Radical Matter

Radical matter is a new way to think about and to resolve some of the problems facing our planet. As a method it embraces things and ideas beyond their commodity value or use. But Radical matter is not merely about how to understand things and ideas it also provides practical tools with an emphasis on making. Linked to art and curiosity, it refuses the sterility of black box technology and instrumental logic. Instead, it celebrates the messiness of this world and all its unintended possibilities. The idea of radical matter owes its vitality to the wonderfully strange behaviour that was predicted at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. For a long time these so-called quantum effects were pure theory, but nowadays they are more and more accessible and better understood even to a degree that building extremely powerful computers based on this technology seems only a few years away. In the past, groundbreaking scientific discoveries often have shifted our understanding of the world. It is only logical that also the laws of quantum physics will affect the way we think and act as humans over time. In the case of quantum physics however this might be a quite radical change, since it contradicts the world as we know it fundamentally: there, linear time does not exist as such; in quantum mechanics, time can even go backwards. The very same object can appear at the same moment at several places millions of lightyears away. And as if this were not strange enough, every attempt to witness these events would change their outcome in an unpredictable way. At the moment, the world of quantum physics however is only accessible via complex machines. In order to interact with this unknown universe, we need to invent new tools and languages in order to become an active part or even inhabitant of this part of reality. As a consequence our lives will have to interweave with that of machines in an unprecedented way, that will exceed today`s predictions by far. This closer and more subtle co-existence with complex machines will open up new worlds not only in computing and in the sciences but also in philosophy, art, literature, engineering, gaming. We are not designing a new product instead, we intend to show how this new alliance between the sciences and the arts is critical in order to envision future possibilities. We want to explore practical ways to implement their impact on ourselves and our planet and think that this can only be done by foregrounding a non-hierarchical, arts practice led research. The result of our project very likely will be something along the lines of a roadmap a guide to the unknown that is written while we are on the journey. This however is an unconventional map, one that takes account of the fact that we are, as we are moving, changing the very events being mapped. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this kind of approach mirrors the very techniques required for art making and, indeed, for all forms of invention.

adicalmatter explored how art and science can help society rethink its relationship with technology, ecology, and artificial intelligence at a time when established ideas of progress and control are increasingly being questioned. The project began with a simple but urgent concern: how can cultural practices respond to technological change in ways that are ethically, ecologically, and socially aware? Over four years, radicalmatter developed into an international platform connecting artists, philosophers, scientists, and researchers from different disciplines and institutions, most notably the University of Applied Arts Vienna and the Royal College of Art in London. Rather than treating technology as a neutral tool, the project examined artificial intelligence and digital systems as deeply entangled with material processes, ecological conditions, and human and non-human forms of life. A central outcome of the project was a large-scale exhibition and an accompanying international symposium. The exhibition, presented at the Angewandte Innovation Lab (AIL), was the most successful exhibition in the history of the institution in terms of visitor numbers and received international press coverage. It brought together commissioned artworks that addressed questions of materiality, ecology, technology, and more-than-human intelligence. Artworks created within the project were subsequently shown worldwide in exhibitions, screenings, and presentations, extending the project's reach far beyond its original context. The two-day international symposium gathered over 30 artists, researchers, philosophers, and scientists for public lectures, panel discussions, performances, and screenings. It functioned as a key space for exchange between artistic practice and scientific research, addressing topics such as artificial intelligence, quantum physics, climate, materialism, and ethical responsibility. Video recordings of the symposium ensure that these discussions remain accessible to a wider public. Another major outcome is the two-volume international journal radicalmatter, published with an ISBN in a print run of 500 copies and made freely accessible online. The journal combines essays, artistic contributions, and experimental formats, forming a durable record of the project's research and debates. Together with the project website, which continues to exist as an evolving public research platform, the journal and audiovisual materials provide long-term access to the project's results. The significance of radicalmatter lies in its contribution to cultural understanding rather than technological innovation alone. By using artistic research to engage with urgent questions around AI, ecology, and materiality, the project offers new perspectives on how societies might live with emerging technologies. It demonstrates how art can play a vital role in shaping public discourse and fostering critical reflection on the technological and ecological futures we collectively face.