After a year of focusing on other SOFTER initiatives, we realised we were very overdue for some networking and socialising with you, our community.

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On August 5, we’re hosting the next SOFTER Social in London, to open a dialogue about community architectures and how we can build a more collaborative softer future on the internet.

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Using accessible AI tools, you will “vibe design” your own object — moving from feeling to image to 3D form. Through guided prompts and experimentation, you will generate and shape a design that reflects how you want to live with your device, rather than be led by it.

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The workshop is open to anyone curious about spending less time on their phone, becoming more present at home, or exploring new ways of creating with AI and 3D tools. Whether you are completely new to 3D or already familiar, this session offers a different, intuitive approach to making. 

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You will leave with a ready-to-print 3D file, and perhaps a new ritual for where your phone belongs. 

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We will provide access to the tools (Leonardo AI and Meshy AI). Please bring your own laptop.

This beginner-friendly workshop will introduce you to the basics of cables.gl and its interface, so no prior experience is necessary (though familiarity with visual programming can be helpful). We’ll explore the different “Operators” that power cables.gl, then move into hands-on experimentation where you’ll build your own interactive patch using inputs like audio and webcam data.

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To wrap up, we’ll go through how to publish your project online or embed it directly into your own website.

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Just bring your laptop!

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This roundtable invites you into a shared space for reflecting on what it means to age alongside technology. Together, we will explore how memory, forgetting, and time shape our relationship to digital life, and how experiences of obsolescence are felt in the body, in work, and in everyday habits.

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Through guided reflection, storytelling, and discussion, participants are invited to share lived experiences, thoughts, and unfinished stories. You might recall a technology that shaped your coming of age, a skill you were encouraged to leave behind, or a moment where you felt out of sync with the pace of change.

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Join us for an afternoon of collective reflection, conversation, and story telling. No preparation is needed, and sharing is always optional. Silence, listening, and half-formed thoughts are welcome.