The Cluster »Matters of Activity« aims to create a basis for a new culture of materials. The central vision of the Cluster is to rediscover the analog in the activity of images, spaces and materials in the age of the digital. Biology and technology, mind and material, nature and culture intertwine in a new way.
On Activity
A joint symposium on Activity and Materiality
The symposium takes the ongoing revolution in the understanding of matter in the natural sciences and the question of activity as its starting point, but focuses on the answers of the humanities. The event on February 7th is jointly organised by the projects »Symbolic Material« and »Weaving«.
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MoA Design Studio: Scaling Nature (2): Fibers, Muscles, Bones
Final presentation at weissensee school of art and design, Berlin
Scaling Nature (2): Fibers, Muscles, Bones: Interim Presentation. Copyright: Antje Nestler
»Scaling Nature« experiments with natural components as actors, tensile elements or structural scaffolds. It generates a novel concept for active surfaces that could be used for applications in a spatial context. The work of the students can be viewed in the final presentation on February 11th.
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Membranes as Molecular Machines
A workshop on Active Matter and the Remaking of Life
Images from slide collections, 1970s. Top, molecular models of retinal; center left, bleached purple membrane in cuvette, center right: chemically modified preparations of purple membrane in centrifuge tubes, bottom left: Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, 1974 (© www.luftbild-bertram.de ); bottom right: electron micrograph of cell surface. By courtesy of D. Oesterhelt, Martinsried.
The workshop on January 10th, jointly organized by the projects »Filtering« and »Weaving«, offers an opportunity to relate historical and current research on membranes and molecular machines to concepts of »active matter«.
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MoA Design Studio: Scaling Nature (1): Wrinkles
at NuThinkers during Domotex Tradefair in Hanover
Design Studio »Scaling Nature (1): Wrinkels«, Design: Juni Neyenhuys and Stefanie Eichler. Copyright: weißensee kunsthochschule berlin
Students of the bachelor's program in textile and surface design investigated material activity in natural structures and developed new design strategies for active surfaces in a spatial context and showcase these at Domotex, Hanover, January 10–13th, 2020.
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Open Science Statement
Since 2007, International Open Access Week is celebrated at hundreds of events around the globe. This year publishers, librarians, researchers, and institutions have discussed and organized events around the theme: »Open for whom? Equity in Open Knowledge«. With its own Open Science Statement »Matters of Activity« supports its members in opening up their research
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Hybrid Design
Augmented Reality for Designers
In cooperation with the International Design Centre e.V. and the Cluster of Excellence »Matters of Activity«, AURORA School for ARtists (HTW) is holding a one-day workshop on Augmented Reality for Designers on Dezember 12, 2019.
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»Entity:City«
Interim Presentation
On Wednesday, December 11th, 2019 the Interim Presentations of the interdisciplinary semester project »Entity:City« took place at the Cluster. The five interdisciplinary teams of students of Computer Science (FU Berlin) and Product Design (KH Berlin Weißensee) presented their concepts.
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Animal Materialities
Compositions and Practices in the History of Science
The Workshop »Animal Materialities« organised by Lisa Onaga & Laurence Douny (project »Weaving«) took place at Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin, Dec 5-6, 2019. The workshop examined the range of components of animal bodies used and transformed over time by animals, and humans.
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»Brain Roads« Workshop, October 2019
Exploring the White Matter of the Human Brain
Copyright: Olaf Avenati
»Brain Roads« is an interdisciplinary French-German project for visualization and interactive exploration of the brain. It brings together graphic & digital designers from Esad de Reims, engineers from Télécom SudParis, and researchers in Neurosurgery and Social Sciences from the Cluster »Matters of Activity« and Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Its ambition is to develop visual representations and interactive tools for exploring the white matter of the human brain.
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Thanks for a Succesfull MoA Retreat
November 1st–3rd, 2019
Cacao Cloud by Clemens Winkler. Copyright: Michelle Mantel
From November 1st to 3rd »Matters of Activity« organised the first internal annual Retreat. Around 75 researchers met at the Landgut Stober near Nauen to discuss work in the projects and deepen relevant Cluster topics in »Deep Downs«. Table tennis, »Walk & Talk« and dinner events gave members the opportunity to get to know each other better in a more relaxed atmosphere.
