MAX-PLANCK-INSTITUT FÜR WISSENSCHAFTSGESCHICHTE Max Planck Institute for the History of Science

Event

Oct 17-18, 2024
Fabricated Natures: Stories from the Bio-Material Archive

imitation cattle hides with different colors folded over each other

Imitation cattle hides. Photo by Lisa Onaga, 2024

This workshop delves into the concepts and practices of fabrication. Rooted in the Latin fabricationem, meaning skilled craftsmanship, fabrication involves the intentional creation of objects from disparate parts. Acts of fabrication span various cultural and creative domains, from art and literature to manufacturing and biomedicine, reflecting human ingenuity across history and sources such as objects, texts, and oral traditions. This interdisciplinary workshop invites participants to explore fabrication as a method for studying the history of bio-material technologies, starting with textiles. Through discussions of precirculated manuscripts, we aim to critically analyze and reinterpret the long-term epistemic significance of human efforts to produce bio-based or bio-inspired materials. The double aim of this workshop is an edited volume or special issue, and to build a network of scholars interested in methodologically reflexive scholarship in fabrication studies that bridges the humanities, arts, and sciences.

Event Schedule

  • October 17

    Time Title Speaker
    9:15–9:30

    Participant Registration

    		  
    9:30–9:45

    Welcome

    		  
    9:45–10:45

    Introductions — Flash Talks

    		  
    10:45–11:45

    "New Materials for the Alpine Nature"

    Irina Podgorny (MPIWG/CONICET)
    11:45–12:00 BREAK  
    12:00–13:00

    "Jamaican Lace-Bark as a Natural Lace for Ornamental Embroidery & Afro-Creole Material Culture"

    Sarah Brokenborough (Tulane University)
    13:00–14:00 LUNCH  
    14:00–15:00

    "Fusion of Shades: Remaking Natural and Synthetic Dyes in Early Twentieth-Century China and Germany"

    Lejie Zeng        (IMPRS-MPIWG)
    15:00–15:30 BREAK  
    15:30–17:30*

    Keynote Lecture "On Saving the Planet with Proteins: The Historical Significance of Shifting Biological Engineering into Post-Translational Space-Time"

    Hannah Landecker (UCLA)
    17:30–18:30 DINNER  
    18:30–19:00

    Group Discussion

    		  

    *The keynote lecture will take place in Room 265 of the MPIWG Main Building, Boltzmannstr. 22

  • October 18

    Time Title Speaker

    10:00–11:00

    "The Future of Carmine"

    Deirdre Moore  (European University Institute)
    11:00–11:15 BREAK  
    11:15–12:15

    "From Chemurgy to Climate Change: Narratives of Bioplastic Promise"

    Ellan F. Spero   (MIT)
    12:15–13:15 LUNCH  
    13:15–14:15

    "Phytomechatronics"

    Jennifer L. Karson (University of Vermont)
    14:15–14:45

    Wrap-up Session

    		  
Organizer(s)
Address
Harnack House, Conference Venue of the Max Planck Society, Ihnestraße 16-20, 14195 Berlin, Germany
Contact and Registration

To register contact event_dept3@mpiwg-berlin.mpg.de.

Additional in-person observers allowed after pre-registration.

Organizer contact: Isabela Dornelas

Call for Papers: Fabricated Natures: Stories from the Bio-Material Archive (Deadline July 15, 2024) Keynote Lecture by Hannah Landecker: On Saving the Planet with Proteins: The Historical Significance of Shifting Biological Engineering into Post-Translational Space-Time
2024-10-17T10:00:00SAVE IN I-CAL 2024-10-17 10:00:00 2024-10-18 14:00:00 Fabricated Natures: Stories from the Bio-Material Archive i Imitation cattle hides. Photo by Lisa Onaga, 2024 This workshop delves into the concepts and practices of fabrication. Rooted in the Latin fabricationem, meaning skilled craftsmanship, fabrication involves the intentional creation of objects from disparate parts. Acts of fabrication span various cultural and creative domains, from art and literature to manufacturing and biomedicine, reflecting human ingenuity across history and sources such as objects, texts, and oral traditions. This interdisciplinary workshop invites participants to explore fabrication as a method for studying the history of bio-material technologies, starting with textiles. Through discussions of precirculated manuscripts, we aim to critically analyze and reinterpret the long-term epistemic significance of human efforts to produce bio-based or bio-inspired materials. The double aim of this workshop is an edited volume or special issue, and to build a network of scholars interested in methodologically reflexive scholarship in fabrication studies that bridges the humanities, arts, and sciences. Event Schedule October 17 Time Title Speaker 9:15–9:30 Participant Registration   9:30–9:45 Welcome   9:45–10:45 Introductions — Flash Talks   10:45–11:45 "New Materials for the Alpine Nature" Irina Podgorny (MPIWG/CONICET) 11:45–12:00 BREAK   12:00–13:00 "Jamaican Lace-Bark as a Natural Lace for Ornamental Embroidery & Afro-Creole Material Culture" Sarah Brokenborough (Tulane University) 13:00–14:00 LUNCH   14:00–15:00 "Fusion of Shades: Remaking Natural and Synthetic Dyes in Early Twentieth-Century China and Germany" Lejie Zeng        (IMPRS-MPIWG) 15:00–15:30 BREAK   15:30–17:30* Keynote Lecture "On Saving the Planet with Proteins: The Historical Significance of Shifting Biological Engineering into Post-Translational Space-Time" Hannah Landecker (UCLA) 17:30–18:30 DINNER   18:30–19:00 Group Discussion   *The keynote lecture will take place in Room 265 of the MPIWG Main Building, Boltzmannstr. 22 October 18 Time Title Speaker 10:00–11:00 "The Future of Carmine" Deirdre Moore  (European University Institute) 11:00–11:15 BREAK   11:15–12:15 "From Chemurgy to Climate Change: Narratives of Bioplastic Promise" Ellan F. Spero   (MIT) 12:15–13:15 LUNCH   13:15–14:15 "Phytomechatronics" Jennifer L. Karson (University of Vermont) 14:15–14:45 Wrap-up Session   Harnack House, Conference Venue of the Max Planck Society, Ihnestraße 16-20, 14195 Berlin, Germany Lisa OnagaIsabela de Oliveira Dornelas Lisa OnagaIsabela de Oliveira Dornelas Europe/Berlin public