Traces of Cobalt
An exploration into areas between theorie and practice — stories of a material in flux
Description
Cobalt is found in magnets, batteries, semiconductor chips, radiators, manganese nodules, living organisms and much more. And it can turn ceramics and glass blue. The Traces of Cobalt project goes in search of this coveted material, tracking it down in the environment, products, processes and systems. Cobalt is seen as an ever-changing material that is integrated into various networks. The tension between design, research and storytelling is reflected in the applied methods between theory and practice. Cobalt becomes the protagonist of its own stories – told on ceramics. They are about micro-organisms in constant metamorphosis with batteries, about slowly growing manganese nodules and rapidly expanding open-cast mines. They tell of winding paths along which the material is constantly changing, and of gestures of taking and accumulating – otherwise invisible connections become visible.