Seattle Design Nerds

From the archives: One of our first official projects was the unwieldy blob we called the CREATURE. We didn’t have shop space at the time so we turned to multiple public parks and the lobby of @jamiriquai ’s office to do most of the construction. . . . . #popup #inflatablearchitecture #seattleartist #nordalley #tacticalurbanism #collaborationovercompetition

Last Friday evening the @seattledesignnerds brought our latest creation to the SAM Remix. We dubbed it “Cold Calls” and it was inspired by a conversation about the Seattle Freeze and how it’s similar to a frustration with impenetrable bureaucracies. We imagined six government institutions established to regulate the causes of the freeze and deputized our audience as temporary agents of: - the Dept of Polite Indifference - Bureau of Ambient Belonging - Office of Acceptable Proximity - Administration for Minimal Engagement - Division of Conditional Invitations - Commission on Deferred Enthusiasm. Our would be agents were tasked to pickup their phone and interview a stranger using questions from their dialogue issuance device (a hacked receipt printer) and record those responses using the tools we gave them (air clay, stickers, or office stamps) on vague “forms”. We anticipated folks would engage with the off balance world we created but were overwhelmed with how deep and lengthy conversations got, more than one friendship was formed. The whole team came together to create a boatload of fun things for this one, special government seals and mottos that were 3D printed, phone booth plates complete with Latin plaques and hidden messages on the keypads, sewn elements, carpentry elements, and a LOT of 3D prints. Maybe we’ll do it again for @seadesignfest

Hi friends! Our Dinner with Robots Recap is here 🤖😍 Today is Giving Tuesday, and we need your support to keep funding our 2026 programs, interactive installations, community events, and the drum roll event of 2026…… Future Arts Way, a mixed reality Downtown corridor that will be installed during the World Cup and kick off an incredible program for our community until the end of the year! Dinner With Robots was the official start of our end of year fundraiser, and we’re still buzzing over that night. A reminder of what happens when a room full of makers and dreamers decides the future can be better and more equitable for artists and technologists 💕Now you can help us turn the momentum into something lasting, a foundation for this city. If you want to help us build that future, today’s the perfect day to join in. Donate through the link in bio, share with friends, peers, on your story… help us spread the word. Link in bio to donate via give butter- with a focus on annual Future💥Sparks memberships for 2026. With solarpunk dreams, The Future Arts Team 💚🤖 #givingtuesday @givingtuesday #seattle #mediaarts #techforgood #artsandculture #philanthropy @sharonnyreewilliams thank you for your emceeing magic for the night! Thanks for our sponsors @hudsonppi @geekwire @bluedanubepro @rentacomputer @jasonsurh for editing this video and @soundvisionproductions for captures @sessionsinplace for beautiful livestream you can rewatch on YouTube @leenirama for an amazing musical performance Our racers! @geekwire @houdini.studio @matthewbogue @pariveda_inc @weareagog @gooeyai @futureinreview @darkartssoftware @midnightspatial Art Tunnels Makers @renhollyaster @nasecase Our new show Who Made It? Hosted by @beritanderson with @sainteliss @gabrielbellodiaz @drshellyshelly BTS team (we will keep tagging artists in more recap bits!) @bittersweetconsulting @nathanna.raissa @fromfredo @harleygenea @h3xtacy @wandering__bones @richardangelomclean @oliverstellfox @celescapades FOUNDATION of our volunteers: @danifirestone.pnw @octotatgirl ….and so many others we will continue to shout out!! Please reshare and help us meet our year end goal 🌱✨🦾

🤓 NERDING OUT 🤖 Checking in with our pals at Seattle Design Nerds and the obstacle course they're building for The Grand Circuit Robot Race at our Nov 15 DINNER WITH ROBOTS fundraiser (or should we say fun-racer) is looking so cool! The team is putting together 200 feet of mayhem, fun, and obstacles, with surprises around every curve and corner. You won't want to miss it so hit the link in bio to get your tickets now. Special thanks to our media sponsor @geekwire ! Message us if you're interested in sponsoring a robot in the race (3 slots left!) or being an operator who gets to take control of a robot and race it through the obstacle course. @seattledesignnerds @adrianpacheco___ @kit.goldsworthy @architecturegeek @coffeeandfakingit @sticklabarchitecture @beritanderson @futureinreview @geekwire @hudsonppi @enabot_official @bittersweetconsulting @futurebruk @renhollyaster @nasecase @wandering__bones @h3xtacy @visionsofexcess @danifirestone.pnw @octotatgirl #dinnerwithrobots #futurearts #seattle #interactive

