New materials, new ways of making and new ways of experiencing our man-made world require us constantly to reconsider and question our activities, generating a culture of creative restlessness. This permeates throughout the activities undertaken at the Royal College of Art, across the range of art and design disciplines of architecture, applied arts, communication, design, fine art and humanities. Academic staff and research students contribute to the research culture, pioneering research that realises the particular insights that art and design can offer. The belief that knowledge can be generated, and questions answered, through experimentation, creative enquiry, analytical scholarship and development of innovative artefacts and designs underpins our research projects and outcomes. Together, research at the RCA carries important implications for art, design and society and the enrichment of cultural life.
Anne Toomey, Head of the Textiles programme, is the lead contact for MaDE at the RCA.
Many members of our community pursue innovation and development through thinking and practice that models future needs and their solutions, adapting from the known and creating new possibilities. Key strategies include stretching the use of traditional techniques and materials towards and beyond their limits; the scientific exploration of new materials; the cross-fertilisation of existing and new technologies; and the generation of new forms. We believe it is a challenging and exciting time to be working with material, as students, researchers and practitioners.
The MaDE Lecture Series will focus on some of the key developments in the material world, from 2–4D and the implications for designers and artists working from within this constantly evolving materials landscape.
