Performative Ornament: Computational and Material Logics of Repetition and Difference
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Date
2019
Authors
Marcus, Adam
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
This paper describes a series of research seminars investigating the contemporary capacities of
architectural ornamentation in the context of computational design and digital fabrication technologies.
The pedagogy explores potential overlaps between ornamental systems and logics of performance-driven
design, challenging students to formulate a critical agenda vis-à-vis the relationship between the two.
How can material assemblies produce innovative, symbolic, or communicative visual effects while also
addressing specific performance criteria? What kinds of new aesthetic, figural, representational,
expressive, and spatial qualities can emerge from such a synthetic approach?
The material focus of this research is on processes of casting and forming—workflows that allow for the
production of difference within repetitive systems. Parallel to the material research, students develop
robust digital, parametric models that enable iteration and evaluation of the work both qualitatively and
quantitatively. Within this hybrid workflow, students develop wall systems of modular yet variable
components that respond to specific performance criteria, such as daylighting, visibility, or acoustics.
By cultivating a fluency across analog, digital, material, and virtual modes of working, the pedagogy
suggests one way to meld computational thinking with architectural design. The projects demonstrate an
understanding of how to correlate larger-scale performance criteria with design decisions at the scale of
the individual component. The emphasis on proof-of-concept prototyping insists that students grapple
with material realities of tolerance and assembly. And the positioning of the research within the historical
discourse on ornament encourages students to think strategically, intentionally, and critically about how
they integrate computational processes into their work.
Description
12 pages