Introduction

Models and modeling are polysemous terms that take on distinct but related meanings in the sciences, humanities, arts, and everyday language. Models can be material entities or mathematical constructs, they can be living organisms or makeshift frames for found objects, they can be of a system or for a project. This workshop will focus on how the meaning of models changes as it travels between different domains, and on how a given model is constructed and broken depending on how tightly it is bound to its reference. Opposing the idea that models are mere representations, contributions will inquire into their generative properties: to make a model involves abstractions and idealizations that can have very real effects in its target system. Likewise, to break a model often leads to novel theoretical insights, revealing hidden presuppositions and opening up the possibility of making, and breaking, again.

Since the inception of the project in Fall of 2022, several foci have emerged in the collective research into model theories and modeling practices. These include the formal or relational qualities of models, their temporal dimensions, the incommensurability between a model and its object, and models’ world-building potential. This workshop aims to bring together and extend these perspectives in a broader, interdisciplinary dialogue.