Moody Objects

Moody Objects - ARCH 562  MATIAS DEL CAMPO

"The speculum of speculation is not a thin, flat plate of glass onto which a layer of molten aluminum has been vacuum-sprayed but a funhouse mirror made of hammered metal, whose distortions show us a perversion of a unit´s sensibilities."

Ian Bogost

"Time cools, time clarifies; no mood can be maintained quite unaltered through the course of hours"

Thomas Mann

"Moody Objects" examines aspects of atmosphere, ambience and mood.  A set of specific lenses serve as the mechanisms of observation for speculations and obsessions which rely on techniques such as Boolean operations, symmetry and computational crafting. Moods in this plane of observation refers to the sensorial qualities that spatial formations emanate. Mood and Atmosphere trigger an instantaneous form of physical perception, guided by emotional sensibilities. Contemporary Moods embrace the various opportunities presented by the multitude of novel techniques and technologies in order to constitute formations of matter in space able to radiate in dense ambiance and moods. The palette of opportunities oscillates between aspects of representation to aspects of material manipulation; from the moody atmospheres of spaces dominated by delicate baroque lines to the coarse, raw and dark atmosphere of massive concrete grottos. Moods range from the Lighthearted the "Liebliche Raum", the colorful, playful and happy to the gloomy, cavernous, the nebulous twilight, the chiaroscuro, and sfumato of vague painterly effect. The studio explores how contemporary techniques utilize devises such as spatial compositing, surface articulation and novel manipulations of material in order to constitute spatial conditions radiating in delicate and sophisticated atmospheres. These conditions open a discoursive terrain primarily focused on agencies of speculative realism deeply engaged in object to object relationships.

The fitting frame for the speculations in this studio is defined by a multiunit housing project in Vienna, Austria. The heart of the city, Stephansplatz, defines the ground for the project, a ground that is rich in architectural artifacts from multiple periods (Gothic, Baroque, Historims, Postmodernism) providing a fertile ground for the speculative nature of the studio.