Session 2: Material Stories
Section outline
-
-
The students begin with a discussion of Jane Hutton's text and then turn their attention to Bruno Latour's concept of "matter of concern" in relation to their places/materials.
Bruno Latour was a French sociologist and athropologist, whose work stands out for its emphasis on the intricate and diverse connections among humans and nonhumans. He argued that scientific knowledge needs tracing the interwoven networks of actors involving a multitude of entities, ranging from laboratory animals and established scientific literature to human researchers, experimental subjects, among others. This perspective, labeled as actor-network theory, rapidly extended its influence beyond the confines of Latour's (and John Laws, Madeleine Akrichs et al.) original domain of science and technology studies.
-What are the empirical aspects of the text?
-Where does the author take her arguments from and how does she include observations from practice? -
Students read "Quadrivium Industrial Complex" by Jarzombek, Mark from 2019, published in e-flux Architecture, Overgrowth.
Mark Jarzombek is Professor of the History and Theory of Architecture at MIT. He works on a wide range of topics – both historical and theoretical. He is one of the leading advocates for global history and has published several books and articles on that topic. -
Students read pages 351 - 354 (Dimensions) from "Writing the Implosion" by Joseph Dumit from 2014 and create a mental map of the following three dimensions:
- their knowledge
- gaps
- sources
Joseph Dumit is a Chair of Performance Studies, Professor and former director of Science and Technology Studies and Professor of Anthropology at the University of California Davis. His research asks how exactly we came to think, do and speak the way we do about ourselves and our world.
-
Students register with ChatGPT and bring a mobile device to the next session. Optionally, another similar AI tool can be used.
The students have ChatGPT write a material story with about 1000 words and mark text sections in the following four colors:
Yellow = plausible,
Green = not verifiable,
Red = problematic,
Blue = impulse