SAMPLER2
​Digital Materials
SAMPLER2 is a research project, which I participated in summer 2020. It began in 2019 as a research project using machine knitting and material exploration as jumping-off point to design questions around surface, materiality, labor, automation ad high-vs-low-tech. SAMPLER 2 will explore digital materials.
​Research Goal
What is a digital material (versus a digital object or asset)? What are “material properties” of digital surfaces and substrates that go beyond physical simulation? What is “material value” in the digital world?
Three attributes
I see digital materials as an interactive interface. Like physical materials, they are capable of conveying information, providing feedback, functionality or visual artistry.
I explore three properties of digital materials. Dynamic; Cross 2D/3D; Attention materials.
Dynamic Materials
The materials of the digital world are controlled by programs, and the codes are their molecular structures. Digital materials may not obey the physical laws of reality. They are able to show different light and shadows, reflections. Able to float in mid-air, able to float in the background.
Cross 2D/3D Materials
One of the interesting things about digital material is that it can be free from the constraints of spatial form. In a virtual environment, it can be 2D or 3D. It is capable of creating many visual dislocations.
Attention Materials
Are digital materials just unnatural patterns, special colors or different shades of light? Digital materials are interactive, and they include basic feedback, sensing behavior. Such as following, disappearing, isolating, etc. I call it attention materials.
