Last week’s class prompted me to think about the way ideas are materialised. Our discussion was centred on how the relationships that exist around us are all premised on the existence of something material. Materiality, in this case, has come to mean the evidence of any relationship existing between two things. Whether it is a relationship between a human and their dog, a dog and the grass or the grass and the sun, there is something inherently material about these bonds. All these relationships are centred on the material outcome of something else, otherwise, a material link would not be possible. With this in mind, we extended this idea to our creative output in class and beyond what we have been learning.

There is a feeling of power that comes from the formation of an idea. However, an idea or thought are mere links to the material outcome that is at stake. There is a certain urge that must be acted upon in order to materialise this idea, which only then secures the link that existed between two material objects in the first place. In regards to our projects, for instance, we might come up with wide-ranging concepts surrounding a topic. We would write these down on paper, discuss them in class and offer prompts to each other. Although there is a material link between us and the ideas that have been formed on paper, there has been no actual outcome in the final result of our discussion. All that has been delved into are the many potential links that could be formed in relation to the material thing we are trying to produce. In order to see the complexity of a relationship, there must be two material things existing in the first place. Although important, the density that exists between all things doesn’t come from these links. It is the objects themselves that give merit to the link that binds material things together.

This discussion prompted me to start treating our projects in the same way. Knowing that ideas are only a starting point to the eventual outcome makes me want to focus on the material outcome rather than continuing to deliberate on ideas. There must be some point in a project where an idea is settled on and action is taken to materialise the idea. Knowing the complexity that arises from a material outcome is something that should garner more of an effort to produce work. There is a certain level of satisfaction that comes from realising you have been able to contribute to the complex web of material relationships within our world.