Material Activity in Art and Design Practices

Abstract The theoretical movement of New Materialisms claims that society has to think differently about the way it treats our common material environment. The conception of matter as something active and transforming is at the core of these proposed changes. But in order to have an impact, conceptual frameworks must be accompanied by materially engaged practices. Recently, art and design projects have started bringing attention to active aspects of materials and environments. Our own research – in projects such as Enactive Environments and Liquid Things – concerns itself with chemical and biological processes, temporal aspects, and the openness of materials to environmental unpredictabilities.