The research centre “What Art Knows” and “Technology Driven Art” (Zuyd University of Applied Sciences) and the Jan van Eyck Academy with its Future Materials program are joining forces. Together with Textiel Innovatie Maastricht (TIM) as a practical partner, new methods and tools are being collectively developed that give new meaning to the history of (waste) materials.
Materials with a Story
Artists teach us that materials are not passive raw materials, but have their own history, behavior, and context. All materials, including residual flows and the smallest biological ingredients, have a story and the potential to become something new. Often, this history of the source material disappears into the new, recycled raw material. Recycling as Reproducing Histories contributes to a greater awareness of this history and, in particular, the potential of regenerative, residual, and recycled materials – for art and design practices, as well as for semi-industrial circular production processes.
The transition to a sustainable society is not just a technical or economic process, but is equally a social and cultural process in which art plays its role and makes the story of the material known, assigns meaning and reshapes it.
Collaboration across generations
The Jan van Eyck Academie will welcome two Future Materials Fellows: experienced designers or artists who will further develop their artistic material research during an 11-month residency in Maastricht. Simultaneously, lecturers/researchers at the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts will work on revaluing residual materials. They will design recycled materials with a tangible history. Together, they will subsequently mentor Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts students in deepening their knowledge of materials. Collaborative artistic material research will be conducted across generations, in circular workshops and chemical labs. New methods, critical thinking, and innovative working methods will be developed. By making the material’s history tangible, we hope to create greater support for the transition to a sustainable and ecologically conscious society, a society in which we no longer mindlessly produce, consume, and throw things in the trash.
About SIA Artistic and Design Research
The project by the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts (Zuyd University of Applied Sciences) and Jan van Eyck is one of nine projects awarded funding under the Artistic and Design Research program of the SIA governing body. This program encourages researchers, designers, and makers from the creative industries to collaborate on solutions to issues related to AI and circularity. For this funding program, the SIA governing body collaborated with the Creative Industries Fund NL.
Read more about the program and the other awarded applications on the SIA website:
