Of Irises and Laser Cutters

»Of Irises and Laser Cutters« shows how fertile the cooperation of people from different worlds can be. Artists and designers meet technicians and engineers, different cultures and ways of thinking meet each other. The focus is on the fascinating possibilities of digital fabrication technology. With their help, people who are globally networked, can use bits and bytes to create tangible objects, as well as being co-productive and creative across boarders. The author advocates recognizing the creative potential of these global encounters and using their inherent diversity as an opportunity. Above all, young people need accessibility to these possibilities because they want to play an active role in shaping their future.

Karsten Joost (1968), loves what he writes about. He is a skilled toolmaker and has completed a study of the fine arts. The mediation between the worlds of techno-logy and art has been the focus of his work in numerous projects. Since 2008, Joost has been intensively involved in the subject of digital fabrication. In his essay »Of Irises and Laser Cutters«, he elaborates the creativity and technology-connecting potential of the still young technology and promotes new forms of interdisciplinary collaboration. Joost lives and works in Bremen.