
Arduino boards, Kinects and LED matrices littered the tabletops. UV laser pointers and photochromatic powders were being mixed like magic potions inside Hive76’s Spring Garden studio space this weekend.
PAFA After Dark: Turned On exhibit opening
- March 8, 2012
- 6-9 p.m.
- PAFA, 128 N. Broad Street
The Hacktory and Hive76, two Philadelphia-based DIY groups, joined together for a hackathon on Saturday to discuss their upcoming installation at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts for its After Dark: Turned On exhibit.
Turned On focuses on Henry Ossawa Tanner, a Pittsburgh-born black artist who studied at PAFA in the 1880s. Hive76 and the Hacktory will be creating the interactive exhibits that will be on display.
“We’re exploring themes of transcendence, light as a metaphor for mystery and making the invisible, visible,” said Stephanie Alarcon of the Hacktory.
The resulting projects will allow visitors to draw with light-sensitive ink and lasers and also play with an interactive projection. Their goal is to provide a fun, safe and educational piece that teaches visitors the importance of technology in art and society.
“We want to take a more modern look at the historical context of Tanner’s work,” said Alarcon.
Join our growing Slack community
Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!
Donate to the Journalism Fund
Your support powers our independent journalism. Unlike most business-media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational contributions.

Philly’s Venture Cafe, the once-popular University City meetup, shuts down after 6 years

When global tech association CompTIA spun off its nonprofit arm, the TechGirlz curriculum went dark

Tech Council of Delaware is officially a nonprofit after 2 years of growth
