Artist Statement

Abstract
This paper investigates conceptions of materials in regard to what actions they make possible. This is done by way of a close up investigation of materials role in a design student project. The study adds dimensions of social and relational character to what is defined as “material” in design and it shed’s light on materials as sources of agency.

Affordance
We are all able to act with our own body but also limited by that same body in contact with the materials that surround us. This applies to designers as well as practitioners in other disciplines. To be able to experience how others experience their environment by perceiving through somebody else’s eyes or bodies would be beneficial for practitioners that want to be innovative and create novel solutions. How one approaches and explores objects and materiality can be crucial to develop such awareness of actions and limitations. This study explores how the awareness of affordance of materials may lead to playful design approaches [4].
There is a distinct dissimilarity between the conception of materials from how they appear to our visual perception rather than what actions or functions they afford [2]. If we take an example in a wall, observations of a wall may lead to descriptions such as flat, tall, roughly structured concrete. For a playful parkour practitioner standing in front of such a wall, it might afford somersault or climbing-ability. For me standing in front of the same wall it would the leaning- or the drawing ability it affords. These subjective relations (affordances) thus tells us something about the abilities or actions that material, object or environment offers, which mere perception on its own does not cover [1].
A further exploration of the wall may lead to additional affordances or interactions such as the use of spray paint in contrast to pencil. Thus, affordance is about how the environment inspires us to act [3]. This paper offers a close up investigation of a design student project where the task was to transform a found object or environment, with objects ranging from massproduced Ikea products to private artefacts. Through a regulated approach, the students developed new objects. The findings show high levels of awareness of the affordances in the found objects. This is manifested in the students original handling of the materials, expressions, constructional elements and concepts.
Accordingly the study adds dimensions of social and relational character to what we typically understand as material, which implies the use of raw materials bound to structures such as planks or sheets in standardized sizes. Furthermore the findings show that such a design approach affords playful attitudes. This attitude is characterized by the interplay between original and new object, which in turn brings forward plural meanings and uses. This is discussed through the various conceptions of affordance and creative potentials in playful attitude in aesthetic practice.

References

1. Gibson, James J. 2015. The ecological approach to visual perception. Classic edition. ed, Psychology Press Classic Editions. New York: Psychology Press.2. Linderoth,
2. Jonas, and Ulrika Bennerstedt. 2007. This is not a Door: an Ecological approach to Computer Games: Japax.
3. Rambusch, Jana, and Tarja Susi. 2008. “The Challenge of Managing Affordances in Computer Game Play.” Human It 9 (3):83-109.
4. Stenros, Jaakko. 2015. “Playfulness, Play, and Games: A Constructionist Ludology Approach.”

• Vibeke Sjøvoll (NO), Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Department of Product Design