What is Dim Sum Labs?
TL;DR
We’re Hong Kong’s first and longest-running Hackerspace (or hacklab, or makerspace, or hackspace) since 2011, open to anyone interested in hacking: the intellectual challenge to creatively overcome, circumvent, deconstruct or otherwise “hack” the limitations, capabilities, purposes, forms, etc. of virtually anything — or in other words: to mess around with anything for fun.
We rely on members to support the space. That includes rent, expenses and the organization of the space itself. Consider becoming a member!
Our Mission
Dim Sum Labs mission is to explore various self-organizational forms in an effort to deepen our understanding of how organizations can implement environments in which creativity blooms. As such we are part of a global Hackerspace movement non-profit, community-based and not to be confused with for-profit co-working spaces or startup incubators.
Due to Hong Kong’s demographics, policies, small living spaces and extremely high commercial rents, space of any kind is at a premium in Hong Kong and many creative communities are struggling to find suitable places to “do their thing”. The “Atelier” or “Loft” culture we see prevalent in other major cities is technically illegal. High population density means that noise laws are strictly enforced. Community centres primarily focus on the very young or the very old. This has left a gap in the fabric of Hong Kong society with respect to providing creative avenues for people who are in the prime of their lives. They literally have nowhere to go. Because of this, “micro- hobbies” such as collecting figurines, cooking, video games, shopping, horse betting, stock trading and photography are very popular pastimes as they require very little space and tools and easily fit into the Hong Kong style of living. Pursuits of even moderate space or tool requirements are impossible for a significant segment of the population.
Dim Sum Labs aims to address the needs of one of these “lost” segments of Hong Kong society, the creatives, the rebels, the playful and different, Hackers of all kinds, by providing a persistent, physically secure space for them, their tools, their projects and their work. Our venue is a place where people with a creative bent can congregate with other like-minded individuals in an environment that seeks to understand their needs and enable them to express their urge in a productive way. At Dim Sum Labs, everyone is welcomed to come, gather and make, hack, build, share, collaborate, educate, encourage, grow and achieve.
Who we are
In The Beginning…
A few friends in the Hong Kong technology community realized the city needed a hackerspace, modeled after the hackerspace movement pioneered by Mitch Altman (he later wrote the foreword to the book about us). Jonas, Jonathan, Julian, William and many others came together, and rented an office space in Sheung Wan. They built the space following a prevailing template for setting up a hackerspace. Thus Dim Sum Labs were born, and it is in the same place ever since.
Who Runs The Space? Or, Keeping It Alive
There is no official organization structure. Dim Sum Lab is run by members who go above and beyond to keep it running, including topping up the rent when there’s is a shortfall in membership income, and tidying up the space.
To fulfill legal requirements such as lease contract and accounting representing Dim Sum Labs, there is a not-for-profit Hong Kong legal entity, of which some of our members are directors. Our books are completely transparent, and you can find them on github: https://github.com/dimsumlabs/dsl-accounts
Considering Hong Kong is a transient place, being in the same space since 2011 is almost miraculous. People come and go, and members of Dim Sum Labs are no different. Since it’s founding, we have had a slew of members who have moved on from Hong Kong. Some of what they did in Dim Sum Labs are documented in this site and in the book written about us: The Field Guide to Hacking. It is all the more amazing that we have survived many crises minor and major, not least was COVID-19, when we lost almost all paying members. Even the not-for-profit entity representing Dim Sum Labs have gone through a few iterations, as members came and went. If it weren’t for passionate members who insisted that Hong Kong needed a hackerspace community, and generously covered the rent and expenses shortfall, Dim Sum Labs would not have survived until now.
Curious about who the current members are? Reach out via the means below to get to know us, and consider becoming a member to support a one-of-a-kind organization in Hong Kong.
Our Communities
To discover the communities we are currently hosting, please visit our Groups Page.
Find out More & Please Connect!
If you are in Hong Kong, feel free to come to our weekly Hackjam (but check on our Meetup page first for the latest schedule)! To visit Dim Sum Labs outside of Hackjam, or to get to know us, feel free to reach out via any of our social channels below
