“Whenever we build, we either contribute to or counteract dominant processes of change.”

—Material Cultures

Material Matter[s] is a hands-on, practical collective learning journey to fundamentally reimagine our relationship with materials and the systems that govern their production, distribution and end-of-life through a lens of material justice.

Hosted as a partnership between CIVIC SQUARE and Material Cultures, this learning journey is for people interested in learning the practical skills to embody and enact the regenerative material transition of our homes, streets and neighbourhoods to support a socially just and ecologically safe planet for all life.

Through Retrofit Reimagined 2023 we unpacked the bonds, flows and entanglements between land, material and people together with many people and partners across the UK, bringing into sharp focus the possibilities for addressing the inequalities of wider, interlinked systems together, of which our built environment sits at the heart.

This year, we are continuing to learn in the open together through the practical application of unearthing our material approach to the retrofit and construction of the Neighbourhood Public Square, demonstrating regenerative civic infrastructure in the heart of Ladywood, Birmingham to co-build and democratise access to the spaces, tools and resources for a distributed and regenerative transition, held in the common for the neighbourhood.

We are very excited to have partnered with Material Cultures to conduct research identifying and mapping regenerative, low-carbon natural resources, along with waste streams of productive sites, across our ecoregion to help directly inform our approach to material use in planning to co-build the Neighbourhood Public Square together.

The Material Matters learning journey is designed to open up this research and create a space for us to work out loud together. Running from May to September 2024, over four months we will learn together through dynamic exchanges with a range of peers from across the UK.

Guided by the knowledge and expertise of Material Cultures and associate practitioners, we will develop a working knowledge of biomaterials, ecoregional approaches to materials, as well as practical skills for their application across different scales and capacities. Our common goal will be to share knowledge, ideas and energy openly and generously in order to take action in our various contexts, whether that be through organising in your home, street, neighbourhood, workplace and more, with a focus on live and regular practice in your place.

<aside> <img src="/icons/calendar-month_gray.svg" alt="/icons/calendar-month_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Deadline for applicants: Wednesday 15th May 2024

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1. Organising For Material Justice
2. Practical Information
3. Is This Journey For Me?
4. How To Apply
5. Our Approach To Learning