photography ©brancolina
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Inner yard views of the Oval Offices building in Cologne, designed by Sauerbruch&Hutton architects. The second photo from this set is published in the U.K.’s Building Mag nr.13 from 1st April 2011.
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“There are many ways that architecture can stimulate us. We can be enthralled by theoretical concepts that intend to revolutionize how we interact with our buildings. We can be overcome by the metaphors underlying a project’s design. And, at times, we are able to separate ourselves from these more cerebral desires and draw intrigue based solely on our reactions to space and form. Personally, I’m interested in this last type. Reactions are what tie us back to our purely human instincts, to the universal senses which connect us all. Responding to space and material in an almost reptilian way, we absorb our surroundings from the beginning of our existence, internalizing our sensibility. Our past experiences shape our perception and, in turn, each new experience reshapes the next. Hence, it is that which makes us most human that ties us so intimately to architecture. Perhaps that’s what I’m most interested in – what makes us human.
Our perception defines our reality, and within our perceptions of space we’ve developed this idea of atmosphere. Though even the word itself seems mysterious and ephemeral, I believe it exists as much as anything else exists. Atmosphere is something felt, not thought, something taken in through emotional sensibility. It’s not always something we can define through words alone; rather it’s something that must be absorbed through the experience of the human body existing within it. Undoubtedly, this kind of perceptive ability has come through evolution – the ability to quickly interpret our surroundings and determine if it is hospitable or hazardous. In this way, our body is an instrument for measuring a specific architectural quality that no other device can determine.
What is atmosphere in this sense though? If I were to put it into words, I would say it’s the impression created by nothing more than our immediate, personal mental reaction to a specific space. To paraphrase Peter Zumthor it’s when the physical presence of architecture manages to move us.”
Introduction from Shawn Swisher’s text ‘What makes us human – Reactions to the Shelters for Roman Archaeological Site‘, read more
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Two of my photos from the series Geometric poetry are published in the Spanish magazine
DOZE #5, VISIONÄR issue
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Established in 2003, United Visual Artists are an art and design practice based in London, they produce works at the intersection of sculpture, architecture, live performance, moving image and digital installation. UVA’s team members come from many disciplines including fine art, architecture, communication design, moving image, computer science and engineering. The cross-pollination of diverse skills inspires new fields of exploration, which is core to their ethos.
As part of New York Fashion Week 2010, United Visual Artists created a light installation for the Y-3 fall 2010 fashion show. A clean, sharp performance was designed for Adidas and Yohji Yamamoto’s innovative Y-3 brand. Starting with a white monolith of light, a void was created out of which the models emerged. White lasers were then used to define the catwalk area, building an illusion of architectural forms that shifted in shape and composition over the course of the show.
More info: unitedvisualartists.co.uk
Audio visual installation produced in collaboration with Ron Arad associates and commissioned by fashion company Notify for the Pitti Uomo 77 mens fashion fair in Florence in 2010. The project explores the various manufacturing processes involved in the production of Notify jeans and shoes, turning these hand made and mechanical processes into an abstract piece of futurist art. The final installation used a 30m long wall of 6mm pitch LED covered with a thin membrate of plastic with an additional set of video projection over the top.
Camera & Direction: Chris Allen, Jude Greenaway & Barney Steel
Editing: Jude Greenaway & Jolyon Greenaway
Motion: Jolyon Greenaway
Music: digitalaudiodesign.co.uk
Production: Alice Ceresole & Miranda Davis
Inspired by the experience of walking through the dappled light of a forest, Canopy is a 90m long light sculpture spanning the front façade of the building, using mass production and precise fabrication to evoke and reflect the nature. Thousands of identical modules, their form abstracted from the geometry of leaves, are organized in a non-repeating growth pattern.
During the day, apertures in the modules filter natural light to the street below. After dusk, particles of artificial light are born, navigate through the grid and die, their survival determined by regions of energy sweeping across the structure. The result simultaneously recalls the activity of cells within a leaf, leaves in a forest canopy, or a city seen from the air.
Materials: powder coated steel, anodised aluminium, injection moulded polycarbonate, LED, Code
Dimensions: 90 x 3m
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Connection is a responsive light installation. The work consists of an array of vertical luminaires integrated into a pedestrian bridge, used to create oscillations of colour and geometry based on human movement. This transforms the rigid structure of the bridge into a fluid entity that transmits the rhythm of the crowd to its surroundings.
Materials: Aluminium Extrusions, LED, Lensing, Custom Electronics, Code
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The city district Amsterdam Osdorp recently merged with Slotervaart and Geuzenveld-Slotermeer and was given the name Amsterdam Nieuw-West. This change also meant the end of 20 years of restructuring urbanized areas. To celebrate everything achieved, a book was published. The Metamorphosis of Osdorp gives an overview of the architectural highlights. PlusOne was asked to create an intriguing video. This short slick entertaining animation combines live-action with digital media, illustrating the architectural highlights of the restructured urbanized areas of Slotervaart and Geuzenveld-Slotermeer.
Urban photography from frederic-JG
