How materials matter - design, innovation and materiality in Melanesian society

Until recently, most periods of technological development, such as the Iron Age, were linked to changes in use of materials. However, it has become increasingly evident that the driving force for materials innovation and design is information technology.

In this talk, Professor Graeme Were, University of Bristol, examines materials innovation from a Melanesian perspective. He reveals how plant materials used in design projects are selected on the basis of their informational capacities and so are productive of thought and action. Their selection criteria – such as inbuilt capacity for decay, holding dye, permeability – is optimised for specific uses in the environment and the range of contexts to which they will be exposed. In doing so, Graeme offers an anthropological approach to making, whereby materials innovation is central to shaping new forms of sociality.

Graeme's work investigates issues relating to museums, material culture and heritage in the context of Vietnam and Papua New Guinea, with a particular focus on knowledge practices.

As part of this talk you are also invited to participate in a live Q&A session with the speakers.