#01 Valency : Participants : Adam Blaney

This project explores the use of ferrofluid – a liquid material that responds to magnetic fields – as a basis for future state-changing materials and objects. The project aims to fundamentally re-think how materials might be interacted with, both during the fabrication and assembly process, but also with end-users when applied to products.

We hope to demonstrate that materials can be grown or ‘guided’ using the concept of “tuneable environments” and imbued with adaptive capacities that are universally present with biological structures such as the ability to heal, adapt in real-time to stimulus, and even evolve as part of augmented ecologies and physical environments.

This video demonstrates our first steps to control ferrofluid patterns via digital actuators. We will be posting more video updates soon so keep an eye out to follow our progress!

    On the Vimeo platform (3 mins)

I am a researcher and a designer with a background in architecture. I joined Imagination Lancaster in January 2020. My research interest mainly focuses on rethinking and developing digital design and fabrication processes, through prototyping, that creates responsive, adaptive and self-healing objects, products and architectural structures.

My ongoing work combines design, computation, hardware and chemistry to create radically new material abilities that explores the potentials of reprogrammable matter. Additionally, I am interested in documenting practice-based research in new and fun ways to enable a wider array of outputs. My work has been presented and published in a range of international conferences and journals.

Website: Lancaster AC / Adam Blaney