Modest Dhaka Makers brings forth a weekend of creativity

Stepping into Aloki for Dhaka Makers, you immediately notice how different the venue feels, the space takes on a quieter, more serene character. A large Friday morning crowd wasn't expected, of course, but the calm atmosphere gave Dhaka Makers a slightly different flavour.

Running from 13 to 16 November at Aloki, Dhaka Makers has returned with 14 diverse workshops, inviting participants to explore a wide range of creative pursuits.

Arts and crafts remain at the heart of the event, but the thoughtful curation moves beyond the usual activities that typically come to mind.

Each day features at least one engaging and distinctive session, from miniature architecture and origami to candle and doll making. The workshops avoid traditional gendered themes, ensuring that there is something appealing for everyone.

Many of the sessions are designed with children and teenagers in mind, especially those with little previous experience. Instructors pace the activities carefully so participants can follow along comfortably and absorb the material. For older adults seeking more advanced engagement, however, some workshops may feel less suited.

There are exceptions, including a candle-making workshop by Newton's Archive, Saturday's doll-making session, and a pottery workshop scheduled for 7:30 PM tomorrow. But apart from these, the event is not being held festively enough for regular people to enjoy outside of the workshops.

The event that piqued my interest the most was 'My Flying Dream House' by Siyam Hossain. Made for 5 to 12-year-old children, the segment's primary focus lay in making a house model from scratch with boards, papers, and paint. 

But the most enjoyable part of it was that the house they had to make was the flying house from the beloved animated movie 'Up' by Pixar.

"When we shift houses or places, we always carry a piece of that within us. How the air felt, how the sun hit the window panes, how it felt to be in a place of such immense love are things that architecture can carry in itself. And being able to make something so close to your sentiments and keep it on our shelves or table is an incredible feeling," said Siyam to TBS.

Even if it is for children and young teenagers, appropriate effort has to be made to make the models realistic. Children were guided through each step meticulously and helped out when they were struggling with any of the measurements or cutting.

Siyam further elaborated on why such workshops are important for children, "When children see the house from Up and work their way into making the final product, they are not only developing essential problem-solving skills but learning to bring their imagination to life. In a world where too much of children's lives dissolve into online brainrot, this workshop brings them back into their own minds."

'Robotics 101 – Build smart bots' had me curious because this is not something intuitive or easy for children to grasp. So, how did they teach children to make something like that? Easy. By helping them make their projects their own, and the rest follows suit.

Facilitated by the Tech Academy Team, the workshop not only included automation but also handcrafts. The project was a hand-crafted trash can that uses sensors to open and close by tracking your hand movements. 

Apart from this, they also included segments that pushed them to write down their ideas, team games that were made by the children, and finally, a VR gaming session.

Instructor Abdullah Al Sharafat explained that the team wanted to broaden the learning process. Rather than simply teaching children about individual components or having them copy a pre-made build, the aim was to help them think independently about what kind of project they wanted to create. 

"The focus is trying to make them think about the type of project they want, choose an idea for a project that they can make and then figuring out ways to make that," he said.

He further continued, "We are hoping to infuse creativity and an interest in robotics after doing the projects and help them realise robotics is not hard and scary. And that if you start from now, you can do anything and make projects that will change your lives and the people around you."

Dhaka Makers continues to bring workshops that keep pushing the creative potential of children and help bring a whole world of unique and brand-new ideas to them. In our country, where getting exposure to these is almost impossible, Dhaka Makers offers a much-needed shake-up to this landscape.