State of Matter Workshop 1 2015, January, with Stefan Schwabe, Clemens Winkler-UdK/Transmediale

»How can I establish a work process, when I am fascinated by a particular material or technology and how can I get started if the process seems rather complex and the aim is still a wicked problem?«

The level at which materials are architectured is gradually reduced towards micro scales. Dimensions have changed from textiles to semiconductors to proteins. At the same time the shrinking of scale implies an increase of complexity where tools become increasingly harder to access. In this sense, for example the split of a stone is primitive compared to the splitting of an atom. In order to gain access to these superior tools a high level of abstraction, the patience to attentively look at things as well as an oscillation between dirty hands and a reflective mind are required.

Participants used flour and water as given materials, that seem known and simple, but offer a complex reactive potential on a chemical basis. A core element of the research is the examination of the given material as »matter« and the variations of inbetween »states« it can be transformed into.

The results were exhibited at Designtransfer of the University of Arts Berlin during
»Vorspiel-Transmediale«.

Stefan Schwabe
Clemens Winkler
University of Arts Berlin
Transmediale

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