The scan of Mathias Steinls Maria Immaculata was successfully taken at the Liebieghaus. The raw scan data was later processed in the studio resulting in a clean mesh representation of the sculpture.

The aim for the analytical part of the workshop is to establish criteria which help you to evaluate, compare and discuss the variety of forms found on the 3d model. These criteria should be identified in 5 – 10 instances on the sculpture and evaluated in terms of the different articulations. 

One reference is by John Ruskin where he studies various abstract curves. His work on aesthetics is recently being revisited by Lars Spuybroek in “The Sympathy of Things”. The reading of Ruskin or Spuybroek is not required to start the exercise but meant as pointers in a larger context. A second reference is a set of geometric tools for curvature analysis where the reading of the forms curvature and derivatives could help to map intensities.

In collaboration with the sculpture collection at the Liebieghaus APD is investigating the formal richness as well as the craft expressed in some of the baroque sculptures of the collection. This is done with the ambition to gain an additional expertise in discussing form. It is meant as a hands on workshop staring with taking high resolution 3d scans of selected works. These scans form the base for geometric analysis and a taxonomy of features which will lead to digital manipulations correlated to the readings. The result of the workshop is a series of rapid prototype sculptures which transpose the baroque source into works of a new kind of craft.

In 2009 The National Gallery in London hosted the exhibition “The Sacred Made Real” which featured the hyper-realism found in both sculpture and paintings of Spanish art between 1600 – 1700. It clearly states how these pieces which could be seen as Madame Tussaud like make-believes were great works of art and always the result of a close collaboration between sculptors and painters.

Along the workshop Harald Theiss one of the conservators at the Liebieghaus is giving a lecture on the production of baroque sculptures.

BBC feature on The Sacred Made Real

Wall Mounted Paper Desk-top

Material

• Paper, up to 150 gr/sqm
• Glue, any – no tape or mechanical fixings other than the wall mounting itself

Task

Design and build a paper desktop that is wall mountable – no legs. It should be sized so it can hold a laptop and function as a small workplace. The result is a functional product, no prototype or design concept.

This is a hands-on exercise which aims at working with the material on a one to one relation comparable to sculpting. The design should be developed primarily through prototypes, rather then digital strategies.

Brainstorm ideas. Build prototypes to verify techniques and concepts. Test for structural integrity and ergonomics. Build the product. Always strive for design excellence with great attention to detail and articulation!

Make sure that among the group a range of techniques, strategies and concepts is explored. This could include: ultra light structures, lamination techniques, folding techniques, modular structures, and others.

Presentation

The presentation format is an edited video of maximum 2 min length. The video should explain  the concept phase, prototyping and functional product. Videos should be edited in HD 1080 (1920 x 1080) or if limited by the camera HD 720 (1280 x 720) and formatted as a mp4. Make also use of still images or paned still images. You can use text or voiceover in the edit.

Presentation  Friday October 26, 11:00

Recommended reading: The Third Table, Harman, Graham, Hatje Cantz Verlag 2012 – Video Lecture by Graham Harman