Abstract
In the light of current debates on materials and the future of making, the polychronic object research combines temporal theories with material experimentation to identify possible paradigm shifts in making for a networked society. The research interrogates a triangulation of concepts. Firstly, digital aerial viewpoints proposed by theorists such as Amelia Groom and James Bridle. Secondly, the application of non-linear time in making through the act of mapping and crumpling as defined by Giles Deleuze, Félix Guattari and Michel Serres. Thirdly, a practical translation of speculative realist approaches to materiality through the writing of Jane Bennett, Levi Bryant and Timothy Morton. The knowledge gained from these three positions aids navigation through the practical experience of making, producing pleated material history as polychronic objects. This is then contextualized through a polychronic re-reading of the history of technology and an exploration of different design approaches that offer appropriate models for this practice.
Keywords
polychronic, aerial-view, materiality, crumpling, mapping
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2016.251
Citation
Norris, J. (2016) Making polychronic objects for a networked society, in Lloyd, P. and Bohemia, E. (eds.), Future Focused Thinking - DRS International Conference 2016, 27 - 30 June, Brighton, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2016.251
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Making polychronic objects for a networked society
In the light of current debates on materials and the future of making, the polychronic object research combines temporal theories with material experimentation to identify possible paradigm shifts in making for a networked society. The research interrogates a triangulation of concepts. Firstly, digital aerial viewpoints proposed by theorists such as Amelia Groom and James Bridle. Secondly, the application of non-linear time in making through the act of mapping and crumpling as defined by Giles Deleuze, Félix Guattari and Michel Serres. Thirdly, a practical translation of speculative realist approaches to materiality through the writing of Jane Bennett, Levi Bryant and Timothy Morton. The knowledge gained from these three positions aids navigation through the practical experience of making, producing pleated material history as polychronic objects. This is then contextualized through a polychronic re-reading of the history of technology and an exploration of different design approaches that offer appropriate models for this practice.