Hylocene: An Exploratory Pathway Among the “Today’s Materials”

Lucibello Sabrina, and Carmen Rotondi

Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

Abstract: The paper presents Hylocene, the (physical and virtual) material library of the Sapienza University of Rome, based at the research infrastructure for innovation SAPeri&Co. This material library diverges from the others whose primary objective is to facilitate the access and exchange of information relating to the materials between producers and potential users and their dissemination and application in innovative products. Instead, Hylocene aims to leave space for more fluid research, which stimulates rather than informs and which specific target are designers and planners in general. Hylocene is, in fact, a material library that aims to encourage and inspire new synaesthesia of thought, activating new connections through the use of specific algorithms and a system of tags and clouds, capable of opening up to the complexity of the present in original and unique ways, with particular attention to the challenge of sustainability.

Key words: material library, sustainability, Anthropocene, experience