Editorial Dear friends of »Matters of Activity«,

Two weeks ago the »Stretching Materialities« exhibition ended with a great round of events, however the research process continues and more events will follow in the coming months. Furthermore, we would like to draw your attention to interesting publications and podcasts in which our Members or colleagues from other Clusters of Excellence have participated in and the 2nd round of Claudia Mareis' lecture series entitled »Dis/Entangling Material Futures«. Please also find below a very interesting job opportunity for new materialists working with bark.

Happy reading,
Antje, Carolin & Franziska

Object Space Agency | Air | Stretching Materialities | Performance Are there aesthetic links between clouds, robots and the sea? The lecture by Babette Marie Werner, the performative talk with visual artist Anne Duk Hee Jordan and artistic and design researcher Clemens Winkler explored relations between visual interpretations of metabolic formations, biodiversity and new ecologies in art and design. This event was part of the exhibition »Stretching Materialities« by »Object Space Agency«. Follow the link to watch the full artist talk online. → more

Filtering | Cutting | Haptics | Science Communication Why is the topic of haptics important to us humans and what does this mean for the multitude of scientific disciplines represented in the Cluster? In three dense days of workshop, the participants explored the topic of haptics together through the lens of design practice, history of knowledge, cultural studies, philosophy and computer science. Through experiencing demos, creating rapid prototypes, and reflection experiments, a practice-based mode of exploration was collectively developed. Through this rather broad approach, the participants sought to unfold the layers that make up haptic experiences in order to develop a shared understanding and vocabulary of the term. This is the beginning of a critical exchange on haptics with the goal of establishing a dynamic platform for MoA researchers around the haptic sense(s). In the online documentation the group shares their abstracts, the workshop findings and questions, and invites to future collaborative formats and projects. → more

Publication | Science Communication Transformations come along with uncertainty, but at the same time open up new possibilities. They question everyday habits as well as traditional views and challenge us to become active. The project »Farming the Uncanny Valley« by Universität der Künste Berlin, Fraunhofer Umsicht, Youse GmbH, State Experience Science GmbH, developed a methodology based on the concept of the uncanny that makes it possible to open up and guide a dialogue on complex topics such as the bio-economy in order to find a constructive way of dealing with change. In the course of the project, there were held nine workshops at five locations in urban and rural areas with a total of 97 participants on five topics, and a traveling exhibition was developed shown at two locations. MoA member → Clemens Winkler contributed to the project with the selection of topics and design of workshop formats and an installative experiential space about Air. The results made by the project are now shared in a free publication. ↗ more

Social Media The Cluster »Matters of Activity« now has its own LinkedIn Channel, which we use to share news, events and job opportunities. In case you always want to be up to date, please follow! ↗ more

Material Form Function | Object Space Agency | Air | Publications In the course of breathing – in the process of constant exchange and crossing of boundaries between the organism and its environment – air as an »immaterial» material becomes active. For the first time, this anthology, edited by Linn Burchert and Iva Rešetar, brings together studies on breath from the perspective of the arts and humanities, as well as experimental scientific and design practices. Focusing on the period from 1900 to the present day, the publication covers an era during which air has become a precarious medium: whether in the context of climate change or global pandemic, space technology or gas warfare, air is now co-created and manipulated by humans. Against this backdrop, breath appears as an elusive yet vital substance that reveals the interconnections between the physical, symbolic, technological and social realms. → more

News | Exzellenz erklärt Even two new episodes of »Exzellent erklärt« (»Excellent Explained«) were released in March: In episode 8, Prof. Jens Friedrichs and Prof. Rolf Radespiel from the Cluster of Excellence ↗ SE²A in Braunschweig will present solutions how their vision, that by 2050 aircraft should be flying sustainably, may come real. In episode 9, Prof. Michael Köhl and Prof. Sebastian Diehl show how, at the Cluster of Excellence ↗ ML4Q, their expertise in experimental and theoretical physics are brought together, respectively, to create network architectures for quantum computers.

The German science podcast ↗ Exzellent erklärt on current science topics reflects the research diversity of Germany’s leading research institutions and Clusters of Excellence: from Africa Studies to Quantum Physics. In each episode, listeners can expect insights into the interdisciplinary work of one research network. The researchers of the Clusters of Excellence, funded by ↗ DFG talk to podcaster Larissa Vassilian about how they want to find scientifically sound answers to relevant topics of our time – for the society of tomorrow. The podcast already has more than 7.200 followers in its short existence of 6 months. ↗ more

The Young International Fellows are a funding format of the Cluster which is intended to give projects the opportunity to obtain additional expertise and experience. Funding is provided to young international researchers for measures, programs, and activities that support the individual academic and professional qualifications and goals of the applicants and ideally also strengthen a culture of equal opportunity and diversity within the Cluster. We are happy to introduce our current Young International Fellows. We are happy to introduce our fellows for 2022. → more

Event On Monday, March 28th, from 7-8:30 pm, researchers from the Cluster of Excellence ↗ Temporal Communities: Doing Literature in a Global Perspective at Freie Universität will give insights into their research at »WeSearch (MitWissenschaft)« at the Humboldt Forum.

The »WeSearch« series follows the tradition of the »Kosmos« Lectures given by Alexander von Humboldt with monthly, easy-to-understand presentations. Prominent researchers from a wide variety of fields will present their ideas, questions, and methods to discuss, in what promises to be a vibrant, understandable, and entertaining series. The first season is dedicated to the seven Berlin Clusters of Excellence that have contributed to the concept and content of the Humboldt Lab’s ↗ After Nature exhibition. Recordings of previous episodes are available on Youtube, including the most recent presentation by the Cluster of Excellence UniSysCat, titled ↗ Is Tomorrow's Chemistry Green? The kick-off event → Can Bacteria Spin a Yarn? We Need a New Culture of Materials was organized together with »Matters of Activity«. ↗ more

Material Form Function | Air | Circular Economies | Climate | More-Than-Human | Teaching | Sand The lecture series takes up the ambiguous role of materials in future-making practices along with the possible geo and bio-political precarity they may generate. Different materials from sand, water, or air to living cells and whole ecosystems are the objects and interface of a range of technologies that generate images of the future. Their probabilistic methods prepare the ideational and physical ground for large and small-scale design interventions (e.g., climate-resilient infrastructures). Register now and take part in the lecture series that continues until July 18th, every Monday 4.15 pm. → more

job The project »Material Form Function« seeks to fill a doctoral student position in the field of »Fibrous Materials« with expertise from the humanities and a focus on wood and bark. → more