Material Intelligence

See our new post on Instagram! @materialintelligencemag “Today, the term “native” cannot help but call to mind the history of settler colonial occupation that empowered Nichols—and her family before her—to claim ownership over land (clay) in the Ohio Valley....

“Today, the once commonplace practice of making a kaross is a rarity, the leatherworking skills involved known by comparatively few." Read the latest #MaterialIntelligence issue on #Leather to learn more. materialintelligencemag.org

Quote by Ghislaine Gaoudreau, Algonquin of Pikwàkanagàn Read the latest issue of #MaterialIntelligence on #Leather: bit.ly/47doQCB

Read the full issue of #MaterialIntelligence on #Leather here: bit.ly/3nNKL1N

“Leather has not often been written about as a ‘Renaissance material,’ or art form. Yet the demand for leather developed significantly during the 16th century, and so did the craft skills associated with its processing.”—Ulinka Rublack More: materialintelligencemag.org

The British quickly followed suit with a similar leather made from the hides of young goats, eventually giving rise to the saying "handle it with kid gloves." #MaterialIntelligence.

Explore topics ranging from Norse mythology to the process of tanning and environmental impact. Read more on #Leather in the latest issue of #MaterialIntelligence. bit.ly/3nNKL1N

NEW: The seventh issue of #MaterialIntelligence explores leather—skins and hides that occupy that liminal space between life and death. materialintelligencemag.org

From sneakers to machine belts to sadomasochistic paraphernalia, leather is one of the oldest and commonest human-worked materials.⁠ ⁠ The new #CuriousObjectsPodcast from @AntiquesMag explores the upcoming issue of #MaterialIntelligence on leather. bit.ly/3Zm6Ino

"Nylon did not weaken in water, and was not impacted by salt, sun, or sand. It was forever.”—Richard Lombard Read the full issue on #nylon from #MaterialIntelligence: materialintelligencemag.org

Nylon was not grown, mined, or gathered, but instead manufactured in a laboratory. A team at E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., led by Wallace Hume Carothers worked for over a decade to refine the process. #Nylon’s origin story from #MaterialIntelligence: bit.ly/3nNKL1N

@MaterialIntel latest issue on #nylon 🕸️ includes a discussion of ghost nets and the possibility of returning to biodegradable natural materials materialintelligencemag.org/nylon/

"With #nylon, we are traversing new terrain—in fact, the terrain of newness itself." The 6th issue of #MaterialIntelligence takes its cue from the six carbon atoms that identify the chemical structure for nylon, the magazine’s first synthetic material. materialintelligencemag.org

“Throughout my travels across the globe, I’ve sought out ancient materials that facilitate connections outside of space-time. One that has left a lasting impression on me is obsidian.” Read more on #obsidian from @MONIQUEPEAN: bit.ly/3nNKL1N

.@tallerobsidiana's history crosses three generations. Obsidian was an integral element of their lives and they were keenly aware of the infinite possibilities in the material. 📷 Read more on #obsidian from #MaterialIntelligence: bit.ly/3nNKL1N

The Center for Design and Material Culture (@uw_cdmc) is hosting the inaugural #MaterialIntelligence Workshop around the theme "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral: Material Intelligence in Context." Join us via Zoom on Thurs, May 4. Register: bit.ly/3nmks2Z

"From father to son, hand to hand, the stories of these precious blades pass along the long curve of generations."—Joe Scott 📷 Read the full #MaterialIntelligence issue on #obsidian: bit.ly/3nNKL1N

“There seems to have been a conceptual link between the material’s potential for violence—the subduing or sacrificing of an enemy—and crystal-ball like powers of divination.” —Alejandro Pastrana and David M. Carballo Read more on #Obsidian: bit.ly/3nNKL1N

“For as long as there have been tools, tools have been made from obsidian.”—Thomas J. Connolly 📖 Read the full #MaterialIntelligence issue on #obsidian. bit.ly/3nNKL1N

“The physical properties of obsidian, a hardness greater than that of ordinary steel and the ability to cleave to a fine edge, have made obsidian a prized material for millennia.”—Anita Grunder Read more from the #MaterialIntelligence issue on #obsidian: bit.ly/3nNKL1N