The Art | Material | Ecology Working Group, headed by Ursula Ströbele (HBK Braunschweig) and Kaja Ninnis (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), invited Kjetil Fallan to contribute to the workshop Before the Object: Material Histories, Infrastructures, and Ecologies. This invigorating event demonstrated just how topical research on material ecologies of art and design is, and opened many avenues for future collaborations.
The workshop connected art and material culture scholars from different disciplines to discuss and exchange current research in the field. The ambition has been to share and problematize the question of sources, and together think about methods for investigating the ecologies of art matter. By doing so, participants sought to expand the material-based traditions in art history to include key ecological concerns.
What are the ecologies that are inscribed in an object through the choice of materials? Where does the raw material come from and what infrastructures are associated with its extraction and processing? These questions and discussions will continue to inform work examining what lies before and beyond the object.