Behavioral Matter

Growth, life, animation do not apply to static objects or finalized states but are fundamentally open to change and incomplete. The process therefore have an operative character, insofar as they combine nature and culture, object and environment within an integrative procedure. Built from the two projects »Matters of Activity« (HU) and »Behavioral Objects« (Ensad), »Behavioral Matter (BM)« is a practice-based research project addressing the notions of behavior and animation relative to matter and materials, objects and techniques. It aims at creating new protocols, new forms and formats for interdisciplinary research in science, humanities, art and design, developing encounters around an approach of matter and materials, objects and techniques based on the notion of behavior on the one hand and of active matter on the other hand.

The basic thrust of our project is to reverse the classical engineering logic, by focusing on natural processes, on active and living objects instead. Such materials are dynamic through their elasticity, responsiveness and adaptability. By working with active materials and systems, both natural and artificial, BM opens perspectives not only for developing works of art and design, integrating ecosystem and ecology requirements, but also new performative setting to disseminate our research, such as the interdisciplinary workshops that took place in Paris in 2018 at ENSCI-les Ateliers and in 2019 at Centre Georges Pompidou, and such as the Dissect events that took place in Paris (2019) and Berlin (2022). Our aim is to develop further ›in-situ‹ and interactive ways of unfolding and presenting our research, combining practice-based research and experimental modes of making it public to a broad audience.