Reading Matter
Atoms and particles, rare earth minerals and hybrid composites, precious metals and microwaves, matter is commonly perceived as a passive commodity ought to be mobilised to become material. But when approached through a lens of human productivity, only certain facets of matter get recognised as valuable part of the market. In this event, Evelina Domnitch will address strategies for expanding the human perception of the material forces and agency of matter, from chemical and quantum to micro-gravitational. Through performative environments and phenomenological experiments that exceed the scope of applied science and challenge the disciplinary boundaries, Domnitch invites to rethink the nature of human relationship with matter.
Using material and the concept of conductivity as a lens, Füsun Türetken will explore a range of instances where conflict and capital can be read through matter, more precisely metal. Acknowledging ‘metal as conductor of all matter’, her work proposes a theory of the complicity of metals as quasi-agents that influence and register events, and addresses metal’s role in shaping the world of finance, belief systems, geopolitical relations, (digital) bodies, even the stratosphere and the ‘climate-engineered’ weapons. Türetken will screen her latest film ‘Alchemic Desire’, which examines the parallels between the practice of trading metals at the world’s biggest physical metals exchange, the London Metal Exchange (LME), deleuzo-guattarian models of psycho-social dynamics, and the practice of alchemy.
The evening is moderated by design critic and curator Alice Twemlow.
Using material and the concept of conductivity as a lens, Füsun Türetken will explore a range of instances where conflict and capital can be read through matter, more precisely metal. Acknowledging ‘metal as conductor of all matter’, her work proposes a theory of the complicity of metals as quasi-agents that influence and register events, and addresses metal’s role in shaping the world of finance, belief systems, geopolitical relations, (digital) bodies, even the stratosphere and the ‘climate-engineered’ weapons. Türetken will screen her latest film ‘Alchemic Desire’, which examines the parallels between the practice of trading metals at the world’s biggest physical metals exchange, the London Metal Exchange (LME), deleuzo-guattarian models of psycho-social dynamics, and the practice of alchemy.
The evening is moderated by design critic and curator Alice Twemlow.
The event is part of ‘Matter’ series, exploring the relationship between design and matter. It imagines different forms of engagements with materiality, and inquires what it means to design with social and ecological sensitivity in the age of escalating environmental crisis. The event is organised in conjunction with the Neuhaus programme for more-than-human knowledge, opening at Het Nieuwe Instituut in May 2019.
