Matter Moves Mind: Towards a New Material Culture

Together with guests from design, art and academia, Prof. Oliver Szasz discusses the impact of material culture on human thinking and behaviour in the context of transformative change.

The current global crises show that we need to fundamentally reconsider our ways of thinking and acting as individuals and as a society. Doing so, it is essential to understand that we do not act isolated from the physical world. Instead, our perceptions, emotions, social relationships and even our bodies are shaped by the material world that surrounds us, which thus has a significant impact on our thoughts and actions. Hence, there is a reciprocal relationship between matter and mind, which manifests in our material culture. Consequently, the things we create and surround ourselves with go far beyond form and function: they embody and reflect how we think. Artists and designers have always contributed to shaping material culture, which makes them important players in the context of transformative change. In the panel discussion, Prof. Oliver Szasz (Culturesphere GmbH and Macromedia University of Applied Sciences) invites guests from the fields of design, arts and academia to discuss the significance and impact of material culture on human thought and behaviour. During the MCBW 2022, an exhibition of the same title will take place at the gallery Culturesphere, which focuses on artists and designers who, with their creative approaches, methods and objects, set future-oriented impulses for a more sustainable material culture, invigorate the senses and inspire new ways of thinking.