9.2 Transitional Materialities

Corresponding Chairs

Camilo Ayala-Garcia, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy

Sofia Soledad Duarte Poblete, Politecnico di Milano, Italy

Co-Chairs

Valentina Rognoli, Politecnico di Milano, Italy

Markus Holzbach, IMD Institut für Materialdesign, HfG Offenbach, Germany

Owain Pedgley, Middle East Technical University, Turkey

Enza Migliore, Southern University of Science and Technology, China

Miriam Ribul, Royal College of Art, UK

Abstract

Transitional Materialities proposes viewing materials not as static substances, but as dynamic agents embedded in ecological, technological, and socio-economic transitions. It emphasizes the evolving relationship between material innovation, planetary health, and design's ability to mediate and guide change. 

Designers today play a central role in enabling circular and regenerative transformations through the use of materials from diverse and unconventional sources. Moving beyond passive selection, they actively engage with material experimentation to envision alternative and resilient futures. 

This track welcomes contributions that explore speculative approaches and innovative applications in materials experimentation to rethink how we design, produce, and live. It brings together emerging dialogues on renewable, waste-derived, organic, interactive, and intelligent materials, along with speculative technologies that prioritize regeneration, resilience, and interdependence. 

We seek perspectives on how designers shape not only objects but also systems, behaviors, and imaginaries in transitions toward circularity. Contributions may address post-anthropocentric visions, speculative economies, or community-driven innovation.

Potential submissions could include: 

• Case studies and experimental practices with emerging materials that promote regenerative outcomes and circular economies. 

• Theoretical or applied explorations of materiality shaping climate resilience and socio-ecological transitions. 

• Critical reflections on material transitions and their impact on communities, economies, and ecosystems. 

• Co-creation between designers, scientists, artisans, and communities to develop sustainable materials and processes. 

• Traditional and reinterpreted crafts as drivers for material innovation and circularity. 

• Prototypes, narratives, or speculative scenarios that challenge extractive systems. 

• Integration of indigenous knowledge in contemporary sustainable material development.

Keywords

Transitional Materialities; Regenerative Design; Circular Design; Material Designers; Speculative Material Driven Design

References

Duarte Poblete, S. S., Romani, A., & Rognoli, V. (2024). Emerging materials for transition: A taxonomy proposal from a design perspective. Sustainable Futures, 7, 100155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2024.100155 

Rognoli, V., Bianchini, M., Maffei, S., & Karana, E. (2015). DIY materials. Materials & Design, 86, 692–702. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2015.07.020 

Pedgley, O., Rognoli, V., & Karana, E. (Eds.). (2021). Materials experience 2: Expanding territories of materials and design  (1st ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2018-0-03833-5 

Karana, E., McQuillan, H., Rognoli, V., & Giaccardi, E. (2023). Living artefacts for regenerative ecologies. Research Directions: Biotechnology Design, 1, e16. https://doi.org/10.1017/btd.2023.10