Glaswelten
Materielle Kultur zwischen Zeigen und Verbergen
[Glass Worlds. Material Culture between Showing and Hiding]

Glass is a paradoxical material. On the one hand, it exemplifies the creation of visibility. Eyeglasses, windows, mirrors, magnifying glasses, and screens are part of our everyday and professional worlds. They provide views, magnify objects, protect valuables, and display knowledge. In doing so, glasses become invisible at the very moment they make things visible, thus promoting theories of perception that regard human vision as a natural ability. However, glass’s characteristics can also be associated with concealment, separation, or deception. Glass can become dirty, reflect its surroundings, dazzle the viewer, discolor what is seen through it, and break. In such situations, glass is noticeable as an artificial material and can be understood as a medium of knowledge production. In addition, glass has been freeing itself from its visual appropriation for some time now to begin a new role as a tactile, swipeable interaction surface. For smartphones, tablets, and boards, the “other” advantages and disadvantages of glass come to the fore, such as weight, temperature sensitivity, and scratch resistance. Lastly, glass has repeatedly appeared in socio-political contexts throughout history and in the present day, such as in the packaging industry (glass bottles), surveillance and control (camera optics), urban spaces (shop windows, lighting), and private settings (aquariums, display cases, jewelry). This volume explores such perspectives and attempts to expand upon them within the context of contemporary cultural and media studies, as well as the histories of art, architecture, and science. Accordingly, the contributions in this volume are also intended as revisions of our cultures of objects. (publisher’s blurb)