Irritierende Objekte. Wie Zukunft prototypisch erschlossen wird

Abstract

The paper investigates possible connections between neo-materialistic thinking and society. The empirical case is prototyping as a socio-material practice. The paper reconstructs a) the function of prototypes as material devices to access the future and explores b) how society is increasingly involved in prototyping activities: As prototypes turn into objects of public par-ticipation, social phenomena are designed as prototypical objects. Contemporary prototyping practices are an expression of a society captivated by acceleration and innovation. This society may no longer trust the epistemic authority of expert discourses but rather the material evidence of technoscientific demonstrations of emerging technologies. Just like the new materialisms themselves, prototypes invite us to be irritated by the performativity of matter.