up:: La Finka - Community MOC
tags:: #brainstorm/lafinka

Overview

Overview

Let’s gather the nerds and build things together.

This meetup exists at the intersection of art, engineering, play, and curiosity. Many of us work in technical domains that rarely get applied toward expressive or exploratory outcomes. This is a space to redirect those skills toward making things that are strange, useful, beautiful, or unnecessary in the best way.

The emphasis is on collaboration, shared learning, and finishing small things. Projects can be personal, collective, experimental, or directly oriented toward being shown at Moon Boom, Banana Rodeo, or Ripe Ideas.

Internal - Creative Tech Interested List

Why This Exists

• To lower the barrier to starting creative tech projects
• To provide accountability through regular cadence
• To cross-pollinate skills between software, hardware, sound, visuals, and physical systems
• To create artifacts that can live beyond the meetup as installations, tools, performances, or exhibits
• To strengthen the creative nerd ecosystem around La Finka

When

• Regular cadence, likely biweekly or monthly
• Evenings, 2–3 hour blocks
• Schedule will stabilize once initial interest group aligns
• Occasional longer build days tied to specific events or deadlines
• Hackathons???

Where

• La Finka basement
• Large shared work table (12' x 12')
• Screens and projector for sharing work
• Electronics bench for prototyping
• Flexible lighting and audio environment

Who This Is For

• Artists who want to get more technical
• Engineers who want to get more expressive
• Designers curious about systems and interactivity
• Builders interested in physical computing, sound, light, or networks
• People with unfinished ideas they keep meaning to start

Experience level matters less than curiosity and willingness to contribute.

How to Participate

• Show up consistently when you can
• Bring an idea, a question, a skill, or a problem
• Work on your own project or join someone else’s
• Share progress, failures, and partial results
• Help document outcomes so others can build on them

What a Typical Meetup Looks Like

• Arrive!
• Short round of “what I’m working on / stuck on”
• Open build time / collaboration
• Ad-hoc pairing or small group problem solving
• Optional show-and-tell at the end

Some sessions may skew more social, others more heads-down.

Guiding Questions

• Q:: What have you wanted to build but never made time for?
• Q:: What skills do you want to deepen or cross-train?
• Q:: What tools or workflows are you currently exploring?
• Q:: What would be interesting to show at a community event?
• Q:: Where does technology meaningfully enhance experience rather than distract?
• Q:: Who is "vibe coding" these days? -> Process and workflows

Questions

Q:: What projects have folks been thinking about for awhile?
Q:: Goals: What are areas or paths folks want to dive into.
Q:: What does a meetup look like?

Technologies

Software

• TouchDesigner
• Max/MSP
• Resolume
• MadMapper
• Web technologies (HTML, JS, WebGL, Web Audio)
• Creative coding environments
• Cursor and AI-assisted workflows as tools, not replacements

Hardware

• Raspberry Pi
• Arduino and microcontrollers
• Sensors and actuators
• Audio interfaces and DSP
• Lighting control and power systems
• Cameras and physical interfaces

Equipment

• Laser Cube
• Soldering Stations
• Artnet DMX COntrol

Project Ideas & Collaborations

• Electromagnetic or kinetic sculpture
• Water and fountain systems
• Lighting and projection experiments
• Interactive sound installations
• Web-based tools and playful utilities
• Web 1.0-inspired design experiments
• Community software and dashboards
• Smart home or environmental sensing
• Speaker design and audio research

Pathways to Public Showing

• Moon Boom: intimate, experiential, audio-forward work
• Banana Rodeo: interactive exhibits and science-fair-style demos
• Ripe Ideas: process-driven talks and prototypes
• Open studios or pop-up showcases at La Finka

Not everything needs to be shown publicly, but the option exists.

Open Threads

• Name for the meetup
• Cadence and rhythm
• Documentation norms inside the digital garden
• Tool sharing and storage
• How finished is “finished enough”