Exploring PIFcamp and the surrounding area will lead you to unlimited discoveries. Whether it’s learning from your fellow participants or from the space itself, there’s so much here.
A non exhaustive list of things you can find:
- old 3D print filament
- unaccompanied odd pieces of electronics
- club mate bottles
- the thickest moss you can imagine
- children playing with the kitten
- participants playing with their projects
- The days are segmented by meals. Breakfast 8:30-9:30, lunch 14:00-15:00pm, dinner 19:00-20:00. In between these meals are endless opportunities.
- The schedule board fills up quickly with tape, each piece has handwritten information from a fellow participant with what they’re going to run.
We’re on Day 4 and we’ve had:
- soldering workshop
- a gentle intro to time travel
- keyboard monster controller
- a talk on magic, AI, and surveillance
- a lemon squeezing workshop
- biodata device workshop
- energy harvesting workshop
- plant self-defence worksop
- workshop workshop for workshopping workshops
- a discussion on where waste goes
- co-building a cardboard smoker
- focus groups on technological failure
- tai chi sessions
- a workshop talk on data centres, crochet and dr seus
- linden berry picking session
- a laser show
- a Hackers (1995) screening
- daily VR experiences
- two hikes
Somehow within all of that you can find people scattered around the space working on their projects. For some, running a session is part of the project.
At events like PIF you have to become very comfortable with missing out; there’s simply no way to attend every session or be part of every conversation. There’s a constant shifting nature to the space and the people, it’s hard to pin down any element of this experience. Much like the Soča river, we are all flowing through PIF with a few things to slow us down here and there but ultimately there’s nothing to stop the passage of time and the days slipping away.
There’s only a few days left and yet many are still in the middling stages of their projects, still embracing all the parts of each day, letting things happen and letting themselves be part of it.
PIF is a magical place, it holds you close for a week of time and then sits with you beyond that. It will change how to approach your endeavours, what you consider to be success and failure, how you connect with others. It’s important to bask in every second, or else you might just miss out on the magic.
Images and text by PIFparticipant Sid Drmay.