Videnskabeligt fokusområde

Mette Ramsgård Thomsen er arkitekt og arbejder med interaktive teknologier. Hendes forskning fokuserer på formgivning og udvikling af rum der er defineret af fysiske såvel som digitale dimensioner. Hendes arbejde søger gennem et fokus på intelligent programmering og emergens som et formdannelsesprincip at undersøge hvordan programmerings logikkerne og deres maskiner indskriver os i en begrebsverden der kan lede til nye rumbegreber. Mette’s særlige fokusområder afsøger hvordan ney parametriske design redskaber tillader en gentænkning af byggeriets tektoniske grundlag med særligt sigte på material specification og digital crafting.

 

Mette er Professor ved Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole, hvor hun leder Center for Informations Teknologi og Arkitektur [CITA]. Hun har forsket og undervist ved Bartlett School of Architecture, Department of Computer Science, UCL og University of Brighton, School of Architecture and Design. Hun har Ph.D. i arkitektur og datalogi fra University College London og har forsket ved Fraunhofer Instituttet i Tyskland samt Human Interface Technology Laboratory, USA. Mette’s forskning er praksis relateret og gennem projekter som Slow Furl, Knitted Skins, Vivisection og Sea Unsea undersøger hun hvordan nye digital medier kan bruges til at formgive, realisere og programmere rum. Hun har udstillet og publiceret nationalt såvel som internationalt og deltaget i ledende internationale konferencer indenfor hendes forskningsområde.

 

Uddannelse

Aug 99 – Jul 2004          Interdisciplinær doktorgrad, PhD 

Bartlett School of Architecture og Department of Computer Science, University College London. Discovering Mixed Realities – inventing design criteria for an action based Mixed Reality vejledt af Prof. Peter Cook og Prof. Mel Slater.

 

Sep 94 – Juni 96            Diplom i Arkitektur (med udmærkelse)

Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London

 

Sept 92 –Juni 93            4. År studium ved Ecole d’Architecture, Paris la Seine

Sept 89 – Juni 94           Bachelor studie ved Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole, København

Ansættelser

Jan 2011 - til dato            Professor i Architecture and Digital Technologies, Head of CITA,
                                      Centre for Information Technology and Architecture, Royal Academy
                                      of Fine Arts,SchoolofArchitecture, Design and Conservation. (KADK) 
                                      http://cita.karch.dk

Sept 05 – Dec 2010           Lektor og Leder af Center for Informations Teknologi og Arkitektur [CITA], Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole. http://cita.karch.dk

 

July 03 - til dato             Leder af Escape Design, et interdisciplinær design studie der udvikler nye interaktive systemer og dynamiske digitale miljøer for kultur, arkitektur, performance og spil

 

Aug 01 – Sept 05           Senior Lektor, School of Architecture and Design, University of Brighton. Leder af tredje år.

 

Sept 04 - Sept 05           Research fellow, Department of Computer Science, University College London

 

Sept 03 – Sept 05          College tutor, Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London.

 

Jan 01- Jul 01                College tutor, School of Architecture and Design, University

                                    of Brighton.

 

Okt 00 – Jan 01             Del af redaktion på Virtual is Real et New Media and Architecture   magasin. Papadakis publishing.

 

Jul 00 – Sept 00             Inviteret forsker ved Human Interface Technology Lab, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.

 

Jan 98 - Nov 99              Forsker ved Fraunhofer Forskningsinstituttet, Tyskland, Institut for Medie og Kommunikation, Media Arts Research Studies.

 

June 97 - Jan 98            Interaktionsdesigner, Webmedia, London.

 

Jan 97 – Jun 97             3D animationsdesigner, The WOW Foundation, London.

 

Professionelle kvalifikationer

Arkitekt MAA, RIBA Part II

Seneste priser og udstillinger

Aug 2009                      Formgiver og udstiller af “It’s a SMALL World”, Dansk Design Center

 

Juni 2009                      Udstiller af DevA ved Distortion festival, Kunsthal Charlottenborg

 

August 2008                  Udstiller ved Beijings Arkitektur Biennale ”(Im)material Processes – New Digital Techniques for Architecture”, Beijing.

