Abstract
This paper addresses a design dilemma: how can designers engage with materials that exhibit recognizable yet unpredictable behaviors? Traditional design relies on predictability and control. However, in an era of crises and complexity, we must acknowledge non-human agency and recognize that materials inherently respond and adapt. Complex material systems, characterized by self-organization, nonlinear dynamics, and emergent patterns, resist deterministic control, requiring an alternative approach. Drawing on material agency and play perspectives of rules and chances, we develop an operative framework of negotiating control, exemplified through clay fractals using the Lifting Hele-Shaw cell (LHSC). We identify three progressive modes of engagement: 1) Parametric Conditioning, adjusting variables without prescribing forms; 2) Structural Guidance, reinforcing pattern tendencies; 3) Orchestrated Formation, for goal-oriented control. These agentic patterns shift the designer’s role from form-function giver to facilitator of complexity, emphasizing coordination and responsiveness over control, where unpredictability becomes a valuable resource for collaboration.
Keywords
material agency, negotiated control, practice-based research, complexity
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1945
Citation
Kang, Y., Migliore, E., and Liu, J. (2026) Negotiating Control with Materials: Progressive Modes of Engagement in Design Practice, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1945
Creative Commons License
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Included in
Negotiating Control with Materials: Progressive Modes of Engagement in Design Practice
This paper addresses a design dilemma: how can designers engage with materials that exhibit recognizable yet unpredictable behaviors? Traditional design relies on predictability and control. However, in an era of crises and complexity, we must acknowledge non-human agency and recognize that materials inherently respond and adapt. Complex material systems, characterized by self-organization, nonlinear dynamics, and emergent patterns, resist deterministic control, requiring an alternative approach. Drawing on material agency and play perspectives of rules and chances, we develop an operative framework of negotiating control, exemplified through clay fractals using the Lifting Hele-Shaw cell (LHSC). We identify three progressive modes of engagement: 1) Parametric Conditioning, adjusting variables without prescribing forms; 2) Structural Guidance, reinforcing pattern tendencies; 3) Orchestrated Formation, for goal-oriented control. These agentic patterns shift the designer’s role from form-function giver to facilitator of complexity, emphasizing coordination and responsiveness over control, where unpredictability becomes a valuable resource for collaboration.