*Workshop #3* Exploring the Memory of Matter through Paper-making
anna andrejew will guide a workshop exploring the memory of matter through hands-on papermaking using various fibers. Participants will engage with the material’s capacity to hold memory while reflecting on the ethical implications of our interaction with materials. This will also prompt a reconsideration of collaboration, extending beyond human partners to include non-human elements such as water and plant fibers.
This workshop draws inspiration from my collaboration with the Dutch Research Council's (NWO) Closed Cycles Program, which investigated the repurposing of treated wastewater in agriculture. The workshop also embraces slower, more deliberate practices, offering a counterpoint to fast-paced, mass production in the modern world.
This shared experience of papermaking will foster collective knowledge creation, creating a space for dialogue between participants and materials. Through collective work, Anna Andrejew aims to deepen her understanding of how human and non-human agents—such as water, plant fibers, and the environment—can co-create knowledge. The collaborative nature of the workshop will contribute to her ongoing research by incorporating diverse perspectives on sustainability and material ethics.
This event will cultivate collaborative learning at the intersection of art, science, and environmental ethics, encouraging deeper engagement with the material world and a reconsideration of our shared ecological responsibilities.
Registration
There's a maximum amount of 13 participants for this workshop. As of 14 October 2024, you can register via this registration form.
IMPORTANT! In case you have to cancel due to unforeseen reasons, please send a message to anna andrejew at 3311627@kabk.nl or L.vanroekel@kabk.nl, so we can give your spot to somebody else.
About anna andrejew
As an ecofeminist artist, Anna Andrejew is deeply concerned with the extractive relationship we often have with matter. Her artistic research addresses these issues by exploring the memory of matter, culminating in her paper The First Impression on Your Skin, where she introduces the peripheral gaze—a way of seeing that reveals often-overlooked interconnections. From this perspective, all matter—human or non-human—is equal. By adopting the peripheral gaze, we can observe how materials co-create images and recognize the ecological ties between them.
Recently, her research has focused on hand papermaking, where paper becomes more than a medium for writing or printing—it holds its own memory. As anthropologist Tim Ingold suggests, 'We see the words but not the ink', underlining how materiality, though often unnoticed, holds significance. This exploration draws on new materialism and phenomenology to examine the agency of matter, enabling more-than-human collaborations and reinforcing my commitment to knowledge creation through artistic practice.
She's particularly drawn to how paper, often perceived as inert, actively participates in processes of decay, transformation, and memory over time. Like wood or stone, paper bears marks of its origins and usage, narrating its own story alongside the human imprint. This aligns with the new materialist perspective that challenges the rigid division between subject and object, emphasizing the entangled relationship between humans and matter.
