Abstract
From 1989 until his death, Spanish architect Enric Miralles extensively utilized photography and collage as tools to document and develop his architectural projects. Inspired by artists such as David Hockney, Gordon Matta Clark, and the surrealists, Miralles employed photomontages to challenge traditional perspectives and rethink the representation of physical reality in architecture. Indeed, photography plays a crucial role in gathering comprehensive information about project sites and the situations surrounding them. It allows exploration of the history, topography, landscape, etc., capturing vital details of pre-existing elements, cultures, societies, or ecologies. Photography serves as a foundation, introducing the physical, cultural, and social context, and sparking the creative process.
Through photography, designers establish a deep connection with the site and the specific circumstances they are working with, fostering experimentation, and facilitating dialogue and engagement with a broader audience. In the hands of architects, urbanists, or landscape architects, photography becomes indispensable for understanding their work. By transcending conventional boundaries, photography empowers designers to shape innovative and thought-provoking designs that resonate with the spirit of the site.
Sight, Sites, Situations serves as a celebration of the profound impact of photography on the design process. It underscores the vital role of photography as a tool for architects, urbanists, and landscape architects, enabling them to comprehend, interpret, and shape the built environment. This compilation of photographic work is the result of an open call that invited students from the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment (TU Delft) to showcase how photography influences and informs their creative processes.
The selected works illustrate that photography is more than just a visual record; it is a tool for excavation, a means to capture atmospheres, and a vehicle for reimagining our surroundings. It offers a lens through which we can explore history, topography, culture, and society, transcending traditional boundaries and serving as inspiration for design.
Photography's significance extends beyond its utilitarian function; it is a dynamic pedagogical instrument that enriches the process of comprehending and designing the built environment. It engages learners in a continuous journey of analysis and interpretation of sites and situations, fostering a deeper connection between academic education and professional practice.
The diverse themes explored in these works, whether it's the examination of post-industrial landscapes, the contemplation of the stages of our daily efforts, the world of our routine and our sites of obligations and pleasures, or the documentation of evolving environments, demonstrate the profound ways in which photography empowers designers to establish connections with their sites. This, in turn, encourages experimentation, dialogue, and engagement with a wider audience.
Each piece on display is a tribute to the transformative potential of visual storytelling. Whether unraveling the history of a refugee camp, documenting the evolution of a lignite mine, or probing the concept of "the void" in Athens, these works exemplify how photography enables designers to craft projects that resonate deeply with the essence of the site and its surroundings.
Through photography, designers establish a deep connection with the site and the specific circumstances they are working with, fostering experimentation, and facilitating dialogue and engagement with a broader audience. In the hands of architects, urbanists, or landscape architects, photography becomes indispensable for understanding their work. By transcending conventional boundaries, photography empowers designers to shape innovative and thought-provoking designs that resonate with the spirit of the site.
Sight, Sites, Situations serves as a celebration of the profound impact of photography on the design process. It underscores the vital role of photography as a tool for architects, urbanists, and landscape architects, enabling them to comprehend, interpret, and shape the built environment. This compilation of photographic work is the result of an open call that invited students from the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment (TU Delft) to showcase how photography influences and informs their creative processes.
The selected works illustrate that photography is more than just a visual record; it is a tool for excavation, a means to capture atmospheres, and a vehicle for reimagining our surroundings. It offers a lens through which we can explore history, topography, culture, and society, transcending traditional boundaries and serving as inspiration for design.
Photography's significance extends beyond its utilitarian function; it is a dynamic pedagogical instrument that enriches the process of comprehending and designing the built environment. It engages learners in a continuous journey of analysis and interpretation of sites and situations, fostering a deeper connection between academic education and professional practice.
The diverse themes explored in these works, whether it's the examination of post-industrial landscapes, the contemplation of the stages of our daily efforts, the world of our routine and our sites of obligations and pleasures, or the documentation of evolving environments, demonstrate the profound ways in which photography empowers designers to establish connections with their sites. This, in turn, encourages experimentation, dialogue, and engagement with a wider audience.
Each piece on display is a tribute to the transformative potential of visual storytelling. Whether unraveling the history of a refugee camp, documenting the evolution of a lignite mine, or probing the concept of "the void" in Athens, these works exemplify how photography enables designers to craft projects that resonate deeply with the essence of the site and its surroundings.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Delft University of Technology, Faculteit Bouwkunde |
| Publication status | Published - 2023 |
