Material Stories
Basic information
Project Title
Material Stories
Full project title
Material Stories: Augmented Documenting and Storytelling of Materials and Objects
Category
Shaping a circular industrial ecosystem and supporting life-cycle thinking
Project Description
Material Stories is a project to help us broaden our understanding of our built environment and its objects. How are they made, by whom, with what material? The project will combine research with publications (books, exhibitions, podcasts and more) to try to answer these questions.
Geographical Scope
National
Project Region
It will be likely that the research will extend national borders due to the nature of object/construction manufacturing. With this in mind, the project may stimulate in-person publications or distribution of works (such as books/exhibitions etc.) internationally. , Belgium
Urban or rural issues
It addresses urban-rural linkages
Physical or other transformations
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
EU Programme or fund
No
Description of the project
Summary
If PhD studies are the formal method of material research and distribution of results, then this project can be best understood as the informal method of such. The project 'Material Stories' will study materials in our everyday life, where they come from and how they are made, to improve our understanding of these materials. The research will begin in the locality of Brussels and then it will follow its journey and material family tree. People grasp stories through many mediums today such as books, films, dance, digital portals, podcasts, paintings and more. This project intends to adopt a range of these mediums to tell the stories of materials, giving people access to an informal method of understanding materials. The main mediums chosen in the development plan of this project are a podcast, book, website, exhibition, and dance. The podcast and website medium can be a consistent output throughout the project (during some of the research phase also). The remaining mediums would follow these, ending with a production of a book, so that the research and project are both documented and accessible in future.
Key objectives for sustainability
The basis for this project is the idea that people have an awareness of materiality and sustainability, but awareness is not equal to understanding, thus awareness is not enough to make a conscious action for sustainability. For example, if a person goes to a shop to purchase a plastic utensil, on the utensil itself or with an attached label is a text stating the utensil’s ingredients and where it was made. This text is accepted as knowledge. If you were to ask the person purchasing it, how and where the utensil was made, they would regurgitate the information labelled. This is mere awareness. The person does not understand or know where the ingredients came from, by whom, and how they were combined to create the product. Therein lies the crux of this issue. What is assumed known, is in fact unknown, leaving a vast field for problems or virtues to go unnoticed. By improving understanding of materials, people can make conscious decisions about which materials they engage with and how, or at the very least this project will stimulate people to question and/or grow interest in the materials in their lives.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
I used this informal methodology of research for my master thesis study and final presentation at KU Leuven in 2022. Here, it became clear to me that storytelling through various mediums is more engaging and interesting for an audience to absorb academic or scientific research. 'Material Stories' will take this method and improve on what I've already done, but aim for a broader audience. The master thesis mentioned is attached to this application below.
Key objectives for inclusion
Inclusion is integral to the project 'Material Stories'. Since it engages various input and output mediums, the project presents itself in a broad way to the public, with varying degrees of detail and complexity, and affordability. The podcast and website mediums would be accessible to all, anywhere, whereas the exhibition and book would be a paid experience, for example. As for the input, the informal research method is social, it can be influenced by a craftsperson's anecdote, or a family business that has engaged with a raw material for generations.
How Citizens benefit
Learning about materials that one engages with can encourage confidence in such engagement, achieving a sense of place. Understanding and in turn knowing where a material came from or how it is made helps one navigate their material world rather than relying on a brand or other body for their material needs.
Physical or other transformations
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
Innovative character
Another way of calling this type of project could be 'an informal documentary'. Informal, because it aims to engage with an audience's emotions to encourage reflection of their relationship with materials rather than the logic of a research paper. Stories are simply more exciting to read than data.
Disciplines/knowledge reflected
Anticipated reflected disciplines: Architecture, Construction, Art, Literature, Craftsmanship
These knowledge fields overlap due to the combination of research topic and findings representation/exhibition.
These knowledge fields overlap due to the combination of research topic and findings representation/exhibition.
How stakeholders are engaged
People who are aware of a material (audience): These people can learn to understand material and their makers resulting in material consciousness and respect.
People who understand a material (working with raw materials also audience): These people would have an opportunity to tell an audience their story and how it relates to the story of the material.
Nature as stakeholder: Nature could benefit from a more conscious society.
Performers/artists: These people gain an opportunity to learn about material stories and to tell them to a greater audience with their skillset.
People who understand a material (working with raw materials also audience): These people would have an opportunity to tell an audience their story and how it relates to the story of the material.
Nature as stakeholder: Nature could benefit from a more conscious society.
Performers/artists: These people gain an opportunity to learn about material stories and to tell them to a greater audience with their skillset.
Global challenges
The main global challenge that this project addresses is sustainability. By focusing on understanding materials the project highlights human engagement with materials that touches on all sustainability subtopics.
Learning transferred to other parties
This project concept is simple to replicate and develop. With regards to topic, one could focus on a plastic utensil and travel the world through the utensils ingredients, or take the blue stone from Belgium which doesn't travel as far geographically, but a story could unfold regarding its durability, re-use, or it's craft-people, and so on. Regarding the method and varying medium implementation for public knowledge/exhibition, this too is easily replicated or adaptable depending on resources available. There are countless combinations of mediums that could make exciting combinations for dynamic storytelling.
Keywords
Material
Stories
Understanding
Exhibition
Research
