Material
“Attend to what is already here. Collaborate with what arrives.”
This chapter invites you to see every object, gesture, body, memory, technology, and space as an active collaborator rather than a passive ingredient. It maps nine types of material — from human to digital — and shows how each carries histories, biases, textures, and invitations. Through examples, exercises, and provocations, you’ll learn to notice what you’ve been overlooking, to court surprise, and to collaborate with what’s already present. Instead of treating material as a neutral tool, you’ll begin to recognize its agency, its rules, and the ways it can transform your work when you let it lead.
Featuring a contribution by Bebe Miller
“What could you make with only what’s already in the room?”