Material/ity

Below is a discussion post I wrote reflecting on the course theme – Material/ity – for my Integrative Studio 1 class. This post is accompanied by a screenshot collage I created that is representative of the ideas I have shared below. I decided to post this here as it was the first course keyword post I wrote – a weekly task that was required of all of us in the class – and therefore it significantly shaped my understanding of the term materiality as well as the lens through which I approached a number of projects in this course.

*Words in bold are new terms to scrutinise and words italicised are new questions to consider.

The word material has multiple definitions depending on context. 

Traditionally, as a noun it refers to the substance of which a thing is made or composed, and usually implies that it is physical. However, considering this definition in the modern context wherein there is an abundance of new modes of making, raises the question of whether the term may only refer to that which is tangible. For example code, digital images, environmental manipulations, and sound are often used as media in making art, and while none are physical they may still be considered ‘materials’ as they provide a means through which new “things” may be produced.

Additionally, as a noun material may also reference information. In this regard, material(s) may be used to analogise ideas or the process of ideation. Like materials, ideas form the fundamental structure upon which new objects or experiences are constructed. Both are also malleable, and are manipulated by artists during the process of making or ideating in order to produce a desirable result. This analogy also aids in answering the question of what it means to create ideas and create with ideas. Just as one can develop new materials as well as work with those found in nature to produce “things”, it is simultaneously possible to generate new ideas and refine existing ones (or those of other people) in order to create a new outcome.

Furthermore, as an adjective material commonly refers to something significant or important. To further contemplate this definition, I believe it is helpful to scrutinise what we mean by the term immaterial. To be immaterial means to be concerned with the spiritual rather than the physical, or to be irrelevant in certain situations. Although, how do we decide under what circumstances we designate objects / information as immaterial? In the context of the self, that which does not concern us is immaterial, however in the context of a society consisting of multiple selves, does such a thing as immaterial even exist?

Finally, I would like to consider the question of whether a medium must undergo a transformation in shape and form to still be considered a material. As established above, the primary function of a material is to aid in the production of something that has a different meaning or function compared to the original material. With this in mind, I would argue that it is not necessary for a material to be dynamic in its essential structure in order to still be considered one. A significant example of this would be in the use of bodies as materials in performance art, as while they remain static in their composition they still add to the meaning or function of the work.

 

Collage Images

Crossley, David. “Joan Jonas performing Double Lunar Dogs at The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston in Conjunction with ‘Other Realities’.” AnOther, Dazed Media, 28 March 2018, https://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/10718/the-81-year-old-woman-who-pioneered-contemporary-performance-art. Accessed 2 September 2020.

“Yayoi Kusama with one of her “Accumulation” pieces, 1966.” Formidable Mag, Formidable Mag, 2011, https://www.formidablemag.com/yayoi-kusama/. Accessed 2 September 2020.

Work from: Integrative Studio 1 with Professor Matthew Villarreal