Beekeeping Hack day

Conversations with bees' is a Hackday with a difference
Date 21st September 2:00pm - 5:00pm, London Kings Cross
Beekeepers register (here)
downloadable flyer / tweet-able (here)
questions email; info@rdphillips.co.uk

Our project seeks to explore how the power of citizen science and open design can enhance the ancient art of apiculture (beekeeping) - to enable beekeepers to engage with hive technology and connect with each other in new and exciting ways.

Who we're looking for
We're looking for beekeepers and enthusiasts to participate and engage with our project. You might be an experienced beekeeper who has lots of stories to tell. You might be an amateur who has only recently discovered their passion for bees and is brimming with ideas. You may be an apicultural enthusiast, culturalist, academic or scientist who has worked closely with beekeepers. Whoever you are, you must have a willingness to explore new ideas and solutions that will enhance the art of beekeeping and enable the beekeeping community.

Questions we want to explore are:
How can we use technology to 'sense' the world around us?
How could this be beneficial to beekeepers?
How can we evolve hive technology?
How can help beekeepers connect and share data?
How can we invent and create practical tools that beekeepers can easily put together themselves?

We want to explore and answer these questions with beekeepers and related enthusiast – those who are immersed in the practice and issue everyday – so we can make sure the ideas and products we create are useful and practical for beekeepers everywhere.

Who are we?
Rob Phillips
A product designer interested in how design can facilitate engagement between communities and users. He has 10 years’ industrial experience of commercial and academic product design including: mass manufacture, user engagement, user testing, prototyping and making. His clients have included: Puma, Quicksilver, d3o, Nokia, Ministry of Defence, BBC, The British Council, The Arts Council, The Victoria and Albert Museum, Goldsmiths Research Studio, DMR bikes and Google.

The Honey Club
A social enterprise created by us here at Wolff Olins (www.wolffolins.com) and youth development charity, Global Generation (http://www.globalgeneration.org.uk/). Our mission is to create the biggest bee friendly community in the world, starting with our local community in KingsCross. We are focused on saving bees, learning about sustainable practices and building a community through the practise of beekeeping.

Technology Will Save Us
Technology Will Save Us is the first haberdashery for technology and education. This description springs from a belief that creating a strong understanding of the technology we use every day will lead to more sustainable and ecologically conscious habits. We aim to help everybody experience the joy of making technology work the way they want it to. We show people what they’re capable of with our DIY technology kits, our workshops and support services. We enable them to understand how to build new things for themselves by being more creative and resourceful with the technology in their lives.