Vibrant Matter

As part of my theoretical research, I read the book "Vibrant Matter" by Jane Bennet.  I first came across this book in the "Guardians of Living Matter" exhibition in the library section. The book inherently links to this project, as  Bennet challenges the idea that humans solely have agency and non-human factors, such as the landscape, ecosystems, elements and cycles, contain energy and can shape events and relationships. This is called vital materialism. 

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The book also critiques anthropocentrism, the idea that humans are at the centre of existence. It can also relate to the geological age defined by human impact. This book has highly influenced my practice, as I have started to value the slow, handicraft of weaving against mass production using machinery. The book has also challenged me to think about the choice of materials I weave with. As a way of rejecting the idea of anthropocentrism, I have started to use solely natural materials and second-hand, recovered yarn. This is a more sustainable approach, as no material is being created or wasted for this project; I am only using material that already exists and has had a life. Reading this book has had an immense impact on the way I work and think about my practice, adding richer, deeper context and value to this project.

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Book: Vibrant Matter by Jane Bennett, annotations by me.