The Time of Materials: Rethinking the Anthropocene from Stones

The Anthropocene, defined as the age of man, identifies humanity as the most significant agent on the planet. Against this idea of linearity between human impact and the formation of an era, a non-linear reading of time will be proposed. The aim is to multiply the actants that determine geohistorical time. Biosemiotics shows that multiple non-human agencies collaborate in the formation of this epoch. However, non-human agency will be further expanded to include non-living entities and complex physical events. In order to validate an agency of non-living matter, we will develop two methods of interpretation: Gaia theory as an interpretation of the systemic collaboration between living and non-living entities in the modification of the planet; physiosemiotics as a tool for reading and interpreting the geological archive provided by the stones. The aim is to deconstruct human time and construct a “Time of Materials”.