[spectre] EXD'05-Bienal de lisboa

[DAVIDE MERONI]

THE MEDIUM IS THE MATTER

  The theme of the ExperimentaDesign 2005 completes a cycle. In 2001, 
the theme ‘Modus Operandi’ reflected an interest in specific ways of 
producing culture in the diverse areas of design, art and architecture. 
In 2003, ’Beyond Consumption’ laid the foundations for a broader 
discussion of the figure and the position of the consumer, spectator 
and user. Now, in 2005, The Medium is the Matter will focus on the 
media and the transmission materials perceptible in the gap to be found 
between creator and receiver.

"The Medium is the Matter targets communication media and communicative 
objects - a realm where sometimes matter seems less important than the 
messages it conveys, and in which the interactions between those who 
create and those who receive become the actual product." (Max Bruinsma, 
guest curator).

The Medium is the Matter explores the communication process, its 
agents, mediators, producers, products and by-products. In the 
fast-changing and expanding global networks, communication exchanges 
take place through such densely codified media that they generate more 
meaning than the message they are supposed to transmit.

As it is fed through mediation mechanisms, formatted in different 
visual languages and codes, shuttled back and forth between subjects, 
the message is morphed into a complex and composite matter, made up of 
alternative layers of meaning and intentionality added by each 
producer/recipient.

Matter enters into a new dimension, as different resources, materials 
and production tools are fused to create original and daring 
alternatives that enhance the performance of their applied use. The 
limits of matter and materials are probed as science, technology and 
art begin to operate in the same sphere of interest and join efforts in 
both practise and research, yielding surprising results.


http://www.experimentadesign.pt/