LECTORAAT CHANGE MANAGEMENT – De Haagse Hogeschool

I recently had the pleasure to co-author and publish a new article titled ‘Negative Plasticity’ (2025) together with visual artist Mercedes Azpilicueta in Interdisciplinary Science Reviews.

Mixing art, philosophy and education, the article challenges the idea (and myth) of a ‘core identity’ that remains stable, by problematizing and (de)constructing it through concepts such as rupture and void.

In this collaborative exploration, we speculate upon “negative plasticity” as a concept that flips traditional ideas of adaptability and resilience by valuing interruption, disobedience, and rupture as generative forces. Drawing from art-making and interdisciplinary collaboration, we explore how spaces of uncertainty, unstructured play, and bodily engagement can undo habitual, functionalist approaches to work, creativity, and knowledge production.

We argue that negative plasticity is both a practice and a mode of attention: it involves deconstructing established forms, routines, and disciplinary hierarchies, allowing new, unexpected possibilities to emerge. Through acts of refusal, slowing down, and hands-on craft, one can resist the pressures of hyper-efficiency, technology, and integration, creating fertile ground for destructive growth and regenerative potential.

Ultimately, negative plasticity is a way of inhabiting uncertainty, recognizing that rupture, failure, and disobedience are intrinsic to creativity, interdisciplinarity, and knowledge creation. Like a “summer break” in the midst of structured time, it offers a pause for exploration, surprise, and playful experimentation.

To read the full article (restricted access):

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/03080188251384745

For open access see here pre-publication version:

https://www.academia.edu/145239521/Negative_Plasticity_Pre_publication_version_