Teardown 2018

Teardown 2018 is a wrap. Join us for Teardown 2019!

Teardown 2018 was tremendously fun. Thanks again to everyone who attended and made it so great. There were amazing talks, workshops, demos, experiments, and installations. However, by far the most amazing part of Teardown was the people — the conversations, exchange of ideas, offers of support, questions, explanations, and off-the-cuff remarks. We can’t wait to see you in 2019!

Learn More About Teardown 2019

Teardown 2018 is an event put on by Crowd Supply in association with Make+Think+Code @ PNCA. You can think of Teardown as live-action Crowd Supply, but with fewer cardboard boxes and packing peanuts. We’ll be bringing together hardware aficionados from around the world to celebrate, inspect, create, and, of course, tear down hardware. There will be long-time Crowd Supply creators and backers, as well as people we’re meeting for the first time. There will be hardware, art, food, drink, puzzles, workshops, tutorials, talks, music, field trips, and friends. Most of all, there will be ideas and projects to explore and inspire. We hope you’ll be there too!

Just the Facts

What to Expect

Teardown is about the practice of hardware: prototyping, manufacturing, testing, dissassembling, and circumventing, all while having fun. Leave the marketing glitz and talk of venture capital at the door and come prepared to learn and teach.

Talks & Workshops

Teardown will have a few parallel, scheduled tracks of talks and hands-on workshops covering a range of hardware topics and experience levels. Some workshops might have material fees, but we’re trying to make Teardown as accessible as possible. We’ve already lined up some stellar talks and workshops, which we’ll announce soon. Do you have an idea for a talk or workshop? See the Teardown call for proposals!

Demos & Installations

We’re lucky enough to be holding Teardown in the expansive main building of the Pacific Northwest College of Art, a space well-suited to hosting demonstrations and installations of all kinds, art or otherwise. Want to set up something that lasts longer than a talk or workshop? A demo table or installation space may be just the thing. They can be attended or self-serve, and can range from interactive sculpture to a workbench outfitted with tools to hack on a specific project. Submit your idea through the Teardown call for proposals.

Puzzle Hunt

Various puzzles will be woven throughout Teardown. The first person or team to reach the finish line of the puzzle hunt will reap treasures beyond their wildest dreams and be immortalized in legends and lore for generations to come. Whether or not you burn the midnight oil solving puzzles, madness will surely ensue. Prepare for the hunt!

Downtime

While scheduled events are great, we recognize that often the best part of any get together is the stuff that happens without a schedule, which is why we’re leaving room for swapping stories over drinks, comparing notes on personal projects, and catching up with friends old and new.

Registration

Registration is open and event passes are on sale now! The early bird tiers won’t last long, so get yours while you can. All passes include full access to everything Teardown has to offer, with the exception that some workshops might have space limitations or require a small additional fee to cover the cost of materials. We are trying to keep Teardown accessible to everyone. To that end, we’re bringing on sponsors and and have set up a Community Fund pledge level to help defray event pass and travel costs for people who need it. If you need financial assistance, please subscribe to updates and keep an eye out for an announcement with more details. By attending Teardown, you agree to abide by our Code of Conduct.

Sponsors

Teardown is made possible thanks to the generous financial, material, and logistical support of our sponsors. We’re proud to work with such great partners!

Schedule

Teardown runs from the afternoon of Friday, May 11, 2018 through the night of Sunday, May 13, 2018. We encourage all participants to attend the entire time — plan to arrive Friday around noon and leave Monday morning. Below is the preliminary schedule.

Friday, May 11, 2018

Registration opens at 11:30 AM.

Saturday, May 12, 2018

Sunday, May 13, 2018

Ongoing Demos and Installations

Venue

Teardown’s primary venue will be the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA), which recently moved into the old post office in the heart of Portland’s Pearl District. We’ll also be taking full advantage of being within easy walking distance of everything downtown Portland has to offer.

Travel & Accommodations

A discounted block of rooms has been reserved at The Society Hotel just a few minutes’ walk from the main PNCA venue.

Stay in the Loop

Hit the "Subscribe to Updates" button near the top of this page to receive weekly updates leading up to Teardown, from details on the call for proposals to confirmed speakers, sessions, and activities.

Code of Conduct

All attendees, speakers, sponsors, organizers, and volunteers at Teardown are required to agree with the following code of conduct. We will enforce this code throughout the event. We expect cooperation from all participants to help ensure a safe environment for everyone.

Teardown is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone. We do not tolerate harassment of anyone, in any form, for any reason, including for reasons of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion (or lack thereof), technology choices, dietary choices, subject matter expertise, educational background, economic circumstance, family status, or employment status.

Harrassment includes offensive verbal or written comments related to any of the above reasons; deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, or recording; sustained disruption of communication and event activities; inappropriate physical contact; and unwelcome sexual attention.

Sexualized marketing material is not appropriate for Teardown.

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of Teardown staff immediately.

Teardown staff will be happy to help participants contact venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the event.

We expect participants to follow these rules at all Teardown-related events and venues, both online and offline. Participants violating these rules will be sanctioned at the discretion of the organizers.

This code of conduct was adapted from confcodeofconduct.com and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.