Prosthetic

The work being exhibited is from ‘Phase 01’ of the semester, in which we asked the students to examine the human body (their assigned partner) as a ‘building site.’ In this phase we examined the following:

1.     Survey processes (scanning the body)

2.     The agency of digital fabrication methods (the influence of fabrication on articulation)

This ‘Bootcamp’ (this is what we typically call our first semester phase) was meant to both teach students methods in digital thinking while setting a precedence in subject and process for the rest of the semester.

The title of the semester assignment is ‘Domestic Prosthetics.’

The students are designing ‘caretaker’ residences for one of two building ruins:

1.     The Jarlshof prehistoric and norse ruin in the Shetland Islands, Scotland

2.     The Hald Ruin site in Viborg, Denmark

The prosthetics to be exhibited are one of many design influences (examined over the semester) meant to influence the students ability to design a 21st century prosthetic that houses an on-site caretaker.

Prosthetic / prɒsˈθɛtɪk/
Adjective

1. Denoting an artificial body part, such as a limb, a heart, or a breast implant.

2. Denoting a substance, item, or process used to transform a person’s appearance temporarily.

Noun

3. An artificial body part meant to compensate for an inefficiency or defect.

4. An appearance-altering substance or item applied to a person’s body.

Prosthetics provide countless analogs towards architectural exploration as they represent technological advancements at the intersection of analytical processes, material properties, and emergent machining systems – all to better a human condition. And while prosthetics are often defined as something meant to ‘compensate for an inefficiency,’ the actual definition is quite broad: Prosthetics can project and compensate for an emotional condition just as well as a physical condition – so long as the analysis of the body (the host) is a clear driver in the articulation of the apparatus.

Robert B. Trempe Jr

Dagmar Reinhardt

Claudia Carbone

And students from

Studio 2B

Dagligt bliver overskudsmaterialer sorteret fra, fordi de ikke passer ind i en standardiseret produktion. Men disse materialer er ofte af høj kvalitet og har både karakter og potentiale, der er værd at undersøge. Derfor har Arkitektskolen Aarhus i samarbejde med virksomhederne Kvadrat, Sørensen Læder, ZURFACE og Dinesen lanceret Bank of Materials, som lader materialerne få nyt liv.

D. 5. december kl. 15.00 åbner udstillingen Bank Of Materials X AARCH i ONSITE GALLERY, og her kan du opleve nogle foreløbige eksempler på brugen af overskuds- og restmaterialer.

’’Vores mission er at undersøge potentialet i de her overskudsmaterialer, som hver især indeholder deres egne unikke kvaliteter og historier. De ting der gør, at materialerne sorteres fra i den standardiserede produktion er de ting, vi ser muligheder i – det er skønheden i det uperfekte. Man kan se BOM som en form for materialeeksperimentarium, og en inkubator for at nye ideer og forbindelser kan opstå.’’, fortæller Lennart Ellegaard, Bankdirektør i Bank of Materials.

In this talk, Mark Vacher will introduce anthropological approaches to urban environments and architecture. How do anthropologists approach their field, what do they look for, and what constitutes an anthropological finding?

As a framework, Mark will draw on his collaboration with architects on designing housing areas and on his fieldwork experience from studying public space in European and Middle Eastern cities.

As a preparation for the lecture, you can read the article Building a Way to the City? Asking about Objects, Conditions, and Essence as a Methodology for Approaching the Urban in which Mark will present different approaches to the city as an object of study.