🤖 Beep-bop, meet the robots! Starting with the IRL bot you’ll get to drive during the event! You can adopt one, take it for a spin through the Art Tunnel, and walk away with an original artwork created by local artists. Each pledge helps fund creative residencies and tech-arts education for 2026! But our little bot couldn’t take on the future alone… So they called in some digital friends to help represent the three pillars that power everything we do: Art, tech, and community. 🎨 Artie is the Dreamer! They see the world in color, motion, and possibility. Always sketching, experimenting, and turning happy accidents into art. Artie reminds us that art is magic, and a little chaos is part of the process!. You’ll spot them is signs near the art installations and stage visuals, anywhere art is in the spotlight! 💡 Byte is the the Builder. Half hardware, half heart. Byte runs on curiosity and code, always chasing the next “aha!” moment. Every glitch is just future tech waiting to happen. You’ll find them at the AR displays and tech stations, sparking ideas and showcasing innovation in action. 🔗 Nova is the Connector. They’re the glue that holds everyone together. The one who remembers names, starts conversations, and believes connection is the most powerful kind of technology there is. You’ll see them around the Silent Auction, volunteer hubs, and all the little moments where collaboration takes shape. Together, they bring the Future Arts universe to life, and help make our first ever (!!!) fundraiser and showcase a night filled with purpose. Aka night we’ll never forget 🤖✨ 🎟️ RSVP via Luma.com/DINNERWITHROBOTS. Link in bio! P.S: Tell us your favorite in the comments! @sessionsinplace @seattledesignnerds @hudsonppi @enabot_official

❗️CAUTION❗️ ⚠️ OBSTACLES AHEAD⚠️ 🤖 The Seattle Design Nerds are cooking up something deliciously chaotic for our Nov 15 DINNER WITH ROBOTS event, and trust us, these bots are gonna sweat (if robots could sweat, that is). They're building an obstacle course that’ll make your Roomba rethink its life choices. Get ready for The Grand Circuit Robot Race, where creativity clashes with code, and only the most agile micro-machine will take the checkered flag! This is just a sneak peak at the obstacle course being built by Seattle Design Nerds, a group specializing in public interest pop-up art installations using diverse media and fabrication techniques such as painter’s plastic bubbles, CNC’d etch-a-sketches, found object lanterns, guerrilla projection mapping, spandex mazes, & conduit structures. Their work has appeared at SXSW, Redmond Lights, Lusio Light, Olympic Sculpture Park, Bumbershoot, the Seattle Art Museum, & more. Check in the link in bio for more info. @seattledesignnerds @coffeeandfakingit @sticklabarchitecture @enabot_official @hudsonppi @sessionsinplace @futureinreview @bittersweetconsulting @futurebruk @geekwire

Have you ever seen a robot race course? @seattledesignnerds has been jamming on creating a wild and wacky course (40 feet wide!) with things like ‘blades of death’ and surprise elements you will unlock during the race as an interactive audience member! All live-streamed by @sessionsinplace Who are Seattle Design Nerds you ask? They are a not for profit group of designers collaborating to make Seattle a little more awesome with their public art and experimentation. Established in 2014 as a chapter of the international Design Nerds Society, they are group like minded designers who join forces to work on public interest projects which are funded via grant or donation. Very soon, we’ll reveal more about the unique obstacle course they’re designing for our Dinner With Robots event, happening Saturday Nov 15th. @seattledesignnerds @coffeeandfakingit @sticklabarchitecture @enabot_official @hudsonppi @sessionsinplace @futureinreview

Can robots throw a good event? 🤖 We’re about to find out. For Future Arts LIVE! Episode 5, we’re doing something really special. “Dinner With Robots” is exactly what it sounds like: a little weird, a lot creative, and totally built with community in mind 🧠 💫 If you’re thinking it’s all digital, think again. It’s a one-of-a-kind evening featuring delicious bites by acclaimed Afro-Indigenous Chef Liiv (@liivforflavor )🍴, The Grand Circuit robot obstacle course race (with real pet-sized robots!) designed by @seattledesignnerds 🏁, and a live broadcast by Emmy Award–winning production company @sessionsinplace , sharing stories and conversations with artists, technologists, and community leaders. And that’s just part of it! The evening also includes a silent auction, interactive art 🎨, and the Adopt-a-Bot station. Every ticket, every pledge, every robot that crosses the finish line helps fund new initiatives, artist residencies, and creative education models for 2026. More than a fundraiser, this is our way of coming together to build a better future. So come see what happens when curiosity meets community! More details, programming, and (so many!) fun things that we can’t wait to share with you are coming! Stay tuned 💌 November 15 | 5–9 PM | Downtown Seattle @ Washington 1000 @hudsonppi 🎟 Tickets: luma.com/dinnerwithrobots (link in bio!)

