STONEPOWDERPASTE

Every design process is a chain of transformations: an experience becomes movement, movement becomes a line, the line becomes wire, and the wire becomes a plaster form. But what happens in the spaces in between? What do we miss when we don’t design with all five of our senses? This semester, we will embark on a sensory exploration of three-dimensional design, inspired by Michel Serres’ *The Five Senses*. Serres argues that the Western tradition of thought has neglected the senses of touch, smell, taste, and hearing in favor of sight—yet it is precisely these “lower” senses that allow us to experience the world as a resistant, vibrant, living reality.

The central material for this semester is plaster. It is a mineral raw material that is dehydrated through firing and further processed into powder. When wet, it has a distinct smell; it feels cool and heavy; it generates heat as it sets; and when dry, it is porous. Plaster is a material of consolidation: powder and water combine to form a malleable paste in which every gesture is imprinted and preserved.

TISS