Biohybrid robots, smart materials, and self-assembling nanotechnologies are beginning to shape new synthetic bodies that radically differ from the machines of the past. Emerging “soft” technologies such as these blur the established categories of life, nature, and cognition, prompting a fundamental reconsideration of our relationship with materials. Challenging the prevailing cultural view of matter as inert and passive, students will be encouraged to discover the ability of materials to self-organize, adapt, think, and learn. Drawing insights from both the sciences and humanities, this course will investigate the implications of material agency for technology, speculative thinking, design, and art. Through transdisciplinary discussion, research, and guided speculation, students will explore the many facets of “soft” materiality, its cultural significance, and its technological futures.
