»Materiality of Earth«
»Materiality of Earth«
Seemingly humble yet a rich and multifaceted resource, earth is the natural background to our life, with which it is deeply interwoven. Moreover, it represents an ancestral and genuine example of sustainability both in architecture and in craftworks. Earth-based artifacts and structures have been long object of interdisciplinary approaches employing natural scientific methods.
Pottery, non-ceramic clay-based artifacts used in domestic, metallurgical, textile and administrative activities as well as earthen and brick architecture have been largely explored in their chemical, physical, mineralogical and optical properties. Aim of these high-resolution analyses is to tackle provenance, technology and conservation issues as well as to reconstruct the use of both the built space and natural landscapes. However, the rigid categorization of specialisms has often hindered a more global and theoretical discourse between scholars who ultimately deal with the same material ‒ earth ‒, only used and processed in different ways and contexts.
This workshop aims at establishing a multilogue beyond any chronological period, geographical area and type of artifacts. The common denominator is earth, explored in its various material properties and cultural perceptions, specifically by looking at the interweaving relation between crafts, administration as well as daily and living spaces.