Material Anxieties: The Perceived Health of Materials in Medical Products (360G-Wellcome-200354_Z_15_Z)

£200,556

This project will study the dynamic trajectories of materials like stainless steel, silicone rubber and PVC that make up clinical and direct-to-consumer healthcare products. I will follow materials as they move from manufacturing to the marketplace and beyond, exploring their perceived risks and rewards, and examining how the choices of materials scientists and designers influence users’ experiences of health and wellbeing. The project’s innovative tripartite method will afford a uniquely holistic understanding of human experiences of materials, combining ethnography, design research and psychophysics to allow for a simultaneous focus on the physical, sensory, aesthetic and cultural affordances of materials. My key goals are to firmly establish this new interdisciplinary approach, thereby providing a bridge between the laboratory, design studio, care environment and society, with the potential to influence design practice, research directions in materials science and practices and experiences of healthcare. In bringing together materials producers, designers, clinicians and users this project encourages dialogue and enables translation between isolated disciplinary and professional communities. It therefore takes crucial first steps towards the identification and development of materials that accord with clinical and societal needs.

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Grant Details

Amount Awarded 200556
Applicant Surname Wilkes
Approval Committee Medical Humanities Interview Committee
Award Date 2016-01-11T00:00:00+00:00
Financial Year 2015/16
Grant Programme: Title Research Fellowship in H&SS
Internal ID 200354/Z/15/Z
Lead Applicant Dr Sarah Wilkes
Partnership Value 200556
Planned Dates: End Date 2020-01-31T00:00:00+00:00
Planned Dates: Start Date 2016-09-01T00:00:00+00:00
Recipient Org: Country United Kingdom
Region Greater London
Sponsor(s) Prof Susanne Kuechler