FLUX is excited to announce our latest project: a commission for an exciting conference for educators. Over the past few years, we’ve gotten to know the amazing people involved with Harvard’s Project Zero and Oakland’s Abundance Foundation, and we’re pretty inspired by what they’re up to. Our TweetHaus Project introduced us to their joint project, the Oakland Learning Community, working with educators and administrators from 6 local schools to explore the intersection of the maker movement, design thinking, tinkering, and other DIY/making-inspired spheres in education-based environments. It’s exciting stuff.
This summer, PZ and Abundance commissioned a FLUX work for Making, Thinking, Understanding, a Project Zero Perspectives conference at Lick Wilmderding High School in San Francisco. At these conferences, educators from all contexts are invited to learn from and alongside Project Zero researchers and practitioners. The Project Zero team includes leading researchers, writers, thinkers and leaders in the field of teaching and learning. Their interests include investigations into the nature of intelligence, understanding, thinking, creativity, ethics and other essential aspects of human learning.
With its over-arching theme of Making, Thinking, Understanding, the conference will invite educators to reflect deeply on ways to create and sustain engaging, enriching and rigorous learning opportunities. In exploring tools, strategies, and frameworks developed at Project Zero, we will take inspiration from the host school’s goal of “developing the head, heart, and hands” of students.
The 
seeds for Carousel were planted a few years ago through our TweetHaus at Park Day School. The Abundance Foundation took notice of this innovative “learning through doing” program and introduced us to the team from Project Zero. We are like-minded organizations and really wanted to find something to collaborate on. The right time and place for collaboration finally happened. The result is a stunning new interactive sculpture.
Many thanks go to a stellar team of creators. Here are they are in no particular order – Thwen, June, Jen, Sterling, Will, PK, Ben, Chris, Katie, Paul, Jonny, Max, Steve, James, Cliff, Dalia, Catie, Jordana, Kip, Elizabeth, Lish, Summer, Ashly (I know I am missing people). Like all of our work it takes a whole lot of amazing Flux artists to make beautiful interactive art!