Busse Michaela is coming from Switzerland. You can also view her recent interview here:
https://www.fiber-space.nl/news/cotvn_interview1/Her Research Topic:
Analysing design through the lens of human-material entanglements
In my PhD research I analyse how relationships between humans and the material environment are shaped by design.
Despite philosophical claims toward a mutuality of becoming (and thus a co-authorship of material and designer) I argue that design enforces a separation between human and nonhuman because of the politics it carries with it. Focussing on matter as a common denominator for all forms of life ignores scale effects as well as historical and political constraints in becoming.
By using sand as an interscalar vehicle I’m laying out how design is implicated with extraction, passivisation and commodification of materials in order to manage and control the environment and its inhabitants.
Through field work in South East Asia and the Netherlands I highlight how material transformations enact national ideologies and reinforce asymmetries of power. A material-based view on design allows to unpack the unspoken politics implicated in design and the unequal distribution of agency that comes with it.
Please fill up your email and name below if you intend to come. We will contact you on the confirmed time slot soon. Thanks very much.