Ten Years of Inmaterial: A Decade of Critical Thought Driven by BAU Research

The journal Inmaterial. Diseño, Arte y Sociedad, an initiative of BAU Research, celebrates ten years of activity as a platform for research, reflection, and the dissemination of critical thought in the fields of arts, design, and contemporary society. Since its inception, the publication has established itself as a space for knowledge production that connects artistic practice, academic research, and critical thinking, with a strong experimental and transdisciplinary vocation.

To mark this tenth anniversary, Inmaterial presents issue 20 (volume 10), Designing with the World: Towards a New Relationship with Matter, a special issue developed within BAU Research and conceptually linked to the exhibition Matter Matters at the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona (DHub). The presentation will take place on January 20 at 6:00 pm at the Espai Mirador at the DHub, with free admission and no prior registration required. The event is part of Matèria Compartida, the programme of parallel activities accompanying the exhibition Matter Matters. Designing with the World.

This special volume proposes rethinking the relationship between design and matter from a critical, ecological, and relational perspective, positioning matter as an active agent in creative, social, and cultural processes. The issue has been edited by Mariona Moncunill, artist, researcher, and lecturer at BAU; Jorge Luis Marzo, art historian, researcher, and lecturer at the institution; and Olga Subirós, curator of the exhibition Matter Matters, reflecting the ongoing dialogue between academic research, curatorial practice, and contemporary thought that defines BAU Research.

The event will also feature members of the journal’s team, including Lluc Rodríguez Cucurella, graphic designer, and Sergi B Garcia, documentalist, who have helped shape Inmaterial’s visual and editorial identity over the past decade. During the presentation, two of the articles included in the volume will be introduced: Camilo Ayala-Garcia (Free University of Bozen-Bolzano) will present Jurui, Cashew Beyond Nut and Shell: Weaving Material Relations Across People, Place, and Culture, while Nerea Arrojería (University of Barcelona) will discuss Material Image. Agency and Constitutive Relationality.

The session will conclude with an open discussion, reinforcing Inmaterial’s commitment —and that of BAU Research as the driving force behind the project— to the generation of critical thought and collective dialogue.