ALL THAT GLITTERS: INVESTIGATING THE EXPRESSIVENESS OF MATERIALS
Physical information pervades the world and it is through its continuous production that matter may be said to express itself.
Materials are as varied as water, gold and whiskers. We understand their qualities without measurement or thinking. Materials are simple, ineffable facts. They are the nouns of our world. How can we talk about the differences between materials? One way is to measure and weigh them. This is the quantitative approach, and it has been very successful in our conquest of the world. What if you wished to describe materials without resorting to rules and balances? Could we understand materials by describing their characteristics? What will we learn by appreciating the expressive qualities of materials? Could we understand materials using the same measures we use to evaluate living things?
We will study ceramics, metals, minerals, wood, textiles, bone and plastics. We will advance by using the tools at hand. Use your eyes and ears, your fingers and smart-phones to evaluate materials. We do not wish to anthropomorphize materials: we want them to stand on their own without reference to others.
What makes materials expressive? How do materials behave differently from one another? How might we talk about the character of materials? Let's assume that materials are mass assemblies of tiny parts. The parts are so tiny that they exist in a world beyond our ability to observe. We appreciate them as the aggregated forms we know as materials. These parts have relationships with one another. Together the microscopic interactions grant character to a material. The aggregated parts and interactions describe the expressiveness of these materials.
We will measure and record the structural, spectral and acoustic characteristics of materials. We will describe light absorption, acoustic resonance, thermal and electrical conductivity, elasticity and hardness of each materials. We will imagine the microstructures We will make tools to refine our senses.
You are expected to come to class and to participate in discussions, debates and labs.
Readings will be assigned each week and a quiz will be available on each reading.
Quizzes are optional; doing them will boost your grade and make you eligible for a high pass.
I will ask to see your sketches/descriptions. Please buy a notebook to keep these sketches, descriptions, debate and lab notes.
Some weeks you will bring in an example of something that goes with the week's theme. Let's call this an investigation. We will begin by describing its qualities, sketching how it looks on a microscopic scale, and trying inquiries to identify the source of the quality. Three of you will present your findings each week. The three presenters will be scheduled in the third week.