Material Control: Reflections on the social and material practices of digital fabrication

Abstract

Digital fabrication and its impact on design has been a burgeoning area of research for over two decades, and it now appears to be transitioning into a phase beyond mere fascination with complex and seductive geometry. The technology continues to proliferate, new tools such as 3D printers emerge, new materials are developed and the scale of fabrication increases. In addition, robotics and computer numerical controlled routers are increasingly used for fabrication and assembly processes in a wide range of new domains. This paper has two objectives. The first is to situate digital fabrication within a historical narrative where design and technology are entangled in order to shed light on how design technologies are complicit in social practices. Second, through original research, I unpack design and digital fabrication processes, analyzing their materiality and the impact on knowledge practices. Evidence suggests that design and making professionals are adopting new organization and social practices. Ultimately, I argue that as design processes transition into the immateriality of the Cloud, materiality is more important than ever.

Keywords:

• Design
• fabrication
• materiality
• knowledge
• practices