A Questionnaire on Materialisms
Анкета о материализмах
2016-01-01
SCID: 54.1/5c4nv3fc
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Actor-Network TheoryObject-Oriented OntologySpeculative Realismnew materialismsobject agency
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Abstract (AI)
Recent philosophical tendencies of “Actor-Network Theory,” “Object-Oriented Ontology,” and “Speculative Realism” have profoundly challenged the centrality of subjectivity in the humanities, and many artists and curators, particularly in the UK, Germany, and the United States, appear deeply influenced by this shift from epistemology to ontology. October editors asked artists, historians, and philosophers invested in these projects—from Graham Harman and Alexander R. Galloway to Armen Avanessian and Patricia Falguières to Ed Atkins and Amie Siegel—to explore what the rewards and risks of assigning agency to objects may be, and how, or if, such new materialisms can be productive for making and thinking about art today.
Key Findings
1
Recent materialist philosophies—including Actor-Network Theory, Object-Oriented Ontology, and Speculative Realism—challenge subjectivity’s central role in the humanities.
2
The contributions assess whether new materialisms can productively inform contemporary artmaking and art criticism.
3
The discussion examines the potential rewards and risks of attributing agency to objects.
4
These approaches represent a shift from epistemological concerns toward ontological questions, influencing artists and curators especially in the UK, Germany, and the United States.
Research Object
new materialist philosophical tendencies and their application in contemporary art
Research Subject
the rewards and risks of assigning agency to objects, and the productivity of new materialisms for artistic practice and art theory
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2016-01-01
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