Matter is the basis of all language. From materials and objects, we have extracted and put into words what we consider to be their very being. In so doing, we have created a parallel world with everything that exists inside our heads. Every outward change in the material world elicits a reaction inside our heads, and these changes can be as subtle as the difference between an affectionate smile and a condescending one. In this way, the material world is linked to our thoughts and emotions. It's these emotions that drive us to act and change matter, to make objects to suit our purposes, and this gives us more power over nature and others.
Changing matter has become a human specificity, and we have created gigantic systems whose sole function is to use up as much matter as possible. These systems, which dominate everything around us and sometimes seem to be our sole reason for existing, have transformed the world materially and thus shaped us ourselves. Economy and functionalism are the two basic rules that these systems impose on form and meaning. The rationality of industrial systems produces a world of simplified, impoverished forms. Art, and sculpture in particular, are among the few forms of human production that are not utilitarian and can therefore develop new forms, which in turn give rise to new language, thought and even orientation.