 

Juni 2008                      Vinder af InterARCHtive konkurrence for interaktiv arkitektur, England

Kommision for projektet Slow Furl støttet af RIBA and Arts Council England

 

Juni 2008                      ”Slow Furl”, interaktiv udstilling ved Lighthouse Gallery,

                                    Brighton, England

 

Marts 2008                   Udstilling af forskningsresultater ”Digital Practice” ved Mehdals

                                   Smedie, København

 

Nov 2007                       Udstilling af Calcifications ved “ArchiTronics” på Dansk Arkitektur Centre, Gammel Dok, København

 

Aug 2007                      Udstilling af Breathing Room, ved “Robo Art”, Brandts Klædefabrik,

                                    Odense

 

Jan 2007                       Udstilling af forskningsresultater ”Robotic Membranes” ved Grand Parade Gallery, Brighton.

 

Okt 2006                      Udstilling af ”Vivisection” ved Efterårsudstilligen, Charlottenborg, København.

 

April 2007                     Performance af “Sea Unsea”, ENTER_UNKNOWN TERRITORIES

                                    International
                                   

                                    Festival & Conference for New Technology Art, Cambridge.

 

Okt 2006                      International premiere af “Sea UnSea”, Dance Umbrella ved Siobhan Davies Dance Centre, London.

 

Aug 2006                      Udstilling af forskningsresultater “Knitted Skins” ved Tsing Hua University, Beijing.

Ledelsesmæssig erfaring

2005 -                           Leder af Center for IT og Arkitektur, Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole

 

Som leder af CITA har jeg ansvar for opbygningen af CITA, udviklingen af vores forskningsområde, forskningssamarbejder, forskningsprojekter og formidling. Siden 2005 har jeg opbygget et aktivt forskningsmiljø med 11 ansatte. Jeg har opstartet 4 PhD stillinger indenfor området og iværksat nationale såvel som internationale samarbejder med akademiske forskningsmiljøer og industripartnere.

Videre akademiske poster

2009                             Ekstern censor, PhD niveau, Aarhus Arkitektskole

 

Ekstern censor bachelor niveau, Canterbury School of Architecture, University for the Creative Arts, UK

 

2006- to date                 Ekstern censor diplom niveau, University of Lund, School of Architecture, Sweden.

Vejledning af studerende

2008                             Hoved vejleder for Brady Peter, erhversphd PhD, Komplekse Overflader, et samarbejde mellem CITA, Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole, JJW Arkitekter og Gromtje Carl Bro.

 

2008                             Hoved vejleder for Aurelie Mosse, international PhD i Arkitektur og Tekstil, Tectonic Textiles, CITA, Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole og Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts, UK

 

2008                             Bi-vejleder for Anders Hermund, Anvendt 3D modellering. CITA, Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole

 

2007 -                           Hoved vejleder for Norbert Palz, Rapid prototyping. CITA, Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole

Udvalgte forskningsbegivenheder: symposier og workshops

April 2008                      Chair for panelet ”Research by Design Panel” ved ”Architectural Inquiries Conference on Research Methodologies”, Gøteborg.

 

March 2008                   Research exhibition Digital Practice at Meldahls Smedie, Royal Danish

                                    Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture, Copenhagen.

 

Nov 2007                       Arrangør af internationalt symposium ”Parametric Approaches 2: Computation and Material”, Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole.

 

Nov 2007                       Interdisciplinær workshop om dynamiske arkitektur begreber, interface design og performance ved STRUT, Perth, Australien.

 

Okt 2007                       Interdisciplinær workshop om dynamiske arkitektur begreber, interface design og performance ved Critical Path, Sydney, Australien.

 

Okt 2007                       Interdisciplinær workshop om intelligente tekstiler, University of Dalhousie, Halifax, Canada. Del af ARCADIA konferencen.

