The University of Wisconsin Ruth Davis Design Gallery is hosting the Material Intelligence exhibition, which will operate until March 9, 2025. the exhibition celebrates the “human capacity to understand and shape the physical world around us.”

The Material Intelligence exhibition is inspired by the Chipstone Foundation’s Material Intelligence magazine, which explores different materials and how they are used to create. The exhibit offers two main substances that visitors are able to experiment with, linen and glass. 

Specifically, numerous displays highlight fiber artist and sculpture Ann Coddington’s work. UW graduate student Svea Larson spoke on Coddington’s “Threads” pieces, which demonstrate much broader pictures than visitors may think from the first look.

Coddington’s project “Requiem“ stands as a commanding centerpiece of the exhibition, as it reaches seven feet. 

“Requiem is an attempt to make visible the first 200,000 lives lost in the United States to the [COVID-19] pandemic… Coddington uses linen to materialize the impossible calculation that goes into measuring loss,” Larson said. 

Each individual stitch of the piece represented a life lost due to the pandemic, Larson explained. 

“The weight of the entire sculpture matches that of a single person, which displays a powerful metaphor for the scale of loss,” Larson said.

The exhibition also featured Coddington’s Albatross Series, which includes 10 different sculptures. Coddington’s pieces were inspired by environmental photographer, Christoper Jordan, who studied the species and their decomposition methods. 

In addition to linen and fiber sculptures, the Material Intelligence exhibition displayed numerous different glass pieces. Visitors can learn about glassmaking and glazing techniques through the wide variety of designs.

Many of the glass installations come from the UW departments of chemistry and physics, along with the Zoological Museum. Visitors can also learn about the various research projects and progress UW glassblowers have made throughout the years.

The Material Intelligence Exhibition not only showcases the wide variety and significance of different materials, but also encourages visitors to think more open-minded about materials in shaping their understanding of the world. 

The exhibition continues to be open at Nancy Nicholas Hall, from Monday through Friday until March 9, 2025.