Hackerspace Detroit

**Lowell** · April-09-11, 03:05 PM

If you seek the bright side of Detroit, look no further than the budding Eastern Market hackerspace collective OmnicorpDetroit.

There I met up again with Detroit artist Jeff Sturges for the first time since I accidentally met him in 2005 when he wowed me by pulling off the visually stunning one-night illumination of the former Ford Headquarters building in Highland Park. He was a Cranbrook grad student then, after which he left for New York City. But after a few years he was drawn back to Detroit by its vibrant art scene and exciting challenges. Jeff [R] discusses a collaboration with East Side Riders founder and president Dywayne Neeley before the Omnicorp's banner.

I was admitted by Brandon Richards who showed me around and explained the concept of the space. Here he is working with an aged analog modulator in a wooden case that he had interfaced with a mixing board to generate some exotically interesting sounds.

Nearby Josh Slominksi was programming a red chip as part of a laser tag detector he was assembling out of new and salvaged electronic parts.

The 7500 sq. ft. space includes a colorful upper 5000 square foot open space filled with projects in varying degrees of completion.

Click HERE for a larger view.

The space includes a lounge space with large windows overlooking Shed 2 of Eastern Market.

When one enters a hackerspace the thought can easily cross one's mind, "What use on earth could any of these projects ever have?" Yet when in the actual surround of the space and feeling the energy exuding from the all the brightness and inquisitiveness the thought becomes, "Something, no many things, very significant and important are certain to arise from here."

It might start out as a robot that will have a ping pong ball cannon mounted atop it in preparation for a competition, built by Andrew Sliwinski [not shown], Ted Sliwinski [R] and Andrew ?[L], which may seem frivolous but what may be discovered in the process is not.

As I discovered from last summer's Maker Faire at the Henry Ford Museum an interest and aesthetic of the hackerspace community involves the uniting retro devices with contemporary instruments. Here Rhita Boufelliga is busy figuring out how to connect her Mac laptop to a 1970's portable pop up TV from far beyond her time.

Salvage and creative reuse of the discarded is another theme that runs through the hackerspace. As this was the week prior to the Le Marche du Nain Rouge, float activities were occurring. I found Liza Bielby creating a paper-mâché unicorn head. Liza is a co-director of the theatrical group Hinterlands. A recent arrival to Detroit she was drawn here by the artistic energy, low costs and central locaction for touring.

Exiting the space Jeff showed me the two lower open workshop rooms.

These spaces are the heavy and loud machine areas where larger objects, such as the bicycle in the foreground, can be assembled.

Eastern Market was always been a high energy area and the emergence of OmnicorpDetroit fits in perfectly with this vibrant and rapidly improving district of Detroit.

**eno** · April-09-11, 03:16 PM

Great story. More power to them.

**Goose** · April-09-11, 04:47 PM

NERDS!!!....... jk, looks very cool...........

**canuck** · April-09-11, 07:34 PM

Long live uselessness alongside usefulness! Very impressive Lowell, thanks for the tour!

**gazhekwe** · April-10-11, 08:00 AM

That was cool, the energy almost pops off the screen even in the pix. Now I want to go and figure out how to hook up some elderly device to my netbook.

**Ray1936** · April-10-11, 11:26 AM

Great! That old TV with the pop up screen was the first portable I ever had a zillion years back.

**Dan** · April-10-11, 02:26 PM

These guys have a similar thing going on: http://www.i3detroit.com/

**wolverine** · April-10-11, 04:40 PM

What a cool place. It's nice to have a collaborative environment where people can work on projects and bounce ideas off each other, and also have the infrastructure and space to make their work easy.

**barnesfoto** · April-10-11, 10:40 PM

very, very cool. thanks for the tour!

**xD_Brklyn** · April-11-11, 09:14 AM

Thanks. Enjoyed the tour!

**JDKeepsmiling** · April-11-11, 12:33 PM

An awesome look inside a great space. This kind of space reminds me a lot of the idea behind the book "Makers" by Cory Doctorow. Great book on the stuff hacker idea and on how true innovation can be found just by having fun with old stuff. Here is the link for anyone interested in the book. Mr. Doctorow is also at the forefront of fighting the good fight so that people can actually get his books cheaply, or free.

http://craphound.com/makers/about/

**RickBeall** · April-12-11, 05:22 PM

Great little tour! I wonder where the money for that comes from?

**Pam** · April-12-11, 05:46 PM

I wonder where the money for that comes from?

But those who want 24-hour access pay a monthly membership fee — up to $100 — to help pay rent on the space.

Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110313/...#ixzz1JLrZNv8C

Mr. Houdini · April-13-11, 11:59 AM

Originally Posted by RickBeall

Great little tour! I wonder where the money for that comes from?

The money for all that gear and rent no doubt comes from their parent's trust fund.

**Pam** · April-13-11, 04:46 PM

Originally Posted by Mr. Houdini

The money for all that gear and rent no doubt comes from their parent's trust fund.

Read the Detroit News article. It sounds like they all have other jobs.

**Lowell** · April-13-11, 10:07 PM

Originally Posted by Mr. Houdini

The money for all that gear and rent no doubt comes from their parent's trust fund.

That is an uncalled for and ignorant conclusion on your part. Of the three who asked what their day job was, two were software engineers, another a mechanical engineer. The equipment is neither that extensive or expensive. All contribute financially and share what they have.

**stromberg2** · April-14-11, 01:56 PM

He's an obvious troll, Lowell. I have never seen anything positive in his posts.

Stromberg2

**RickBeall** · April-14-11, 05:43 PM

I hope one of them comes up with something cool, something remarkable. Set the night on fire guys!

**canuck** · April-17-11, 09:43 AM

By the way, these are the kind of folks who can always find their talents used in film property design and construction. The spaces they use in Detroit, the material resources they purchase all benefit the city at large, never mind the creative enhancement that comes from it. Detroit's great manufacturing base came from that enterprising spirit and the naysayers were there alongside them; albeit sitting on the kerb, arms crossed and sulking...

**OCD-brandon** · March-09-12, 09:26 AM

Metrotimes put out a really good article this week on OmniCorpDetroit. thought some of you would enjoy it in case you didn't see it.

http://metrotimes.com/culture/the-ne...ouse-1.1281937

**Zacha341** · March-09-12, 09:53 AM

Really cool article. Cool ideas. It even speaks to us types who have to be creative to keep running our techie items that keep us in the creative loop in the home - such as piecing together parts of a broken computer to create a faster one. Alot of stuff can be gleaned from garage sales and swapping things other folks who fix, modify and create technology. Been there done that. Nice to see this network.