In the case of copper. A material performance to encounter copper’s power in an anthropocentric world

Abstract

Current world views have framed non-living matter as passive and inert, in contrast to living beings – especially humans – who are seen as active agents shaping the material world. The Master's thesis "In the Case of Copper" challenges this anthropocentric paradigm by returning agency to non-living matter. Through a scenographic material performance, copper – the chemical element and metal – is staged as the main performer. The work unfolds across several experiential stations that reveal copper’s “superpowers,” tracing its journey from stellar nucleosynthesis to earthly materialization. As copper encounters other entities such as atmosphere, humans, and electricity, it undergoes a series of transformative states: from silent substance to aesthetic presence, historical artefact, and finally, a visibly and audibly active participant in electromagnetic systems. The performance invites audiences to attune themselves to the agency of matter, suggesting that copper does not simply support human action, but co-authors it. In doing so, the project reimagines materiality as vibrant, responsive, and entangled with cultural and ecological meaning.