Conference badges are no longer simplistic and useless trinkets. They have evolved and grown into artistic, capable, and truly impressive devices. Dubbed badgelife by those involved in the practice, the display above, crafted by Majenta Strongheart, was a powerful monument to the concept at Supercon 2018.
The conference badge provided to all attendees became a canvas for the art of hacking as well, culminating in an awards ceremony that offered cash prizes and Tindie gift cards for the winners.
Embracing Badgelife at Supercon 2018
The badgelife exhibit in the hall between LACM and the Supplyframe DesignLab did not go unnoticed by attendees. Jason Huggins offered up a unique tweet that got us all thinking about the future of art museums:
Sometimes I wonder what art museums in 100 years will curate when they look back at this moment in time. I highly suspect they will have #badgelife collections. #supercon pic.twitter.com/VAt8RNrwiE
— Jason Huggins ? (@hugs) November 5, 2018
In addition to the main section, there was also a place for SAOs on the left. Thanks to some clever designs, these add-ons were bright and vibrant throughout the weekend. Some of the badges and SAOs featured are from badge creators that sell on Tindie.
Beautiful #badgelife exhibit at @Hackaday #SuperCon, wonderfully curated by @majentastrong I hear. Also includes a SAO section! pic.twitter.com/N6GW4Uqwjk
— Tod E. Kurt (@todbot) November 4, 2018
Badge Hacking
There was an entire line of tables in the alley behind the DesignLab and LACM dedicated to badge hacking. With a wealth of tools and components from our sponsors, people went to work making some truly incredible modifications to their badges.
Those who completed their hacks were invited to show them off on stage Sunday evening. There were several categories, cash prizes, and Tindie gift cards for the winners.
The sheer creativity and ingenuity on display here was stunning. We also saw some epic music, software, and BASIC hacks too. Badgelife was alive and well at Supercon 2018!
