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Definiton
Transformation as a constant governing everything in the universe.
Transformation as a property of matter.
Transformation as a metaphor for the creative process.
Transformation as personal change.
Transformation as a characteristic of the present.
Transformation as a concept accompanying the dialogue between design and material at all levels.
Situation
Our relationship with materials is currently influenced by many factors. In a society focused on constant growth and profit, we have learned to perceive them as passive matter with stable, measurable properties optimized for industrial or craft processing. This approach merely mirrors the extractive and predatory principles of raw material acquisition, production processes, consumption, and excessive waste generation. Sustainable solutions are often subordinated to technological development within an unsustainable economic system, frequently ending up as marketing strategies with a placebo effect on consumers.
The current paradigm of material handling ignores attributes and properties unrelated to practical function. It lacks a deep understanding of materials in their complexity—cultural, social, ethical, psychological, and political. This gives rise to the challenge of recognizing the need for a TRANSFORMATION in our approach to the materials that shape our thoughts, emotions, and social relations. Transformation urges us to abandon the imperative of optimal performance and see the potential consequences of our decisions in creating the material world.
Thesis
“Materials do not exist as static entities with diagnostic attributes; they undergo constant TRANSFORMATION. They cannot be defined within established concepts and categories. To understand materials means being able to tell their story—what they do and what happens to them when treated in a certain way—within the practice of working with them.”
(Ingold, T. (2012). Towards an ecology of materials. Annual Review of Anthropology, 41, 427-442.)
Assignment
The task for the winter semester is material research with an emphasis on TRANSFORMATION as the key concept. Being in a dialogue with a material does not only mean discovering possible ways of its physical transformation in the creative process; it also means perceiving the material as a non-neutral entity. It has its own history, cultural meanings, and psychological effects; it shapes the form of physical reality and, thereby, our social relations and politics. However, even these attributes are not static—they are equally subject to transformation.
The research can proceed along two lines:
- Working with the Known – Existing Material: The aim is to gather as much information as possible about a given material and subsequently shift its traditional understanding into new contexts—searching for unusual craft techniques, tools, applications, but also meanings and experiences.
- Proposing One's Own Material: The aim is to work with material without the need to reflect on traditional historical, cultural, ethical, or other 'layers.' This involves defining the properties and qualities of one’s own material and its meaningful application. In this research line, it is possible to use speculative methods and project possible scenarios and alternative realities in which the material functions.**
Output
The output of the semester assignment is the documentation of the entire material research process in the form of material samples, technological tests, tools, etc. Application into a final product is not a requirement. Part of the output will include texts reflecting the work progress, which may take any authorial form. (These texts will be part of a ZINE mapping the project's activities and outputs over three years of development.)
ĎAKUJEME SPOLUPRACOVNÍČKAM A SPOLUPRACOVNÍKOM:
Ing. Alena Opalková Šišková, PhD. (Ústav polymérov SAV)
Ing. Štefan Nagy, PhD. (Ústav materiálov a mechaniky strojov SAV)
prof. Ing. Martin Kusý, PhD. a Ing. Peter Gogola, PhD. (Materiálovotechnologická fakulta STU, Ústav materiálov)
doc. Mgr. art. Markéta Nováková, ArtD. a Mgr. art. Karin Patúcová – Lunterová, ArtD. (Ateliér keramiky VŠVU)
M.F.A. Miriam Čopíková,
ArtD. Ing. Matej Štepánek, PhD. (Ústav materiálov a mechaniky strojov SAV)
Mgr. Andrej Gendiar, PhD. a Diana Cencer Garafová, ArtD. (Fyzikálny ústav SAV)
Mgr. Andrea Froncová (ochranárske združenie BROZ)
Študenti: Lenka Ingeliová, Alina Jochim, Adam Kukuc, Alexandra Kusá, Jaroslava Labudová, Veronika Majerčíková, Mária Martinická, Michaela Ujčeková
/Zadanie je súčasťou výskumného projektu KEGA - Nová materialita v dizajne. hľadanie nových prístupov k materiálom s ohľadom na ich lokálnu dostupnosť, Projekt č. 00BVSVU-4/2025/
Index of project