The New Materialist Manifesto

In praise of the makers

We are surrounded by stuff yet we know so little about it.

The past decades, our professions have changed.

Being a designer went from crafting useful wood and steel objects to moving pixels around on a screen.

Being a product developer went from testing different materials and building prototypes, to instructing programmers and scrumming apps.

90% of the new companies that are started by young people nowadays are software based. Drop the word SaaS, machine learning, IoT or VR and all grown-ups (especially those money-hungry) start drooling .

This is not a bad thing, necessarily. A lot of money is evolving in digital. Talented programmers are using computers to solve issues around disease and climate change. We too gratefully use the opportunities that the internet has given us.

But it is time to shed a light on those who build. Those who manufacture. Those who create.

It is time to teach young people again what the power of true creation is. There is a pride in crafting. There is a beauty in getting your hands dirty.

If you are feeling empty after a day of working with bits and bytes — you’re not the only one. If you’re feeling like your brain and eyes are making over hours and your hands and senses are going under used — you’re not the only one.

“Every skill you acquire doubles your odds of success.” -Scott Adams

Materialism

Materialist > a person who is markedly more concerned with material things than with spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values.

Madonna released the hit single ‘Material Girl’ in 1985. It was a response to the way economic welfare manifested itself the past decades. After the war period, millions of citizens worldwide were lifted from the lower to the middle class. Where first the majority of the income would be spent on basic necessities such as housing and food, now people had money and time to acquire things. Stuff.

Clothes. Jewels. Furniture. Cars. All were a means of defining who you are.

An anti sentiment grew. In this neverending growth of welfare — is it really stuff that defines us? Do we really need a house full of shiny stuff and a second car? Should it not be our experiences or our spirituality that define us?

Looking back, one of the biggest problems of this century arose as a direct result of mass consumption. The plastic in our ocean. Landfills.

No wonder materialism has a negative connotation to it.

We propose a new kind of materialism.

One that is based on the love for materials. That has attention for craftsmanship. That is conscious of the scarcity of resources.

So join us. Create. Prototype. Touch the textures of rock, wood, paper and fibre. Experiment. Visit a factory. Start a factory. Ask how stuff is made. Wonder who build the item you’re holding in your hands.