The book aims to position the maternal as central to architectural discourse by presenting a historic narrative of how matter evolved in the history of the built environment.  Thus making an argument that matter shifted from being generative to (re)productive in the way that the female body became representative of its reproductive qualities. Through an interdisciplinary lens-art, science, and culture - the book identifies various moments in history when matter was active rather than passive. Travelling through the Neolithic times to pre- and post-Enlightenment periods, the text moves towards a critique of modern architecture and its biopolitical regimes. Ultimately reflecting on how architecture’s current (re)generative vocabulary can be inclusive of both material and maternal agency. 

Shonali Shetty is a lecturer, researcher, and designer. Her projects include Reproductive Wilderness, which explores themes of gestation, reproduction and motherhood. Featured in Metropolis M, Dezeen, Koozarch, and APRIA, her work is interdisciplinary and experimental, advancing queer and feminist material practices in art and design.