Organised and curated by Space 10, I/O brings people together at the intersection of art, design and technology, describing itself as ‘a playground for bright and curious minds’. We were invited to exhibit a collection of locally-made furniture as part of the 2 day event. Beyond the smell of freshly oiled plywood, we took to the stage to share our journey and vision for the future of design and making, before hosting a workshop with 30 curious minds!

As always, things look wonderfully clean and predictable in photographs. Creating the exhibit drew on the talent and tireless efforts of multiple individuals. 3 Opendesk’ers and many more Space 10’ers who put a combined total of over 150 hours into event preparations, many of those hours spent lugging wood (a bit of a necessity at Opendesk). We were not alone in our labour, with 20 exhibitors from around the world working together to get the show on the road.

With a focus on furniture, Open Making and materials, the Opendesk exhibit stood out against a backdrop of technology-led installations. Whilst we are a technology company at heart, our furniture creates tangible experiences around physical things, underpinned by our platform’s technology-driven infrastructure.

download our event posters here, designed by our team specially for Trailerpark I/O. Information and statistics are dated 25/07/16

Opendesk event posters by Josh Worley is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

An engaged audience of creatives was the perfect opportunity to share our exploration into new materials. I/O provided the design interrogation and feedback needed to truly understand the value of expanding our material library to include Smile Plastics and Solidwool. The unique manufacturing process of both materials, produced from recycled plastics and wool respectively, provided a wider commentary on design for a circular economy.

Forming an open dialogue between us and our wider audience of followers is an essential part of the Opendesk mission. It’s part of being truly open. Listening and not always shouting. Events like I/O are great opportunities to be more conversational as part of this community. Our workshop explored very real innovations, issues and topics currently circulating at Opendesk. The fusion of smart technology and furniture was a core focus, raising questions about the deeper role of workspace furniture as a social interface between us and our increasingly remote colleagues. The diverse backgrounds of our participants resulted in unique responses to a wider discussion on openness as a cultural position. By taking principles derived from open source software development and re-applying them to ideas of working culture, we challenged participants to analyse their roles. “How can you and your organisation be more open in the way each of you conduct yourselves”. The question is incredibly empowering once you begin unpacking the accepted codes and conventions. Why are businesses built from the the top down? How do pyramid structures benefit organisations that are attempting to become more creative in their process and output? How can openness and transparency be leveraged to provide competitive advantages? The list goes on, and the list of possible answers goes on longer.

I/O was packed with fascinating work by other artists and designers. From 3D printed tattoos to vending machines selling computer viruses (paid for with finger prints); I/O presented a cacophony of interesting digital ideas, applications and provocations for the technology that surrounds us, whilst raising serious questions about its role in society.

From left : Resonate by de Naakte Ontwerpers, Participants wore jackets that vibrate in correspondence to instrumental music. Tatoue, an adapted 3D printer / tatoo machine so detailed that it can be used on human skin.

Trailerpark I/O was different from any other event we have taken part in. It’s piercing examination of our increasingly technology-led world provided an uncensored insight into the people behind this fascinating movement. I/O celebrated ideas and the individual’s responsible for them. It was less a stomping ground for the larger corporation, and more a playground for the people making meaningful contributions to a technology-led economy where attention is the new currency. Space 10’s curation and the authentic audience of like-minded creatives they drew made the event into something quite unique. For 3 days Trailerpark I/O became a micro community of creatives within Copenhagen. Faces became familiar, names memorable and before you knew it, friendships formed.

Photos by Rasmus Himmelstrup + Zinna Mac + Alona Vibe + Michael Kaack + Alexander Hjorth Jespersen + Thomas Rasmussen + Martin Löf + Josh Worley