grassroots organizations to harvest accurate data to measure environmental indicators.
We also submitted two conference papers, “An Inquiry into Fab Labs as Enabling Spaces for Environmental Protection Initiatives” and “From Industrial Neighbourhoods to regenerative territories: Blueprinting the Practices of (Emerging) Distributed Networks of Fabrication” which delves into the practices of Emerging distributed networks of fabrication and their potential to blueprint regenerative territories.
One of Fab Lab Barcelona’s key roles has been, through the Global Coordination of the flagship Program Fab Academy, to support the mission of the Fab Foundation in the development of the Academany educational platform. For this mission, we’ll be critical actors in Fab24 Working Groups around Fab Academy, Academy, Fab Futures and Future Learning Academy, leveraging our extensive experience in innovation and digital fabrication to foster a new era of learning.
Reinforcing this vision, the Fab Foundation has commissioned us as co-leads of the Fab Learning Academy to curate the educational track within the Conference to ensure we share our expertise in creating educational experiences from a perspective of innovation, equity & inclusion. The CULTIVATED Bootcamp planned for the weeks of the conference aims to combat the effects of early school dropouts, a pressing matter in the local context of Mexico and many parts of the world.
Our agenda is deeply grounded in the FAB24 Conference’s intersect, reflecting a shared commitment, prioritising themes like accessible education, equity, development, and community-driven innovation. FAB24 aspires to become a catalyst for meaningful dialogue and create a blueprint for actionable solutions within the Fab Lab network shared agenda. Join us this August in Fab24 Mexico!
Get your tickets here!