MATTERS: Art + Design Material Ecologies

Catalog description

How does matter transform into material, and back again? What hidden labor, sites, social and ecological costs and processes go into the production of “raw” materials? And why-- for artists, designers, architects, preservationists, creative educators, builders, educators and anyone working with materials-- do these realities matter? This course connects arts and design learners to considerations, sites, and cycles around sourcing, production and disposal of the defining materials of their creative fields (ex. paper, clay, glass, “the internet”), laying groundwork for creative practice rooted in social and ecological awareness, repair and care. A hybrid research seminar and studio investigation, the structure of this course alternates between reading and response, discussion and research and time for responsive “making” and material experimentation/synthesis. Field trip(s) to sites of material interest and guest visitor(s) will vary each year, with an ongoing partnership with RAIR Philly, an arts residency located in a waste management facility. In this course, students will learn key terms and concerns around material sustainability, discard studies, land and labor relations vis-a-vis creative work. Students will formulate individual or group questions around a specific material or condition of materiality, leading to a final independent project. This course will engage students in forming a material ethics to guide future creative work.