A talk by Mark Miodownik (Professor of Materials and Society, University College London) curated by The Serving Library in partnership with LJMU’s Exhibition Research Lab for Liverpool Biennial 2018

As a result of our greater understanding of matter, the distinction between animate and inanimate is now becoming blurred, ushering in a new materials age. Bionic people with synthetic organs, bones and even brains are becoming a reality. Just as we are becoming more synthetic, so our man-made environment is changing to become more lifelike: buildings, objects and materials that heal themselves are being developed. This talk will review the science behind these new animate material technologies and considers whether a particular goal, that of creating self-repairing cities, is achievable.

Mark Miodownik (b.1969) is a materials engineer and Professor of Materials and Society at University College London, where he directs the Institute of Making. His current research interests are animate materials, innovative manufacturing and sensoaesthetic materials. He has written for The Observer, The Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian, and is a regular presenter of science and engineering TV programmes on BBC. His New York Times bestselling book Stuff Matters: The Strange Stories of the Marvellous Materials that Shape Our Man-made World won the 2014 Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books.

Join us from 6pm for drinks and conversation ahead of a prompt 6.30pm start.

This event is part of the public programme for Liverpool Biennial 2018, which includes a series of talks by leading thinkers and artists in response to the question Beautiful world, where are you?