From Critical Making via unmaking towards (un)making

As profit-making entities increasingly face pressure to claim—whether superficially or substantially—that they are reducing their environmental impact, the overall trend of relentless production remains largely unchanged and unchallenged. This raises a critical question: can we ever truly stop making? One reason we find it nearly impossible to stop is that the urge to make is deeply ingrained in our nervous systems. While pioneering researchers have begun to explore this issue by moving beyond unlearning to the concept of unmaking, little insight has emerged regarding the dilemma of value creation. Put simply, people cannot stop making things because they need to keep earning. Universal Basic Income (UBI) is not a straightforward solution, as it could further reinforce the monetary logic of resource acquisition. Instead, we need to (re)develop skills to derive benefits from our surroundings with minimal effort. This is precisely what Yoshinari Nishiki is exploring in his engineering PhD on (un)making. However, to address the historical complexities of production, it is essential to revisit the evolution of our modes of making. In this talk, Yoshinari carefully traces the origins of (un)making, from the Maker movement and Critical Making to the emerging concepts of unmaking and (un)making.