The 3rd HIF Cloud Workshop 2017 explores the theme FUTUREself.

It challenges students in an inter-disciplinary, inter-national and inter-cultural collaboration to envision the future of wearables. The projects will cast future scenarios for wearables that harness the power of cloud computing to enrich and transcend human interactions in the Asia-Pacific region.

The future of wearable technology is here…

Mass markets are rapidly adapting and transitioning from portable (mobile phones, tablets) to wearable (Google glass and motion sensors) devices. Wearables that live on, near or in our bodies give rise to a previously unimagined level of data about users and the environment.

By enabling the connection of divergent data sets, wearables provide life-augmenting levels of interactivity that could benefit and enrich the ways that we understand individual and community wellbeing. The absorption of technology into the very fabric of clothes, accessories and even bodies begins to dilute boundaries between physical, technological and social spheres and has potential implications for human evolution.

The workshop provides a platform for broader debate around wearable technology, our mediated future selves and human interactions in this future landscape.

4-day intensive preparation workshop + 20 day international immersive mobility experience

4-day intensive preparation course June 27-29 and 8th Sep.

The China mobility experience begins in Hong Kong with a series of workshops with students from partner universities Hong Kong Polytechnic University, City University of Hong Kong and Queensland University of Technology.

Then we spend a week in Beijing visiting Galleries and individual artist’s studios, learning Mandarin and creating prototype wearables at Makercollider Beijing.

Then we head south to work with master craftspeople in Nanhai rattan weaving village in Guangdong Province, visit Dafen artists’ village in Shenzhen, and visit 3D print and electronics companies.

We will continue to develop wearable prototypes with the engineers at Esun and Seeedstudios XFactory.

The resulting wearable prototypes will be launched along with student led public workshops.

We return to Hong Kong for the last day of the course.

THIS WORKSHOP HAS FINISHED

Testimonials from this Workshop

We learned a lot about China and I like to think we learned a lot about ourselves, and made connections that will last a lifetime. Jared Griffiths

Hong Kong Felt so vibrant and so alive I don’t think I have ever felt this in Sydney. Being in a completely different environment felt strangely ’usual’ even though some of it was hard to stomach at times crazy had become pretty normal. With so many incredibly talented people I only got to take a glance into their lives, I only wish I could have met them individually and personally. The outcome of their dedication and skills inspired me to work harder and to achieve more.
Robert Sloan

Our first impressions of Hong Kong was fraught with a prevalent feeling of claustrophobia, but also an invigorating liveliness. A million miniature stories happening at once.
Marleen Baquiran

Beijing was very different to Hong Kong. The Sheer scale of the city completely blew me away. This was such an amazing experience to be a part of. I’ve learnt so much and made so many new friends. I am exceptionally proud of my group and our project. Working in this part of Asia really opened my eyes and broadened my horizons. I cannot wait to apply some new ideas and teachings to my design practice. Thank you.
Isabella Worsley

I don’t think I could have ever anticipated how I felt once I landed in Hong Kong. Being present in a world which is this weird mix of similarity but is also entirely different at the same time. You find yourself questioning the perceptions you have about these places, assessing how unaligned they are with reality and also challenging from where you get these ideas about these places. Looking back, I found that working on our projects and collaborating with local students let us experience China in a less touristy and superficial way. We had the privilege of hearing about the way that these students thought.
Leila Frijat

A fresh pair of eyes and collaboration are always constructive.
Monisha Chippada

This was my first time overseas so it was a really good opportunity for me, and while we did have the opportunity to visit cultural heritage sites like the Great Wall of china and the forbidden city I kind of found my most significant cultural exchange moments being within the everydayness of travelling, of trying to find my way through the city, and finding food, and being able to see the daily rituals and values that people have there. Like seeing elder citizens in the city practicing ti chi in groups in the morning. Overall it was really great opportunity to be able to go overseas and work on this project in a really fast paced environment and to be able to readjust my skills set for what was needed at the time.
Maja Sieczko

This was my first trip overseas and my cultural experience was amazing, I met so many great locals and explored some truly amazing places. I really left my comfort zone, eating new different things everyday – trying to communicate with the locals and even normal everyday things like trying to cross the road when everyone drives like crazy. Overall this was one of the most enjoyable things I have done in my life and I can’t wait to go back to China in the future.
Mitchelle Shelton

I created the Lovely Deadly brand with the premise of utilising high quality natural fabric with feminine silhouettes to deliver both innovative yet classic designs. The HIF cloud workshop granted me the ability to challenge the critical design process in my medium of textiles, with our exploration into the Chinese design and textile industry proving invaluable in the formation of my practice’s foundation. The collaborative environment of the HIF cloud workshop as well as the abundance of professional mentoring throughout proved the experience as one both culturally and intellectually enlightening.
Jay Rickard

The Great Wall was more incredible than I imagined. The wall followed the curves of the mountaintops. It was an amazing feeling to walk on a structure that was built thousands of years ago.
I have never seen electronics production so this was a real eye opener. The X factory studio tour was a dream come true, all the resources for prototyping you could imagine, all in one place. It was great to meet the other makers working in this space. Artists from all over the world come to work in the X Factory Space.
Laura Keogh

The rich cultural history surrounding the forbidden city was surreal. To think I was walking on the very pavement where once a whole Empire existed. The Great Wall of China. Something spiritual was happening that I did not quite understand. I often wonder if my ancestors had journey that way before, like Mongolia? I know men Asia Pacific had come to Torres Strait to follow the pearling industry and had since influenced the entire Torres Strait with their language, religion, family and cuisine. Some had stayed and died in the Torres Strait without returning to their homeland.
Ruth Saveka

We took inspiration from the local weaving village, foundry and the local painting village which really blew our minds in terms of what is possible in china and what’s possible in the world and exactly how much we are consuming as a global community. Some of the important learnings from our project included the important interplay between design and technology and how collaboration and working simultaneously throughout the design process is important for its final success.
Neelam Gopalani

I have only stayed in the central area of Hong Kong from previous visits and got to discover the great architects and the bustling vibe that Hong Kong is known for. But on this trip, I got to see to so much more, from different HK universities, to walking down temple street and ladies market, going to Shan Shui Po for material shopping and found an incredible fabric market under a massive tent. I got to experience Hong Kong on a much deeper level in terms of understanding it’s traditions more through daily interaction with local citizens. Language class in the morning was a fun time for me hearing everyone speaking my first language. This trip has made me appreciate my ability to speak Chinese so much more than before, as I was able to help everyone to get around in China.
Amelia Liu

Shenzhen was really amazing, we got to see the metal foundry, which I thought was amazing, I think everyone forgets that these things are made by hand still. So that was a really cool thing to see, so I enjoyed that a lot. We also got to see XFactory and eSun and Seeed so we got to learn how things are made there, and I had a really good time getting to see how things are made in China. The date that we had on the 8th September, when we had to all sit down and think about our values, that day really prompted us to think about what we are going to do and why we are doing it and we had a really strong connection after that. So thanks Tricia, for doing that cause that was really helpful for our team, I think if it wasn’t for that day where we all assessed our values and what we had been doing so far we would have been a lot more lost. So thanks Tricia I really enjoyed the trip.
Sivaan Walker