Technology, Softness and Material Becoming

This lecture explores the relationship between technology, materiality, and perception through the lens of “softness.” Drawing on the concept of technological ecologies, it examines how qualities like hardness and softness are not inherent to matter, but emerge through touch. While hardness has historically been associated with stability, control, and dominance, softness remains relational, evolving, and difficult to fix. Often embedded in practices such as textile-making, soft technologies have frequently been marginalized or erased, despite their complexity and adaptability. The look at artistic practices will be an entry point to reconsider how we understand the interplay of technology, material intelligence, and the sensory dimensions. 

Part of the Seminar “New Materialisms in Philosophy & Art” by Nisaar Ulama.

Epona Hamdan is a researcher, curator, and cultural organizer working across embodied knowledge, critical theory, and cosmotechnical inquiry. Her practice explores how artistic, philosophical, scientific, and locally grounded knowledges intersect in the wide scope of perspectives on technology, law, and community. She is a researcher and producer at Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), with a focus on quantum physics and artificial intelligence.

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For more information, e-mail [email protected].

Time: 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm CET/GMT+1

Location: JJK Hall Cafe (W15)

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