Materialized: Living Materials, Moving Spaces
Materialized: Living Materials, Moving Spaces is a public performance on April 23–24, 2027, in the College of Design and is supported by a FY 2026 Sustainability Challenge Grant awarded to an interdisciplinary team from the University of Kentucky’s College of Fine Arts and College of Design. Bringing together theatre, dance, architecture, and interior design, the project explores sustainability through immersive installation, creative practice, and performance while advancing the university’s commitment to innovation, collaboration, and creative excellence.
The performance will expand sustainable production and design practices through new technologies, including a sublimation dye fabric printer that allows students to experiment with textiles and environmentally responsible fabrication methods, as well as energy-efficient LED lighting equipment that reduces energy use while providing industry-standard training for future theatre professionals. These tools will be integrated directly into the creative process as UK Design, Theatre, and Dance students collaborate to create a site-specific performance that combines large-scale fabric installations, choreography, and theatrical design. Dancers will move in and around the sculptural fabric environments, while lighting becomes an additional artistic layer, transforming the space and enhancing the relationship between movement, material, and design.
