Reverse Engineers, an exhibition that takes place on Feb. 19 – March 19, at the Carnegie Art Center, will feature artists who embrace reverse engineering as a means of critically understanding, intervening in and reinventing the world.

One of the participating artist is Natalie Jeremijenko. Her HowStuffisMade project is an on-line encyclopedia of labor conditions and manufacturing processes involved in the production of contemporary products. These “photo essays” can be used both as a consumer guide to commodities (blue jeans, plastic bags, fortune cookies, paper clips, etc.) and as a prototype curriculum for training future engineers and designers.

The HowStuffisMade website is designed as a TWiki, an open-content, editable system that allows visitors to modify, correct and/or contribute new content.

RE is an academic project and entries have been done by students in engineering and art depts Jeremijenko have taught in. Photocredit to Yu Xiang. Encyclopedia coproduced by the slow design lab, see slowlab.net; system design and graphic design by Robert Twomey and Jesse Arnold respectively.