Intersections - Michael Wolfson
Tuesday 10 November 6pm - 7.30pm
Yellow Urban Rooms, 2nd Floor, Farrell Centre, Newcastle University
Zaha Hadid; The Formative Years
Although often referred to as ‘painted architecture’, the architectural and design proposals carried out in the studio of Zaha Hadid through the 1980s were some of the most stimulating and internationally published works of the time. Presented through both drawings and paintings, they had a profound influence on architectural thought at that time as well as being sustained through to today’s architectural environment.
Having been invited on graduation from the AA in 1982 to work with her, at the beginning of her career, I was in an exceptional situation and able to be a part of the development of Zaha Hadid’s creative process.
I aim to let this talk present some of the many exciting projects carried out at that time and give an opportunity to learn about Zaha and her work. There was an excitement in architecture going on then, that still invites both exploration and evaluation.
Be prepared to engage in a discourse!
Biography
Experimentation in the fusing of fine art and functional design issues is at the forefront in pushing boundaries in the way in which we inhabit and interact with our surroundings. My works encompass investigations from an architectural foundation, across the fields of sculpture and installation, experimental design, interactivity, film and art.
Working throughout Europe and the USA on various projects, focusing on the functional and sculptural, and art works shown at leading international art and design exhibitions, galleries, and public venues, has allowed me to gain a unique perspective on the link between art, function and how we can look at the spaces around us.
My approach to functional sculpture, design and art is informed by the vigorous dynamics resulting from the fracture and fragmentation of form – layering and manipulating both 2 and 3 dimensional studies into fluid shapes and forms, where movement of light, shadow and reflection are an integral part of the seduction of the work. The works constantly evolve between static and dynamic models, shifting between the realm of objects and installations to that of purely artistic examination.
My aim is to create an engaging perceptual canvas, whatever that ‘canvas’ might be. Of static versus active forces, of void and materiality rhythmically shaping and forming spaces in all dimensions. Setting a geometric dialogue that can be both felt and seen is key to the dynamics of movement. It is an active involvement that I aim to achieve with the work; an involvement of the fleeting passerby, as well as the static participator. My works have their own stimulus of involvement and association that takes place as an intrinsically internal action or sense.
Numerous pieces have been carried out for a differing range of public uses:
- In the Origami series, the Origami Pelican, a winning public art sculpture for a park in the city of Miami, Florida, linked local fauna with the contemporary lines of a modern interpretive artwork. And, Origami Dancer is one of a series currently being exhibited at St Antony’s College, Oxford where funding for a set of 4 of the dancers is being promoted.
- SoundForm Robert, created for the restaurant at the Museum of Art & Design in New York city, has been a focal point of the space, achieving a successful connection between art and the practicalities of dining.
- SoundForm Fluid and Liquid Genesis, both sculptures commissioned as centerpieces for the launch of LVMH Glenmorangie in the Far East, achieved the goal of linking art with a corporate brand, used for promotional means at numerous art exhibitions, galleries, bars and other public venues.
- SoundNotes, an ongoing sculpture series, are created in various sizes allowing for both purely sculptural ends as well as functional. In patina steel, they formed centerpieces for a private gallery space in Switzerland. Subsequent proposals were presented for an invited outdoor sculpture project at a development in Kings Cross, London.
- NewLands & Flowers (Maps and BirthTotems), a series of paintings examining issues of freedom, escape, birth and new beginnings. The works stem from ideas of an alternate reality, a place free from pre-conceived ideas.