This year Liverpool MakeFest introduce a “Women in Tech” showcase. Held in the ground floor Atrium of Liverpool Central Library we will have a collection of cool women currently working in tech through many different mediums. Some will be showcasing their talents and sharing insights in to how they came to be in their chosen profession. Others will be demonstrating to the public so you can learn all about why they do what they do.

“Women in Tech” is important as we go forward in to the future of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics). These disciplines have significantly lower percentages of woman than men. It is known that so many women and young girls do not necessarily have access to information of what women are doing in the world that isn’t what society tells them. We at Liverpool MakeFest want to help break the gender stereotype and inspire change.

The differences in how both genders work and how they see the world means they both have something unique to bring to the table of technology and to help it expand in to new areas as well as an ever growing amount of information and research in traditional realms of tech.

Our very own Liverpool Girl Geek, Chelsea Slater, has wonderfully curated this portion of Make Fest to bring together a variety of fun and interesting things to see and do, all brought to you by Women.    

OUR WOMEN IN TECH:

Rachel Freire is an artist and designer who uses the body as a canvas. Her work combines material innovation with traditional craftsmanship, focusing on provocative narratives, value attributions and sustainable processes. With a background in fine art, she graduated from Central Saint Martins with a BA in Design for Performance and launched her conceptual fashion label on the catwalks of London Fashion Week in 2009. She is textile designer of mi.mu gloves, a wearable gestural interface which lets you compose and play music with your hands. She is currently fascinated with engineered surfaces, combining fabric and circuits to create functional garments for the future. Her work exists to tell stories, or to inspire them.

http://www.rachelfreire.com

LivWiSE (Liverpool Women in Science & Engineering) is a joint initiative by the Faculties of Science and Engineering at the University of Liverpool. Working closely with Athena Swan and the Equality and Diversity Networks.

LivWiSE has been created to promote women in Engineering and Science, and provides events and opportunities for networking and mentoring.  Ranging in age and experience LivWiSE members participate in an active forum exchanging experiences and ideas. Open to students, staff, alumni and business people involved in any aspect of engineering, science or technology.

Membership is open to both women and men from Liverpool’s Universities who are involved in any aspect of engineering, science or technology.

https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/engineering/livwise/aboutlivwise/

Liverpool Girl Geeks
 Did you know that By 2040, it is estimated that only 1% of the tech sector will be female if there are no interventions? Also that if we were to close the gender gap it would be worth an estimated 600 billion to the UK? We are on a mission to change this by creating positive interventions such as events, courses and workshops to inspire women and girls of all ages. We also celebrate and showcase role models within the tech sector. Beth Heale and Amelia Roberts are graduates from our first ever Girl Geek Academy and are super star web designers, bloggers AND ultimate Girl Geeks! Beth and Amelia will be taking over the LGG stand at Liverpool Makefest to tell you all about their experiences so far in tech!

http://www.liverpoolgirlgeeks.co.uk

Little Sandbox is a tech club based in Bootle for kids aged 8 – 12. Activities include coding, animation, electronics, robotics, design and film making.We’ll be bringing along some video games we’ve made, and some robotic arms and other gadgets to display.

@LittleSandboxUK

http://littlesandbox.co.uk

Little Vintage Photography was founded by Rachel Brewster to help people embrace the unique, experimental and beautiful craft of analogue photography.

She explores the convergence of traditional processes and modern technology through both STEM and creative fields and runs ‘Discover & Create’ workshops such as Pinhole to Pinterest, combining the magic of traditional darkroom techniques and the use of mobile technology in order to produce analogue images.

She also uses ‘Rosie’ her converted vintage caravan obscura & travelling photo booth/darkroom which you can find out more about here: www.littlevintagephotography.co.uk. Rachel will be running photography activities on her stand all day so make sure you check it out!

The Nerdy Gift Company was set up by a couple of nerds (like us!), working together at a design agency with a shared desire for cool, made to order gifts and accessories that appealed to them and their friends.

Most of their ideas border on the geeky side of life. But of course being a nerd isn’t in anyway restrictive which gives them a lot of scope for inspiration!

http://thenerdygiftcompany.co.uk

CULTURE MATTERS WORKSHOP

Crafty Explorers- Plant Making :
Participants will act as explorers, discovering new and exotic plant life through creative making.Using 2d and 3d collaging, they will create imaginative plants and flowers that have never before been discovered. Using 2d and 3d collaging, they will create imaginative plants and flowers that have never before been discovered.These could be from the depths of a jungle, the coral reef of a sea bed, the caves of an ancient mountainside, or the untrodden surfaces of planets deep in outer space.

The activity will be run on drop-in basis with two different spaces set-up for participants:

Sculpture Area – This space will allow individuals/pairs to work with a diverse range of materials to create 3d plants and flowers. These can then be decorated with a range of materials, patterns and designs.

Collaborative Collage Area – Long sheets of paper will be laid out for participants to add to to create a collaborative collage, placing and sticking cut out or ripped pieces of coloured paper. The collage will act as a graffiti wall which will build up during the day.

A range of materials will be provided, as well as visual and textural inspiration.
@nicolehudson1

OTHER WOMEN TO CHECK OUT AT #LIVMF17: 

Jen Fenner from Def-Proc will be showcasing her art-tech installation ‘Kites’. All That Glitters will be demonstrating macrame and showing off her silver and crystal work in her jewellery. Girl on Purl Action will be decorating cakes and donuts from yarn! Lighten Up will be showing off how to create her usual lamps and RetroRosieB will be featuring a free ‘Make and Take’ activity as well as demonstrations of papercraft workshops, scrapbooking, Project Life, Memory Keeping, Art Journaling, Home Decor and gifts. There’s also Pop Models, Pattern Craft, Cassandra Complex, Tactile Electronics and Western Spiral Art.
We look forward to seeing everyone of all ages and interests getting involved.

Get your free tickets here: https://lpoolmakefest.org/tickets/