Can robots throw a good event? 🤖 We’re about to find out. For Future Arts LIVE! Episode 5, we’re doing something really special. “Dinner With Robots” is exactly what it sounds like: a little weird, a lot creative, and totally built with community in mind 🧠 💫 If you’re thinking it’s all digital, think again. It’s a one-of-a-kind evening featuring delicious bites by acclaimed Afro-Indigenous Chef Liiv (@liivforflavor )🍴, The Grand Circuit robot obstacle course race (with real pet-sized robots!) designed by @seattledesignnerds 🏁, and a live broadcast by Emmy Award–winning production company @sessionsinplace , sharing stories and conversations with artists, technologists, and community leaders. And that’s just part of it! The evening also includes a silent auction, interactive art 🎨, and the Adopt-a-Bot station. Every ticket, every pledge, every robot that crosses the finish line helps fund new initiatives, artist residencies, and creative education models for 2026. More than a fundraiser, this is our way of coming together to build a better future. So come see what happens when curiosity meets community! More details, programming, and (so many!) fun things that we can’t wait to share with you are coming! Stay tuned 💌 November 15 | 5–9 PM | Downtown Seattle @ Washington 1000 @hudsonppi 🎟 Tickets: luma.com/dinnerwithrobots (link in bio!)

Can robots throw a good event? 🤖 We’re about to find out. For Future Arts LIVE! Episode 5, we’re doing something really special. “Dinner With Robots” is exactly what it sounds like: a little weird, a lot creative, and totally built with community in mind 🧠 💫 If you’re thinking it’s all digital, think again. It’s a one-of-a-kind evening featuring delicious bites by acclaimed Afro-Indigenous Chef Liiv (@liivforflavor )🍴, The Grand Circuit robot obstacle course race (with real pet-sized robots!) designed by @seattledesignnerds 🏁, and a live broadcast by Emmy Award–winning production company @sessionsinplace , sharing stories and conversations with artists, technologists, and community leaders. And that’s just part of it! The evening also includes a silent auction, interactive art 🎨, and the Adopt-a-Bot station. Every ticket, every pledge, every robot that crosses the finish line helps fund new initiatives, artist residencies, and creative education models for 2026. More than a fundraiser, this is our way of coming together to build a better future. So come see what happens when curiosity meets community! More details, programming, and (so many!) fun things that we can’t wait to share with you are coming! Stay tuned 💌 November 15 | 5–9 PM | Downtown Seattle @ Washington 1000 @hudsonppi 🎟 Tickets: luma.com/dinnerwithrobots (link in bio!)

Dinners are cool. Robots are cool. Races are cool. All of it together? Our very first DINNER WITH ROBOTS Race, Fundraiser, and Dinner (also Future Arts LIVE! Ep. 5 💚) Not sure what all of this means? Get ready, more info is coming soon. For now SAVE THE DATE: NOVEMBER 15. Drop a 🤖 in the comments for a DM with deets.

Not all feedback deserves your energy. That’s why we built an “office” where you can stamp it with a dumpster fire, shred it with a butt, and dance in its remains! Shredded Ego lived for a short but meaningful two days in South Lake Union Park, and here’s how it worked: 1/ At the Office of Particular Affairs, fill out a form with some negative feedback you’ve gotten (from an employer, a stranger, a friend, the world at large?!) 2/ Notarize it with some choice responses (💩, 🗑️🔥, 🤬) 3/ SEND IT to helllll (with some colorful addendums) 4/ Check in with the bouncer and throw your shreds around at CLUB VORTEX, a people-sized confetti snow globe (flamingo attire required) 🔈in this reel: excerpts from the operator menu/CLUB VORTEX ad I created for the office phone! A @seattledesignnerds collaboration for the @seadesignfest 2025 Block Party. *okay, “office” is a strong word for a desk in the park, but we made sure to be very official about it. Got anything you’d wanna shred?