Lecture Summary: The Agency of Visual Research
Introduction
- Last keynote of the semester and academic year.
- Studio Folder's lecture on "The Agency of Visual Research."
- Part of a series featuring innovative designers and thinkers.
- Studio Folder's work intersects visual communication, branding, cartography, and 3D modeling.
Studio Folder Overview
- Based in Milan, founded by Marco Ferrari and Elisa Pasqual.
- Multi-disciplinary practice.
- Works range from visual communication to spatial design and cartography.
- Also involved in teaching, particularly in information design.
Lecture Focus
- Exploration of the agency in visual research.
- Discussion of recent projects to illustrate this agency.
- Presentation style shifted from deep dives into projects to a broader overview.
Commissioned Projects
- Books and Visualizations: Example - Designed for Atelier Luma.
- Interfaces and Software: Commissioned by Punkt for a minimalistic phone.
- Exhibitions: Example - An exhibition for Anas in Milan.
- Maps: Example - Map for an exhibition at CCA Montreal.
- Websites: Example - A project utilizing real-time wind data for Thomas Saraceno's sculptures.
Research Projects
- Projects focus on spatial data representation and tool exploration.
- Emphasis on cartographic representation beyond maps as design objects.
- Interest in geographic information as a data scaffold.
Example Projects
- Italian Limes: A study on the Italian alpine border and its changing nature due to climate change.
- Involved archival research and sensor technology.
- Landsat Program: Visualization of Landsat's satellite data and its geopolitical implications.
- Focus on visualizing the eye of the satellite over decades.
- Caporetto Project: A historical and ecological exploration of the Caporetto valley.
- Interrogated the landscape's transformation through history.
Recent Projects
- Kiruna Forever: An exhibition on the relocation of the town of Kiruna due to mining pressures.
- Utilized projection mapping to tell stories of the landscape.
- Everything We Know: A speculative project critiquing Buckminster Fuller's cartographic legacy.
- Enacted a data-driven conversation on global resources.
- Italian Post-war Architecture: An exhibition design for Triennale Milano.
- Created a model landscape to showcase photographic surveys.
Conclusion
- Studio Folder continues to explore the intersections of visual design, cartographic data, and spatial research.
- Projects span from historical inquiries to speculative future explorations.
- Emphasis on collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches.
Questions & Discussion
- Discussion on exhibition design approaches and their context-based nature.
- Reflections on the visual impact of cartographic abstractions.
- Studio Folder's choice to focus on visual research over traditional architecture.
This lecture provided a comprehensive overview of Studio Folder's innovative approach to visual research, emphasizing the role of visualizations in understanding and shaping the world.