A NEW ‘hackerspace’ is being launched in Footscray to draw together some of the area’s most creative talents.
Based at the redeveloped Docklands Cotton Mills, the Footscray Maker Lab is the brainchild of Footscray academic José Ramos.
Mr Ramos says the hub will be a place for people to share ideas and pioneer products, services, processes and artistic visions, and pursue social change.
“There are a lot of hackerspaces opening up around the world,” he said.
“It’s about bringing together people in the creative economy who work across different disciplines and building collaborations across these disciplines.”
Originally from California, Mr Ramos has been living in Footscray about eight years.
He believes Melbourne is perfectly poised to follow in the footsteps of ‘global cities’ such as San Francisco, Singapore and Berlin.
The idea for the Footscray Maker Lab began brewing when he was teaching at Victoria University and noticed a large number of newly arrived migrants had skills that were being overlooked.
He hopes to tap into this pool of creative talent and put Footscray on the map as a key creative centre.
“Hopefully, this is a way to link these people together, to create these connections and build social capital.”
A Footscray Maker Lab kick-off session for interested people will be held from 6.30-7.30pm next Tuesday. More details: footscraymakerlab1.eventbrite.com
