A Museum of Architecture: Challenging Representation(s) (P086), as part of the 4th RAI Conference: Art, Materiality and Representation hosted by the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) at the British Museum, Clore Centre and SOAS in London, 1st-3rd June 2018.

Description

This presentation was peer reviewed through a competitive process, in response to the call for the panel 'A Museum of architecture: Challenging Representation(s) as part of the 4th RAI Conference hosted by the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) at the British Museum, in London, 1st-3rd June 2018.

A verbal presentation accompanied the physical artefacts, created as an interactive exhibit of material portraits, to articulate research thoughts and process.

SHORT ABSTRACT
An interactive display of material understanding, made manifest, through a collection of individually constructed material portraits, which represent distinct yet interwoven voices: material as metaphor - material as action, to be layered over a host – seen as a marked canvas.

ABSTRACT
This research attempts to define a dialogue around the material landscape of Interior Design, questioning the process and understanding of material specification, representation and use.

As a creator of our built environment our selection process relies on an innate understanding of the products and materials we choose, alongside an intuitive response to the fabric of existing buildings.

This exhibit will represent the complex layering of materials within Interior construction; articulating definitions conceived to demonstrate our material understanding and use. How we use materials is in part, based on how we perceive them, and the choices we make are based on not only the physical properties and capabilities, but also their symbolic meanings and social dimensions.

Each set of linguistic samples acts as a portrait of a given material to analyse and critique the obvious, perceived, and coincidental properties of each individual (construction) material.

These samples are positioned upon a base layer. Our ‘marked canvas’ as the host, itself, a multi-layered material reality, can be a representation of an existing place or space

A set of new materials, are ‘installed’ onto the canvas. Split into two groups – Material as Action / Material as Metaphor, each chosen material is represented by two sets of eight samples. The first set describes aspects of the physical properties, and pragmatic considerations such as aesthetics, costs, construction, and durability.

The second metaphorical set, articulates our perception and beliefs, speaking of folklore, history, origin, harvest, life and afterlife.

Together they construct a visual analysis of material understanding.

Period	1 Jun 2018 → 3 Jun 2018
Event type	Conference
Location	London, United KingdomShow on map
Degree of Recognition	National