RSA Events

Makerspaces: The new factory floor? A conversation examining the potential significance of the growing number of so-called makerspaces and what they could mean for hobbyists, educationalists, entrepreneurs and consumers alike. Panellists: Tom Tobia, Makerversity founder; Daniel Charny curator and founder of Fixperts; Sophie Thomas, Great Recovery, RSA; Asa Calow creative technologist and Madlab founder Chair: Zoe Laughlin, co-founder/director of the Institute of Making and the Materials Library project

Meet the 21st century makers An in-conversation session where a diverse group of makers will share their experiences of creating under different conditions – from those that work on craft to those that build high-tech robotics, and from those that make for themselves to those that manufacture for the masses. Participants: Makeda Matheson film-producer turned cashmere-enthusiast and fashion designer; Emily Brooke BLAZE bike light designer; Alison Lloyd, founder and designer, Ally Capellino; Mark Brearley, Cass Cities and proprietor, Kaymet. Chair: Anthony Painter, director of policy and strategy, RSA

Atoms, bits and everything in between A discussion looking at how the advent of the digital age and the introduction of new technologies have changed the nature of making, as seen through peer-to-peer marketplaces, open source hardware initiatives, the internet of things and digital fabrication tools. Panellists: Philip Colligan chief executive of Raspberry Pi; Bethany Koby, Technology Will Save Us; Jessi Baker Provenance HQ; Sylvain Preumont, founder of iMakr and MyMiniFactory.com Chair: Kitty Knowles, journalist, The Memo

Introducing the next industrial revolution A conversation exploring the emergence of the maker movement in all its forms and the factors that are fuelling its rise – from the arrival of cheaper tools, to the revival of making in popular culture, to the growing consumer appetite for domestic goods. Panellists: Liz Corbin, Institute of Making and co-founder of Open Workshop Network; Julie Madigan, Manufacturing Institute; Indy Johar co-founder of 00; Rosy Greenlees, executive director of Crafts Council Chair: Peter Marsh former FT journalist and author of The New Industrial Revolution

In the lead-up to ‘last chance’ negotiations at COP21, renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough and explorer and conservationist Tim Flannery put their heads together on this era-defining issue.

Do we need to rethink our approach to civic capacity-building and to the delivery of health and social care?

Betty Jackson CBE RDI will give the 2015 RDI Address exploring the source of creativity and innovation in design.

Why are teachers leaving the profession in droves, and what can we do about it? A panel of experts discuss the looming crisis at the very heart of our education system.

Last year, over 300,000 people in England entered treatment for drug or alcohol misuse. With health services under pressure, and facing further looming cuts, can insights from the RSA Whole Person Recovery project help offer a more holistic, creative and sustainable approach to building lasting, sustainable recovery?

Writer and theatremaker Lucy Neal explores the role of the citizen artist in reinventing our world at a time of systemic change and uncertainty.