Thinking through Materialities

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How do materials shape our thinking, our actions and our perception of the world? The multi-day event "Thinking through Materialities" invites us to understand materials not only as passive objects, but as active sources of knowledge; to understand materials not only as functional, but as active players in the creative process: they tell stories, structure spaces, shape narratives and enable new forms of thinking and representation. How can materials have a performative effect? What role do materials, sounds, textures and processes of decay play in storytelling? In an interdisciplinary framework between art, science and design, we will embark on an experimental journey through different material worlds - with the aim of thinking, researching and designing beyond familiar boundaries.

Day 3
Plastics are the signature materials of our time - ubiquitous, often invisible. We trace their history of invention, areas of application and cultural implications. How do these materials shape our everyday experiences and our relationship to the environment? Between artifacts, narratives and speculative practices, we explore their role in a networked world of the Anthropocene. -- How can sustainable material choices contribute to the protection of nature, including the preservation of material, ecological and cultural heritage?

9:30 a.m.
Arrival

10:00 a.m.
Welcome

10:15 - 13:00
Anthropocene Encounters [Key-Note & Workshops]
How can the Anthropocene be understood through materials - through things that remain, change or disappear? In this workshop slot, we approach questions of time, materiality and speculative narrative in an artistic-research manner. After a joint kick-off, there will be three parallel workshops to choose from - each participant can experience two formats and rotate between the stations. The workshops combine practical material exploration with speculative, poetic or performative approaches. The slot ends with a joint presentation and reflection on the resulting works. In an open round, we share found objects, fragments, questions - and talk about possible futures from the material of the present.

With Prof. Kylie Crane, Alicia Reyes and Antonia Janosch

12:45 p.m.
Key note Materials of the future I
What materials will shape the world of tomorrow? Materials expert Sascha Peters gives an insight into bio-based, circular and smart materials.

With Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters

13:50
Lunch break

15:00 - 16:30
Materials of the future II: Material development
...for the stage of the future [practical example & workshops]
What needs to be considered when developing a purely natural 3D printing material that meets both the aesthetic and structural requirements of theater sculpture? What are the properties of a material that can be used by student projects as well as in professional productions? The research not only gives rise to new application possibilities for design and product development, but also to fundamental questions: How do materials influence our thinking? What new narratives about nature, cycles and resources can be derived from this? And how does this change our perception of the environment?

With Carl Ahner

16:30
The complexity of aesthetic experience
How do sensory impressions shape our thinking - and how do we encounter the world through materials? With the perspective of psychological aesthetics, we open up a space between perception, feeling and movement. In addition, a silent path invites you to explore further with your own body and senses: balancing, touching, listening.

With Prof. Dr. Michael Heinrich (HS Coburg)

17:10
Aesthetic trim trail
A sensory-reflective trail invites you to experience materials physically - through small exercises, touch stations and thought-provoking impulses. A playful, artistic way to reconnect perception, movement and material aesthetics.

19:00
Speculative music theater experiment
SPECIMEN NO.6: Plastiglomerate
The multimedia theater piece unfolds its narrative around a recently discovered new material. Plastiglomerates are structures consisting of a mixture of sediment grains and other natural residues such as shells or wood held together by plastic. They are considered a potential marker of the Anthropocene - an unofficial epoch of the Quaternary proposed by some social scientists, ecologists and geologists.

Conclusion with drinks

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"Thinking through Materialities" is more than just an event - it is an invitation to research, question and create together. Open to all curious people who are prepared not only to use materials, but also to think (through) them.

A registration is necessary.

The Call for Participation for the Market of Possibilities on Hub Day 4: Thinking Through ...Possibilities can be found here.

Contact:materialities@hfmt-hamburg.de

Dates at a glance
25.06., 17:00 - 20:00 | Cycles - Cycles of life and things
26.06., 10:00 - 20:00 | Textiles - fibers, interweavings, possibilities
27.06., 10:00 - 20:00 | Polymers - Good plastic, bad plastic?
28.06., 10:00 - 15:00 | Possibilities - Market of possibilities