World-Class Workshop on Innovative Design Materials Set for Jan. 26-27 at UC

After World War II, the non-stick material known as Teflon was the futuristic material, appropriate for everything from space craft to cookware.

Materials that are expected to reshape our own futures will be explored in a two-day conference for designers, artists, architects and others at the University of Cincinnati Jan. 26-27.

The

MTRL 2020: Envisioning Innovative Materials Applications

event will include presentations by four design leaders, breakout sessions, a panel discussion and a gallery exhibit of hundreds of innovative materials. Visitors to the gallery and to the conference will be encouraged to try out some of these innovative materials and will have the chance to

• Spray water onto a super hydrophobic coating (a super water-repellant coating). The coating is far more than water resistant, more like water repellant, such that water jumps away from any surface (e.g. shoes) coated with it.

•  Look through a 12-inch diameter flat lens made of clear, polymer plastic. Even though it is flat rather than convex, the thin lens actually performs the same function as a thick, convex magnifying glass.

•  Examine eco-friendly packaging materials made of naturally growing plants that would normally be considered weeds, e.g., sorghum.  

•  Check out a small concrete block that lets light shine through thanks to glass that is incorporated into the concrete in a very specific pattern.

The exhibit of these materials in the UC College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning's Philip M. Meyers, Jr. Memorial Gallery runs Jan. 17-27, and both the exhibit and the Jan. 26-27 conference are free and open to the public. (However,

registration

for conference events is requested. Registration to visit the gallery is not required.)

Peter Chamberlain, assistant professor of design and one of the organizers of the event, said, “For creative people in the 21st century, understanding emerging and innovative new materials is a core necessity. The goal was to look almost 10 years out to see what will be the commonly accepted materials of that time, and ask ourselves how we might  begin designing and teaching with them now.”

He added, “And since Cincinnati and the region are well known for design, engineering and marketing leadership, we opened the event up to the community because of the potential widespread appeal of the conference.”

Along with Chamberlain, others helping to plan “MTRL 2020” are Brian Davies, associate professor in UC’s School of Architecture and Interior Design (SAID), and Jacqueline Burris, assistant professor of fashion design.

•  Go online for a full schedule of events, information about speakers and more. All events will be held in DAAP, and directions are available online.

•  REGISTER for the Jan. 26-27 conference event. Again, the conference is free and open to the public but registration is requested.

• For more information, e-mail Peter Chamberlain at peter.chamberlain@uc.edu