“We bring the material to eye level”

The Cluster of Excellence Matters of Activity aims to initiate a new material culture through a “radically interdisciplinary” research approach. On September 19, the cluster will host its final conference titled “Out of Hands. Active, Ambiguous and Unsteady Matters” in Brain City Berlin. Dr. Christian Stein conducts research at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and leads, among other things, the project “Object Space Agency” within the Matters of Activity cluster. In the Brain City interview, he shares insights about the conference, the cluster’s working methods, and explains why dealing with materials can slip out of our hands when using conventional research and design approaches.

Dr. Stein, what makes the research within the “Matters of Activity” cluster different?

Matters of Activity is highly interdisciplinary. The cluster includes more than 40 disciplines, such as architecture, art, design, philosophy, biology, and technological fields. That’s an enormous range. We therefore work on a level we call “radical interdisciplinarity.” This means that interdisciplinarity is not just functional in the sense of solving problems by networking competencies. Radical interdisciplinarity is based on the idea that, in the interdisciplinary space between disciplines, one must first develop research fields, goals, and a shared research culture in order to shift toward new trajectories outside of established discourse spaces. This can be exhausting and extremely time-consuming. But it’s a prerequisite for digging deeper into a topic—and digging elsewhere.

That sounds abstract. Can you clarify?

We don’t start a project with a fixed goal. Instead, the team defines the goal during the process. This is a new approach we call “problemizing.” It’s about identifying problems in research that are not immediately obvious. Problems already on the table have usually been addressed many times. In our cluster, for example, an architect, a physicist, a computer scientist, an art historian, and a philosopher can work together on a project. This methodology of interdisciplinary cooperation builds on the work of the previous Cluster of Excellence “Image Knowledge Gestaltung. An Interdisciplinary Laboratory”, which ended in 2018. The results have been applied in Matters of Activity.

With materiality as the overarching theme?

Exactly. The thematic framework of the cluster is active matter, which includes a wide range of perspectives. For us, this means no longer viewing material as something static that we use to achieve something. The classical understanding of material imposes external control on a physical structure and shapes it according to a function.

So we’re essentially imposing our will on the material?

That’s one way to look at it. The classical understanding shapes material into an object and imposes an intellectual logic on it. This is how we ultimately design all functional materials around us—from technical devices and tools to furniture and buildings. In the Matters of Activity cluster, we dissolve this static perspective and make the material an active participant. We bring the material to eye level. That means, above all, giving it a voice: How can the material contribute to a structure on its own? And how can we, through a kind of co-design, create something together with the materials? This explains why we are so radically interdisciplinary—because this perspective permeates all areas.

Is there a cluster project that illustrates this “dialogue with matter”?

In Object Space Agency, we explored how to offer the interested public a different access to material and engaged with alternative exhibition formats. The largest exhibition we organized was Stretching Materialities at the Tieranatomisches Theater on the Charité campus. We tried to integrate the materiality of the space into the exhibition. Visitors could walk through virtual floors using a VR headset, experience different aspects of active materiality, and interact with the material. For example, we used a “cloud machine” to place a real cloud in the exhibition space. In virtual reality, visitors were shrunk to the size of a cloud particle. They saw and felt firsthand the immense force these particles exert—causing rain or forming crystallization points in the cloud. They themselves became part of the exhibition, as the room’s response to their presence was made visible. Our goal was not to provide answers, but to open new spaces for thinking about matter.

Is Matters of Activity also about a new appreciation of materiality?

Absolutely. For example, we’ve explored material flows—how materials are extracted, distributed, discarded, and recycled. But also uncontrollable matter that is currently taking over our world. From bark beetles, which respect neither borders nor economic interests and simultaneously alter ecological and economic structures, to fluorescent algae mats that can completely suffocate ecosystems. In this context, it’s also crucial that we actively integrate design and shaping into the research process.

Could this approach to material research lead to a new form of architecture and design or to different uses of materials in medicine?

Definitely. These are research fields we’re already working on. I’ve personally attended several brain surgeries in the neurosurgery department at Charité. We were interested in the materiality of the mind—the “grey matter.” How can it be visualized? How can we, for example, show where the boundary between a tumour and healthy tissue lies? By exploring such questions, we aim to build a deeper understanding of material, make it modelable, and thus opening up new possibilities, for example in surgical intervention.

On September 19, Matters of Activity will host a full-day conference titled “Out of Hand. Active, Ambiguous and Unsteady Matters” at Silent Green Kulturquartier. What is it all about?

This annual conference also marks the final conference of the cluster. After seven years, the Excellence funding will end in late 2025. Thematically, it’s about how things are increasingly slipping out of our hands. Many people believe we have everything under control. However, one key finding of our research is that this is not the case in many areas. Matter does not follow our rules—but it significantly shapes them. The ambiguity and unreliability of matter are important qualities that must be understood in order to adequately address a future material culture. That’s what we want to explore and discuss with interested participants at the conference.

What are the highlights of the conference?

In fact, the entire program is a highlight. We’re especially pleased to have secured Karen Barad for the keynote. Barad teaches feminism, philosophy, and the history of consciousness at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and also represents a radically interdisciplinary approach to thinking. Additionally, there will be three interdisciplinary panels, each featuring two external guests giving 30-minute input talks. These topics will then be discussed with the audience to connect them to overarching questions of a new material culture. In the Flash Talks titled “Get a Grip?”, cluster members will present short, provocative statements for discussion. Finally, we aim to transition the cluster into a mode of “active matter”: We want to build a network that, independent of Excellence funding, preserves the heterogeneity of Matters of Activity and continues to shape it operationally.

So Matters of Activity will continue even after the funding ends this year?

We hope so. Two days before the conference, we’re hosting a workshop on radical interdisciplinarity. We’ll present our research findings, but also reflect on the experiences we’ve gathered across the two Excellence clusters Image Knowledge Gestaltung and Matters of Activity. The conference will pick up on these and present the results.

Why is Berlin a good location for interdisciplinary research?

Berlin as a center of excellence forms a strong and internationally visible research network through Freie Universität Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. This helps us attract talent from around the world for collaboration. Additionally, Berlin is a place with a tradition of creative and interdisciplinary thinking. Many heterogeneous actors come together here. Berlin is highly international, diverse, and concentrates a great deal of creative energy—extending beyond the scientific landscape.

Interview: Ernestine von der Osten-Sacken

“Out of Hand. Active, Ambiguous and Unsteady Matters”
September 19, 9 AM to 9 PM
Silent Green Kulturquartier, Gerichtstraße 35, 13347 Berlin
matters-of-activity.de

Programme and Registration
Participation is free of charge. Please register in advance. The number of seats is limited.