On Monday October 15th Material Beliefs is taking part in a debate hosted at Cafe Scientifique in Newcastle. Cafe Scientifique is an international and ad-hoc network of venues for discussions and drinks. Here’s how they describe themselves:

Cafe Scientifique is a place where, for the price of a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, anyone can come to explore the latest ideas in science and technology. Meetings take place in cafes, bars, restaurants and even theatres, but always outside a traditional academic context.

Ah, it’s nice to get out of the academy. Find out more about Cafe Scientifique on this page.

Patrick Degenaar – from the Institute of Biomedical Engineering – will be talking about prosthetic vision systems. Patrick is accompanied by Tobie, who will be joining Manel Torres (Fabrican) and and Dan Stiel (MIT) for the evening, to explore the Cyborg theme. A mail-out from the event organisers expands on this:

As part of the Cyborg Future exhibition at the Discovery Museum, we take a look at the shrinking divide between us and the technology we use, from prosthetic body parts to smart textiles and wearable body extensions.

The Newcastle venue is hosted by PEALS, the Policy, Ethics And Life Sciences Research Institute, details on how to get there are here.

Elio and Tobie visited Dr Adrian Bowyer, senior lecturer in theDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, at the University of Bath . Adrian is based in the Biomimetics Research Group and he spoke about the research coming out of this group, and some of the broader issues that motivate his approach to engineering. See full documentation of the interview here, and previous interviews here.

Elio interviews Professor Kevin Warwick about his research in the Cybernetics group at theUniverstity of Reading. Warwick also gave a keynote recently at the Minds Bodies Machines conference, where his work on human to machine interfaces was set against nineteenth century representations of mechanical bodies. Click here to see the interview, and look out for more interviews soon…

Our Cyborg Futures: Me or Machine? is an exhibition at the Discovery Museum organized in conjunction with Dott 07 (Designs of the time 2007). 

Our Cyborg Futures: Me or Machine? looks at the shrinking divide between us and the technology we use. From prosthetic body parts, to smart textiles and wearable computing, a range of technologies is penetrating the different ‘skins’ we surround ourselves with – from our biological skin, to the clothes we wear, the buildings we live in, and the communication networks we connect through.

From robot home-helps to prosthetic limbs and intelligent clothing, the exhibition looks into the possible future of the 21st century and asks, is this the future we want?

MADE is a network of professional bodies and research centres, aiming to build bridges between design and material engineering. Here’s how the MADE website describes itself:

The Materials and Design Exchange – MADE – brings together the communities of design and materials technology in order to stimulate innovation, promote the transfer of materials knowledge and improve the competitiveness of UK business.

MADE also publishes a newsletter, the lateset version is available here as a pdf.

To provide some context, MADE is part of a Knowledge Transfer Network. KTNs are supported by the Department for Trade and Industry to encourage knowledge sharing between research and industry, to bring about innovation and general goodness.

Design and the Elastic Mind is the title of an exhibition taking place at MoMA in February 2008. It’s early days and there are not many details about the event, but my interest was piqued by the following statement”

[the exhibition] focuses on designers’ ability to grasp momentous changes in technology, science, and social mores, changes which will demand or reflect major adjustments in human behavior, and convert them into objects and systems that people can actually understand and use.

It’s an interesting assertion, and a bold claim to make for design, which perhaps plays a more integrated role amongst a broader network of industries, individuals and technologies. What the statement captures well, is that some kind of translation or normalisation takes place alongside technological change, and that design surely plays a role by contributing “thoughtful concepts that can provide guidance and ease as science and technology proceed in their evolution”. I’m looking forward to seeing how this exhibition develops.

Material Beliefs is interested in exploring technologies that are being used to repair and extend the functions of our bodies.

While popular representations of these technologies create discussion and excitement, with your help we would like to show an account of current research activity, and how it is expected to lead to new products and services.

This is a chance for you to talk about the opportunities offered by the technologies you are engaged in, and to describe your enthusiasm for what you are doing.

Let us know if you would like to be interviewed about your work, and we can arrange a visit to suit you.

An exhibition of the Biojewellery project has been installed at Central Middlesex Hospital. Here’s a map of the area around the hospital which is part of the North West London Hospitals NHS Trust. The exhibition is part of NWLH Arts programme, and has been kindly supported by its director Candice Hurwitz, and Karen Sarkissian at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity.

RESEARCHER – 2 POSTS
Up to £34,888 pa incl
Part time (0.2ftte) 14 months fixed term
New Cross, London

Material Beliefs is funded by the EPSRC and based in the Interaction Research Studio, within the Department of Design, Goldsmiths, University of London. Material Beliefs will focus on technologies which blur the boundaries between our bodies and materials. How can we deploy design to invigorate a public discussion about the value of these forms of hybridity?

The aim of this project is to pair experienced research engineers and designers through a residency program, which will lead to a series of public exhibitions and engagement events. You will be supported in the creation of a collaborative residency based in an engineering department at a UK university. There are two broad phases to the role, with a seven month period of exploratory research followed by a seven month period of design and development.

You will have a Postgraduate design qualification or equivalent and be an experienced maker with a range of design skills and research portfolio. You will have an interest in challenging the role of design research and also have the ability to work in a team and on your own using own initiative.
Excellent communication and organisational skills are also essential.

For further information:
www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/personnel
hr@gold.ac.uk
020 7919 7999
Please quote ref: 07/95RE

Closing date: Monday 26 March 2007 by 5.00pm Interview date: week commencing 9 April 2007

Committed to equal opportunities

Material Beliefs Workshop – 18th April 2007

A one day workshop in London to explore partnerships between engineers and designers for public engagement.

The overall theme of Material Beliefs is to encourage a public debate over the impact of technologies which give rise to novel interactions between our bodies and materials. In what ways will we become extended, dispersed, improved, displaced, or empowered by new arrangements of engineering around and within our bodies?

The workshop is a one day event on April 18th. A group of 30 will be drawn from engineering and design backgrounds, as well as from science communication and social sciences.

In the morning there will be a range of short presentations about recent collaborations between designers and engineers. Moving into the afternoon, there will be a set of activities aimed at creating a model for embedding designers within UK engineering departments, and to hopefully set up some collaborations.

If you be interested in attending the workshop – to see what is going on and to contribute to the activities – please contact Andy Robinson or Tobie Kerridge:

andy@materialbeliefs.co.uk
tobie@materialbeliefs.co.uk

In particular we’re looking for engineers who work in a field related to the project theme (bodies and technology), and are looking for the chance to do exciting collaborations with designers for public engagement.

Thank you for your interest, more details will be posted shortly.