Being In-Between: Material Intelligence on the Nanoscale

“Interfaces” are not abstract, two-dimensional surfaces. Instead, they are material regions where bodies construct complex networks of relations. Although we often think of bodies (artificial or natural, human or non-human) as endowed with “essences” or inherent qualities, Laura Tripaldi argues that – ontologically, cognitively and politically – the agency of bodies is a property of interfaces they themselves construct within wider material systems across different scales. In this context, the Italian writer and independent researcher has highlighted the capability of nanotechnology to extend and transform the interface, producing non-living material systems with increasing degrees of intelligence and agency. These material systems defy conventional notions of intelligence: they show the ability to adapt to their environment, detect different stimuli and solve complex problems. One of the everyday technologies that exploit the “intelligence of nanomaterials” to open a technological interface between the interiority of the biological body and the political dimension of the gendered body is also the modern pregnancy test. For this reason, the author explores the historical and scientific aspects of the pregnancy test as a concrete example of the significance of interfaces in the contemporary debate around non-human agency.

All photos: Miha Fras / Aksioma