Deep Materialism and Care-taking: a study of material relationships for the 21st Century

Dr Alison Harper (environmental textile artist) and Dr Sarah Chave (honorary researcher in the University of Exeter Graduate School of Education) collaborated to explore the human use and abuse of the material world.

They investigated the proposition that if we develop our relationships with matter and materials (so that they become closer to us, become us and are seen as a part of us) then we will care for, and feel responsible for, their journey in and through the biosphere. Their shared investigation seeked ways to encourage the development of such close and caring relationships with the material world through sensory and experiential engagement, and through consideration of the implications of such relationships for the ways we act in the world. An example of such a process is the deconstruction of a disposable coffee cup and its transformation through the practice of paper-making, revealing the hidden value in material previously unnoticed and uncared for.  Follow our blog to find out more and share this journey with us.

Contact: ssc203@exeter.ac.uk and art@alisonharper.net