About Wowlab

What is Wowlab

Wowlab is a small but well equipped studio where projects and experiment can be realised. The emphasis is on design and sculptural projects, but other projects are also welcome.

 

Goal of Wowlab

Goal of Wowlab foundation, is to provide people, especially children, a place where they can discover and enjoy making things, starting from their own interests. The goal is to make them feel familiar, well informed and competent with tools and materials and develop a curious and playful attitude. Various technologies are used, working with machines or by hand.

 

Wowlab as a Fablab:

Wowlab is small. But we still want to think big. We want to connect making to our lifes, and connect to other makers. We want to make large jumps, but know that sometimes a huge leap is just to far. Still...

But we're not alone. Other Fablabs, in the Netherlands, abroad, and other groups with opportunities, who are building and discovering. Be it education, start up places, artist studio's, a shared facility, a hub with people sharing ideas. So we looked for connections, other places we can work with, get inspiration from, bring idea's to. Such as Fablab Netherland.

Wowlab's goals are evolving, defining more and more the identity of Wowlab. We try not to be a copy of others but to find out what we are good at and do that properly. But connected, and sharing with other places and persons. We cooperate, through Chainlab, by giving workshops, by participating in Maker festival Twente.

Fablab Netherland granted Wowlab the license of Fablab. Sharing and enabling realisation of projects is a shared goal with the Fablab foundation, besides working with digitally controlled tools. We see more connections, especially in the Dutch situation: education is becoming an important part of Dutch Fablabs. Education with an outspoken goal: making children more interested, curious, self confident, eager. Wowlab is small, but the ideas are big.

 

How does it operate and what does it offer?

Wowlab offers specialised and general tools that are collected during more than 20 years of building sets, sculptures and scientific installations. It offers a place and events where they can be used or learned. Users can experiment with the tools or use them for their own projects. Wowlab can be visited after appointment or during open acces time or a workshop can be attended.

 

Funding

Wowlab gets it's money from the machine rental and workshops. In 2017 a subsidy for childrens tools was granted by Willem Willink foundation (Borne). It is planned to become Wowlab foundation which allows funding of furniture, extra tools and special projects.

Who can use it?

Wowlab facilitates especially children, home school, artists and designers but others are also welcome.

Safety

For user safety potentially hazardous machines such as the router or welding gear may not be used without instruction beforehand, depending on Wowlab manager decision. The laser, 3D printer, hand tools and small electric tools are regarded as safe, but you must use your common sense.