Ahn Graphics

Making Things by Hand

사물에 수작 부리기: 손과 기술의 감각, 제작 문화를 말하다

Buy

Talking about the skills and culture of making things ourselves

In the midst of an ever-growing technological revolution era, a person’s ability to control technology gradually decreases. That is why our anxiety is growing—it is a result of an alienation due to technology. This book suggests that “maker culture” is modern people’s survival guide, as well as a way to coexist with objects and technology. In other words, it is the best way to restore human beings’ autonomous sense that has been lost and to understand its principles and gain wisdom. The book captures the voices of eight professionals who are involved in various fields related to maker culture, examines its current status, and discourses on it.

Lee Kwang-suk

He has been engaged in research, criticism, and writing with a critical focus on the intersections of technology, society, and ecology. He is a Professor in the Graduate School of IT Policy at Seoul National University of Science and Technology, specializing in Digital Culture Policy. Since 2020, he has served as the Editor-in-Chief of Culture/Science, a journal of cultural theory. His main research interests include technology and cultural studies, the commons, platforms, techno-ecological politics, and AI-driven automation societies. His major works include The Society of Digital Gluttony, Post-Digital, Phygital Commons, The Betrayal of the Digital, Aesthetics of the Data Society, Critique of the Data Society, and Digital Barbarism. He also co-edited and co-authored AI, Platforms, and the Future of Labor, Crafting with Things, Impure Technologies, and Branches of Contemporary Philosophy of Technology and Media*.

Jang Hun-gyo

A full-time researcher at the Research Center for Common Resources and Sustainable Society at Jeju National University. She dreams of running a small research institute under the name Democracy for All. She is the author of The Miryang War: A Radical Democracy Project Based on Common Resources and is currently working on her next book.

Choi Hyuk-kyoo

A member of the steering committee at the Center for Cultural Society and a former activist with the Cultural Action. Currently works in the field of cultural education. Maintains a steady interest in technology, culture, and labor while studying cultural theory and social sciences.

Shin Hyun-woo

A digital culture researcher specializing in critiques of information capitalism, game studies, and technology and information culture. Actively engaged in various writing projects. Co-authored the book Mario, Born in 1981.

Unmake Lab

Unmake Lab turns algorithmic obsessions into irony, allegory, and a form of humor using machine perception in an unconventional manner. Specifically, they superimpose the historical context of developmentalism with the resource extraction aspect of machine learning to shed light on contemporary socio-political and ecological situations. In recent times, their narratives have been constructed upon elements such as Generic Nature, disaster, datasets, and computer vision. Besides their artistic approach, education is a fundamental component of their methodology. They actively engage in discourse and research through participation in events such as Forking Room.

Chon Seung-il

An adjunct professor in the Department of Spatial Production at Kaywon University of Art and Design and an automata artist. As the director of Studio Mimesis and Automata Workshop, he is actively involved in animation, automata, and kinetic art through education, exhibitions, and various projects. He co-authored the book Automata Workshop and has showcased his work in notable exhibitions such as ‹Chon Seung-il’s Thinking Automata› (2017), ‹Goguryeo Mural Automata› (2017), ‹Friends of the Sky World› (2017), ‹Scotland Moving Toy Special Exhibition› (2017), SICAF ‹Chon Seung-il Automata Invitational Exhibition› (2016), and ‹King Jeongjo’s Royal Procession to Hwaseong› (2016).

Kim Seong-won

Director of the Play AT Institute. He teaches young people at the Kurikindi center. He is the author of “An Earthbag House with Neighbors, The Return of the Fire Pit, The Age of the Woodstove, and “My Hands Are Tired.