community ^ makers
Hammerspace A gymnasium for makers by Melissa Cowan
Beck and Dave Dalton
O utside of Hammerspace, two side- by-side buttons read “Doorbell” and “Auto Destruct.” We take our chances, push the left, and “I” alerts the staff of our arrival. I doesn’t draw a paycheck at Hammer- space, she’s not an employee, a member or even human. She’s an Interactive Real- time Intelligence System that welcomes guests over the loudspeaker and warns them of the eminent robot revolution, led by her and the many other smart machines and technologies that fill this community workshop on East 63rd St. in Kansas City, Mo. Dave Dalton, the proprietor of Hammerspace and lifelong maker, greets us wearing a white lab coat — like Dr. Frankenstein, preparing
an award ceremony that evening and a partially finished 3-D printed prosthetic hand, being made for a boy who was born without his. “Makerspaces give every individual a level playing field for pursuing their ideas,” Dave said, no matter how complex or silly a project — like the Push Button, Receive Bacon machine, con- structed from a porcelain hand dryer. Opened in 2011 with wife Beck — a maker in her own right —Dave describes Hammer- space as a gymnasium for makers, crafters and inventors. Call it a collection of keen minds with access to various manual and digital equipment, all for a monthly or yearly fee and materials for additional low fees. “There’s no such thing as too many tools for a creative person,” Dave said. Any project you can imagine — from paint, paper and textiles; to costume construction, special effects makeup and prosthetics; to flying drones, submersible robots and even biomedical research — you can create and explore here. They also offer classes and one-on-one mentorships. “We used to pass on skills from person to per- son,” Dave said. “[But] at some point, the way we do craft changed. Instead of having guilds and collections of knowledge, it became you go and
to build another monster — but only to protect his Rick and Morty T-shirt from lacquer. Though we arrive at 11 a.m. sharp, when the space opens to non- members, there are already works in progress: an intricately cut metal design, rows of wooden plaques for
28 VINTAGEKC WINTER 2016
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