Prolegomena for a Transdisciplinary Investigation Into the Materialities and Aesthetics of Soft Systems

Jonas Jørgensen / Denmark

IT University of Copenhagen

Paper

This paper presents exploratory research on the materiality, aesthetics and ecological potential of soft robots. Within the still emerging paradigm of soft robotics research, bio-inspiration is often hailed as being of central importance. The paper argues that soft robotics should equally be seen as giving prominence to materiality and the enactive and processual potential of soft matter. The paper excavates different notions of materiality within media art that uses soft robots and in technical soft robotics research practices and discourses. Against this background, the author's own practice-based experiments with soft robots are presented.