Alternative Framings of Critical Making

This report summarises the participatory experiences in Critical Making, specifically in terms of defining and applying a new analytical framework, which we named “Critical Making Responsibility Framework” (CMRF). The document outlines the iterative approach the consortium took, which reflects the overall work of this project: starting from an academic proposal to combine Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) principles (Tassone et al. 2018) with Grassroots Innovation Movement (GIM) framework (Smith et al. 2017) as first outlined in the project proposal, and (for now) resulting in an interactive online escape room game. We documented the winding – but highly collaborative – pathway through academic papers and conference presentations, one of which received a best paper award, or another one that proposed a new RRI key. We also had lengthy reflexive discussions with researchers from different disciplines, and held two workshops with, and got surveys filled out by our non-academic co-researchers, the critical makers. In this report, instead of repeating what we already communicated, the papers and other materials are collected with an overview, including a short reflection on their roles in the process. In the conclusion, the author summarises this reflexive and participatory experience and offers an outlook for future research.