The future of the artistic object

Within contemporary philosophical orientations that give a central role to the object (Ferraris, Gabriel, Harman), a special focus exists on aesthetics and art. This object-oriented philosophy has many variants (new realism, Object-Oriented-Ontology) and also has affinity with new materialism and post-humanism.
Considering the possibilities of an object-oriented contemporary art and design practice, we propose to investigate whether and how object-oriented philosophy can be a way of thinking or generate impulses for artistic research. As an extension of the conference "Object-centered research, on things and thinking" (LUCA, Campus Ghent, November 2020), an "impulse book" is being compiled in which we further deepen object-oriented research as artistic research and formulate possible scenarios for the future of the artistic object. With regard to the latter, the ecological concern characterizes many contemporary art and design. We therefore also intend to propose new methods and practices (e.g. focused on sustainability and ecological awareness, also with an active role for non-human makers, a non-central position for humans in their participation in a “more-than-human society” and with a greater respect for nonhuman things). The book thus reveals a network of theory and practice, with many concrete examples and visions for the future.
This impulse book aims at the further exploration of possible collaborations both LUCA- and Association-wide. More specifically, it is about a convergence of philosophy of technology, art and design theory, and art and design practices. The book will represent and imagine how the different contents of these approaches can interact.​

Researchers:

• Dr. Frank Maet (KULeuven / LUCA)
• Dr. Lut Pil (KULeuven / LUCA)
• Dr. Ben Hagenaars (KULeuven / LUCA)

Research unit: Image

Duration: 2020 - 2022