On Wednesday, the 27th of October at 11:00 CET the second Research Colloquium of this semester will take place in a hybrid format. Prof. Javier Martin from Berlin International University of Applied Sciences will be presenting his research project. The title of his talk is „Surface Ornamentation and Spatial Distortion“. Following the presentation, we will open the floor for questions and discussion.
If you are interested in this topic, don't miss out on the chance of meeting Prof. Javier Martin and learning from his experience.
Students of Architecture, Graphic Design & Visual Communication, Digital Business and Business Administration are more than welcome to join for some meaningful interdisciplinary learning. Get inspired, learn new perspectives!
The Research Colloquium is open to everyone and will be conducted hybrid in Room 137 (Studio 4). Click here to join the lecture on Wednesday virtually.
A deep examination of the cosmetic aspects of surface ornamentation in architecture, in a sort of analogy to make-up and its attributes, shows that many surface-related ornamental techniques have tried to not only enhance the qualities of a given space but rather to present other qualities that are not physically real, distorting the viewer’s perception.
Different types of perspectival techniques that are capable of distorting the perception of space have been developed and used since ancient times, throwing into question the limits of space and architecture and our understanding thereof. However, until now, there has been no clear classification or designation of these techniques. Therefore, this research focuses on the identification and classification of three different ornamental techniques applied to surfaces that can distort the perception of space and looks to the work of various contemporary artists to exemplify the proposed taxonomy.
Javier Martín was born in Valencia, Spain. He studied architecture (UP Valencia, 2009) and holds a Master in Design Studies in the field of architectural technology from Harvard University Graduate School of Design (Cambridge MA, USA, 2014), where he also was a teaching assistant and a research assistant at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Materials. After working for Zvi Hecker in Berlin, he developed his own professional practice individually and in collaboration with different colleagues. His work has been internationally awarded, published, and exhibited extensively – including at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. As an academic and educator, Prof. Martín has taught in different universities in Spain, the U.S., and Chile. His research interests revolve around materiality, technology, and assembly processes. Prof. Martín has been the Head of the BA Interior Architecture/Interior Design program since 2016 and teaches courses related to construction and materials and also design projects – both in the BA Interior Architecture/Interior Design and MA Interior Architecture/Interior Design and in the BA Architecture programs.
