Where materials science meets modern art!

The Materials Library (King’s College) presents ‘What Can The Matter Be?’ an audio tour of Tate Modern for those interested in the stuff of art. We have approached the art from a scientific perspective as well as a senso-aesthetic point of view by touching, tapping, and smelling it, to produce the Materials Library take on Tate Modern. In this pursuit we have been aided by illustrious guest speakers, such as mathematician Professor Marcus du Sautoy and chemist Dr Andrea Sella.

The tour consists of sixteen tracks, each of which considers either a piece of art from the permanent collection or a part of the building. For example, one track takes ‘Artist’s Shit’ by Piero Manzonni, and follows an analysis of the work by a materials scientist and a designer, to ask if we can tell whether there really is the artist’s shit is in the can or not. Another track investigates the hum audible in the turbine hall whilst another ponders the possibilities afforded by the 33 second journeys of the Tate Modern escalators.

Registration required:

No

Free:

Yes