Material / Techne / Materialisms

Are materials singular and composed: objects that may embody artistic knowledge? Are materials processes: things that grow and move? Can materials think and act?

Traversing the past, future and present technê of contemporary art, we research with materials, tools, technologies, materialist theories and methods.

We make research materials. We make research materialist. We think with materials.

About the cluster

Material / Technê / Materialisms is one of four research clusters within the School of Art at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA).

It is convened by Neil Mulholland, Professor of Contemporary Art Pactice & Theory.

Events

In the 2016/17 academic year, the School of Art Friday Lectures - a public series of talks by leading national and international artists and thinkers - was themed around the School’s research clusters.

Four of the talks were linked to Material / Technê / Materialisms:

24th February 2017 - Kenny Hunter
3rd March 2017 - Robin Mackay
10th March 2017 - Cosey Fanni Tutti
17th March 2017 - David Sherry

Photo of an installation piece — Image courtesy of the artist, Sadie Coles HQ, London and Galerie Neu, Berlin
Florian Hecker. A Script Machine for Synthesis (2015). Teijin Auditorium, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

"Traversing the past, future and present technê of contemporary art, we research with materials, tools, technologies, materialist theories and methods."

Images

The images on this page are of work by Material / Technê / Materialisms team members.

A charrette is an intensive participatory group that engages a common enquiry. Atelier, Skye was a three-day charrette in May 2016 wherein a group of artists, curators, academic researchers and members of Atlas Arts worked with a series of common research ‘objects’ located in the north of the Isle of Skye (Trotternish, Waternish and Duirinish).

Commissioned by Sonic Acts, Florian Hecker’s A Script Machine for Synthesis (2015) was co-presented by Sonic Acts and Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. This processed performance view is taken from original photography by Pieter Kers | Beeld.nu.

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