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»Standardisierung und Naturalisierung«
Müller, M., Neubert, C., eds. 2019. Standardisierung und Naturalisierung. Automatismen. Paderborn: Wilhelm Fink.
Including contributions among others from: Florian Sprenger, Anna Echterhölter, Stefan Rieger, Laura Moisi, Tobias Eichinger, Patricia Ribault, Antonio Lucci, MoA member Martin Müller und Thomas Macho.
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MoA Talks
John Nyakatura: The Anatomy of Movement and Nature's Design. Vertebrate Function, Evolution, and Scaling
Copyright: John Nyakatura
Under the title »MoA Talks«, the interdisciplinary lecture series continues on November 19th at weißensee academy of art berlin.
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Weaving in Different Disciplines
with Dr. Ellen Harlizius-Klück
The weaving/braiding robots are part of an experimental setting of the ERC group PENELOPE. Credits by Karin Krauthausen.
The Weaving-Project continues its series »Weaving in Different Disciplines« on November 7th, 2019 with Dr. Ellen Harlizius-Klück, Project Leader of the ERC group PENELOPE at Deutsches Museum Munich.
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MoA Talks
Interdisciplinary lecture series at weißensee academy of art berlin
»MoA Talks« is an interdisciplinary lecture series of the Cluster »Matters of Activity« running at weißensee school of art berlin. The lectures present different scientific positions from the Cluster. The first invited speaker in the winter semester 2019/2020 was Prof. Dr. Dr. hc Peter Fratzl.
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New Paper by John Nyakatura et al.
Nyakatura, J. A., Baumgarten, R., Baum, D., Stark, H., Youlatos, D. 2019. »Muscle internal structure revealed by contrast-enhanced μCT and fibre recognition: The hindlimb extensors of an arboreal and a fossorial squirrel.« Mammalian Biology 99: 71-80.
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Festive Opening HZK
On Monday, 21.10, the Hermann von Helmholtz Centre for Cultural Techniques ceremoniously opened its new location in the newly restored Gerlachbau and presented its new permanent exhibition »Flechtwerk der Dinge. Sammlungsschaufenster der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin«.
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Cluster Member Stefan Zieme Awarded the 2019 Adler-Mansfield Prize
Adler Planetarium Chicago. Copyright: James Willamor/ Creative Commons
Stefan Zieme was awarded the 2019 Adler-Mansfield Prize for his paper »Adam Elsheimer and the Renaissance Night Sky«, presented at the 14th Biennial History of Astronomy Workshops, 19-22 June 2019, at the University of Notre Dame.
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New Paper by Rosario Tomasello et al.
Tomasello, R., Kim, C., Dreyer, F. R., Grisoni, L., Pulvermuller, F. 2019. »Neurophysiological evidence for rapid processing of verbal and gestural information in understanding communicative actions.« Scientific Reports 9 (1): 16285.
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Cutting
The project »Cutting« deals with the technique of forming, changing and opening surfaces and bodies – cutting. Here, researchers from Art History, Computer Science, Biology, Neurosurgery, Linguistics and Brain Research, Physics, Design and Interaction Design jointly research a new perspective on material and data through cutting.
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Object Space Agency
In »Object Space Agency«, the researchers of the Cluster of Excellence »Matters of Activity« are gathered to examine the affectivity of active Materials in the sphere of objects, persons and architectural structures. Material objects appear to be temporally and spatially at once stable and changeable.
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Material Form Function
The research group of the project »Material Form Function« deals with the relationship between material, form and function in order to generate new design principles and insights for the Materials Sciences and Humanities.
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Weaving
The project combines expertise from the fields of Anthropology, Cultural History and Theory, Literary Studies, Biology, Design/ Architecture, Material Sciences and Mathematics. The researchers investigate resources, practices and forms of weaving, focusing on the activity that is structurally anchored in the materials and as a process.
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Filtering
The project »Filtering« investigates filters using historical, experimental and computational approaches. What information, for example, can be enhanced by new filter techniques?
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Symbolic Material
In the project »Symbolic Material« researchers from various disciplines investigate the material foundations of symbolic processes in interaction with the symbolic dimension of materials.
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