At the time when material science and digital fabrication expands our formal possibilities to previously unseen levels and AI development hints at upcoming disruption of the design processes, it is essential to step aside and critically evaluate the meaning and the potential of the digital at a time of environmental crisis. Studio Architecture III UMPRUM exhibition presents students’ projects focused on revising three sides of digital architecture: design, materiality and fabrication.
The projects of Martin Kavalec and Hugo Fekar under the common name My Bespoke AI explore the possibilities of popular prompt-to-image AI such as stable diffusion by creating personalized and personal neural networks trained on their previous projects and experiences. The result reflects their work and at the same time reveals its position in the context of shared popular common narratives, stereotypes and biases.
The installation Mycelium Landscapes by Jakub Míča, Antonia Stretavská, Kateřína Suchanková and Viktoria Žigmundová suggests that a living materiality of mycelium can challenge our existing understanding of what is “digital material” and at the same time use the precision and flexibility of digital fabrication to the utmost.
The furniture pieces Robinson Chairs by Ashton Bird, Maya Diab, Hugo Fekar, Lyza Melnyk, Jan Novák, Petra Sochůrková, David Stingl and Elin Werme explore fabrication processes and materialities which reflect scarcity of resources as the primal input for any architectural task.
The principle of the Academy
The fundamental principle of the Academy is the individual approach to each student. The aim is to support talent and develop creative skills while emphasizing original independent thinking about society and nurturing a collective responsibility for our environment. Roughly 500 students across 24 studios are currently enrolled at the Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague. Every year, the Academy organizes more than 15 exhibition events, half of which take place abroad. According to the QS World University Rankings, UMPRUM is the only school from a post-communist country ranked among the most prestigious art schools in Europe.
Credits
Curators and project leaders: Imro Vaško, Shota Tsikoliya; Authors: Ashton Bird, Maya Diab, Hugo Fekar, Martin Kavalec, Jakub Míča, Jan Novák, Petra Sochůrková, David Stingl, Antonia Stretavská, Kateřína Suchanková, Diana Suleimanová, Viktoria Žigmundová; Photographs: Tomáš Zumr, Jiří Královec
