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Publishing of Material Acts: Experimentation in Architecture and Design


Material Acts: Experimentation in Architecture and Design

Jia Yi Gu and collaborator Kate Yeh Chiu publish Material Acts: Experimentation in Architecture and Design, a comprehensive publication exploring the intersections of materiality, craft, and scientific inquiry within architecture and design. The book accompanies the exhibition Material Acts held at Craft Contemporary, which investigates the dynamic processes of material transformation through themes such as Animating, Disassembling, Feeding, Re-fusing, and Stitching. The catalog contributors includes Adobeisnotsoftware, After Architecture, Amy Zhang, Anupama Kundoo, Assemble, Assia Crawford, Atelier LUMA, BC architects, Caroline A. Jones, Charlotte Malterre-Barthes, Didem Ekici, DOSU Studio Architecture, Dylan Wood, Elsa MH Mäki, Gramazio Kohler Research, HANNAH, Hilary Huckins-Weidner, Jennifer Johung, Joar Nango, Katariina Träskelin, Lola Ben-Alon, Mae-Ling Lokko, Maru Garcia, Omar Kahn, Post Rock, Rael San Fratello, Sara Inga Utsi Bongo, SOFTLAB, Soft Matters, Strat Coffman, Sutherlin Santo, Tag Christof, Ye Rin Mok, Yogiaman Tracy Design, Zara Pfeifer, and Zofia Trafas White.

Read an excerpt here.
Order the book here.

The publication’s launch was prsented in a series of lectures and events:

  • e-flux: The New York launch at e-flux on February 18, 2025, was gathering of architects, artists, and thinkers, framed by live readings and reflections from contributors such as Ivan Muneras, takk Architecture and Elsa Mäki.

  • MAS Context and UIC: On March 20, 2025, MAS Context and the UIC School of Architecture hosted a lecture by Gu and Chiu. The event offered an expansive dialogue on the research trajectories embedded in Material Acts, sparking critical engagement with the future of architectural materiality.

  • The Library is Open at Columbia University: The Library is Open is a lunchtime series featuring recently published works and their authors, curated by Bart-Jan Polman, Director of Exhibitions and Public Programming and Curator of the Arthur Ross Architecture Gallery at Columbia GSAPP. Hosted in a central location in Avery Hall, the LiO series honors GSAPP’s historical connection to Avery Library, the world’s largest Architecture library.