What happens when tomorrow becomes today

What matters to us most is what is going to happen tomorrow. But we never give a thought about today. Materiology, an ongoing art exhibition in Delhi showcases art installations by nine senior architects and designers and makes one contemplate mankind's irresponsible attitude. In the words of RED, an architectural collective, "Tech-driven materials embedded with intelligence may be the future, but what resonated with us was material that has been around, something we are all familiar with - concrete. We combined it with technology, 3D printing to convey a potent message relevant in current times of insecure world". The show intends to captivate the audience with a unique theme that narrates the changing ecological systems, shifting human behaviour, different adaptations of the built environment, and intervention of technologies such as Artificial intelligence and more.

The designers tell their stories through their selected materials, connecting the dots of the nuances of its applied nature and what it can predict in coming times. The use of well-chosen fibre, texture, grains, coarseness, malleability, tactility among other material succeed in narrating the theme quite well.

"Material has the potential to tell a story. Artists and designers, the crafters of the material, on the other hand use their skill and creativity to materialise this expression and to abstract it to allow infinite interpretations," says Amit Gupta, Curator of Materiology and founder of STIR.

The nine installations named Preamble-2 ways, OK Computer, Room of illusions, The Time Box, Augur, Armour of Weakness, Textile Waste, Tornado, and Phoenix each portray unique and out of the box concepts which bring the viewers into thinking the extent to which human's reckless attitude can cause harm.

Taking about one of the installation Designer Anjali Mody says, "Fashioned out of wood and mirror, the dual materials of the 'Time Box' represent the past and the future.  Wood, nature's bounty, embodies the earthy now. Mirror, impermanent and adaptive, signifies the endless possibilities of the future. As an organization, Josmo is conscious of giving back to the environment in our bid to replenish what we take. For this particular installation, for 64 sq ft of floor space, we pledge to plant 64 trees - a thought that will outlive 'The Time Box.'"

These installations thus take the viewers to a trance, a future where plastic is not a foe anymore. The exhibition also gives one a sneak peek into a time where plastic emerges from the polluted morass it finds itself in, like the prodigal son, to revive itself as a sustainable material with infinite possibilities which will form a positive part of our future.

"Materiology has given the designers freedom to design and a platform to show their creativity in a new and purposeful nature. After all who doesn't want to know what will happen #whentomorrowbecomestoday?" opines Pramiti Madhavji, Co-Curator of Materiology, in the end. The exhibition is on till Feb 25 at STIR Gallery, DLF Chattarpur Farms.