VVAA (2014) New Materials New Methods. Blowup Reader 8

Henry Hemming, Karolina Sobecka, Giles Lane, Greg J. Smith, Boukje Cnossen (2014).New Materials New Methods (blowup reader 8).Rotterdam:Institute for Unstable Media.

Enlace:http://v2.nl/archive/articles/new-materials-new-methods-blowup-reader-8#

Wayback Machine:https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://v2.nl/archive/articles/new-materials-new-methods-blowup-reader-8#

V2_'s multi-year research project on Innovation in Extreme Scenarios was inspired in part by the amazing but true story of British inventor Geoffrey Pyke and his idea to build an aircraft carrier made of a special kind of ice that he had created. This was not Pyke's only grand project, he was widely acknowledged as an eccentric but brilliant innovator who contributed to many aspects of society. The British Security Service (MI5) recently declassified a treasure trove of information about Pyke and his contributions to the Allies' efforts in WWII. British writer Henry Hemming has written a new biography of Pyke based on these recent revelations and on unlimited access to his archive. In researching his book, Hemming discovered evidence of a method for innovation that Pyke followed, and it is this method we explored in Day 1 of Blowup: New Materials, New Methods, by conducting a workshop on "How to Pyke". As part of the workshop, participants also heard about the contemporary uses for this intriguing material, from Roel Pluijman and Jorrit Hijl, two members of the team who made the Pykrete Dome (the world's largest ice dome, built in 2013) possible. On the following day of Blowup: New Materials, New Methods, the public heard brief talks reflecting on innovation, art and science, and the role of new materials. The evening featured a live stage interview with renowned Dutch artists Driessens & Verstappen by Boukje Cnossen, insights into the innovative practices of Superuse Studios by their Head of Research Jan Jongert, and a re-enactment of a lecture on the divide between art and science by C.P. Snow, played by Giles Lane. Through its three formats (interview, lecture, re-enactment) this evening touched on the subject of innovation and creativity in a multiplicity of ways. The events occurred on November 6 and 7, 2014. Archived footage of the November 7 event is available at http://v2.nl/events/blowup-new-materials-new-methods-day-ii and the V2_ Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/v2unstable