Conversing with Matter
Summary
101
New Materialisms
Winter 2021
By emphasizing the expressiveness of matter, its dynamism and its agentivity, neo-materialist theories distinguish themselves from classical materialist philosophy, which tends to perceive matter as being essentially passive and inert. This feature reflects on the reconfiguration of matter in the light of social, political, artistic and scientific practices that are no longer confined to the human spectrum, but concern the whole of "life," including the "non-living."
Editorial
Feature
The Ethics of Material Visibility
Monstrous Matter
A Many-Handed Practice
Cannibal Actif: The Artist Book as Threshold for Material Encounters
Material Expressivity in Active Materials
Beyond the Image: When the Materiality of the Photograph Eclipses Representation
Zero Sum: Kristiina Lahde’s Systems of Objects
Sinks and Spills: The Containment and Entanglements of Matter-Bodies in Frédéric-Back Park
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Current Issue
Tourism
Spring Summer 2024
Because it is essential for it to be open to the world, art is particularly affected by concerns related to planetary travel. From a position at the intersection of contemporary art, leisure, ecology, and destination culture, Esse no. 111 observes artists’ and critical thinkers’ strategies for revisiting the very notion of tourism. Although the harmful impacts of the tourism industry are beyond question, the thematic section avoids falling prey to tourismphobia and simply pointing out its failures. Rather, this issue offers a guided tour of situations and places where art and tourism converge.