Matter Matters

Designing with the World

Karen Barad, Ethel Baraona, Andreu Balius , Jane Bennett

$79.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English

Actar Publishers
10 November 2025

Industrial: Commercial Art & Design; Architecture; Architectural structure & design

Matter Matters reflects on the current environmental and social crises through the lens of materiality, positioning matter as the focal point to address the political ecology of objects in a society striving for carbon neutrality by 2050.

The publication is based on the homonymous exhibition at the Museo del Disseny-Dhub, featuring over 500 pieces, including more than a hundred contemporary designs in dialogue with the museum's historical collection.

Matter Matters is structured into eight chapters according to materials: Petrochemical, Plant-based, Animal, Microbiological, Mineral, Digital, Intangible, and Affection-Fiction. Each chapter includes articles by international and local authors, as well as micro-narratives that visually showcase the pieces from the exhibition in various juxtapositions.

By: Karen Barad, Ethel Baraona, Andreu Balius, Jane Bennett, Francesca Bria
Imprint: Actar Publishers
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 170mm, Width: 256mm,
ISBN: 9781638401759
ISBN 10: 1638401756
Pages: 396
Publication Date: 10 November 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Olga Subiros is an architect and curator of exhibition projects that provide an integrative approach to twenty-first century culture and the far-reaching transformations of the digital era and systemic crisis. Olga Subiros is a current lecturer on Data and Design Master at Elisava, Barcelona School of Design and Engineering, Master of Design and Production of Spaces CCCB-UPC and a PhD candidate in Architecture and Design at RMIT.

Reviews for Matter Matters: Designing with the World

Addresses urgent global challenges like resource scarcity, carbon neutrality, and decolonization. Timely response to 2050 carbon-neutral goals, offering actionable insights for a sustainable future. Offers a new perspective on extractivist principles, crucial for both academic and professional debates in design and sustainability. Richly illustrated with over 500 images, including photographs of historical and contemporary objects. Texts by leading thinkers across various fields.