 

Nov 2006                       Arrangør af internationalt symposium ”Parametric Approaches”, Kunstakademiets Arkitektskole

 

Dec 2005                      Arrangør af internationalt symposium ”Finding Fluid Form Symposium” University of Brighton.

 

Aug 2005                      Interdisciplinær workshop om dynamiske arkitektur begreber, interface design og performance ”Spawn” ved Darapana Dance Academy, Ahmedabad, Indien

 

Aug 2005                      Workshop præsentation af Spawn ved British Council, Calcutta, Indien

 

April 2005                     Workshop præsentation af Spawn ved ”Transnet”, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver.

Udvalgt modtaget forskningsstøtte

2009                             Netværk: Digital Crafting (1.000.000 DKK over to år). FKK

 

2008                             ErhvervsPhd stilling (1.400.000 DKK over tre år).
Jeg indledte forskningspartnerskabet, udviklede den finansielle strategi og vandt samfinansiering fra Realdania. Projektet er et samarbejde med JJW Arkitekter og Gromtje Carl Bro.

 

                                    Slow Furl. (10.000 pounds)

                                    Vinder af den internationale konkurrence InterArCHtive støttet af RIBA

                                    og Arts  Council England. Digital Practice forskningsudstilling

                                    (industriel  støtte)

 

Udstillingen Digital Practice var en stor skala forskningsudstilling ved Meldahls Smedie, København. Udstillingen blev støttet af en række industrielle partnere både gennem finansiel støtte samt gennem deres partnerskab og ekspertise.

 

2007                             Aase og Ejnar Danielsen Fond (450.000 DKK)

Støtte til projektet Strik som Byggemateriale i samarbejde med Toni Hicks, Constructed Textiles, University of Brighton og Tilak Dias, School of Materials, The University of Manchester.

 

                                    Kultur Ministeriet (1.700.000 DKK).
Støtte til et nyt lektorat i Byggeriets Informations Modeller. Jeg var del af et større team der udviklede ansøgningen.

 

Techtonic Textiles International PhD stilling (1.400.000 DKK over tre år) Jeg indledte et nyt forskningspartnerskab mellem CITA og Future Textiles, Central Saint Martins, der ledte til ansættelsen af en tværfaglig PhD stilling i arkitektur og tekstil.

 

                                    Dreyers Fond/Statens Kunstfond (100.000 DKK)
Støtte til forskningsprojektet DevA et samarbejde med tegnestuen MAPT

 

2006                             Danish Arts Council (70.000 DKK)

                                    Støtte til forskningsprojektet Vivisection

 

                                    Villun Kann Velux Fonden (230.000 DKK)

Støtte til gæsteprofessor Mark Goulthorpe, MIT,  Parametric Approaches, ved CITA.

 

2005                             Arts Council England (10.000 Pounds)

                                    Produktionsstøtte til projektet Sea Unsea

 

Arts Council England (5.000 Pounds)

                                    Udviklingsstøtte til projektet Sea Unsea

 

2004                             Arts Council England (10.000 Pounds)

                                    Produktionsstøtte til projektet The Changing Room.

 

2002                             Arts and Humanities Research Council  (5000 pounds)

                                    Støtte til symposium og forskningsudstilling Embodied Interaction.

Research interests

My research centres on the emergence of a digital practice in architecture. By investigating how new digital tools for design, communication and fabrication are challenging the foundation of architectural production, my research queries how the encoded and the interfaced can become part of architectural thinking. With a deep interest in coding logics and intelligent materials, my research investigates how digital architecture shifts into the performative and the behaving.

 

Research statement

Digital media is often seen as a way to abstract the world. In architecture the digital has been understood in respect to the formalist traditions of architectural production, emphasising the autonomy of architectural composition and smoothly replacing the formal games of the proportional, with new speculations into the animated, the fluid and the formed. With this a new language has appeared, tied closly to the ephemeral potentials of the field, or the flexing suggestiveness of the topological. But the digital also holds material ties. The development of digital tools for design and fabrication allow for a new closeness between design and making. As manufacturing becomes increasingly computer controlled and as better and more solid interfaces between the design space and fabrication mature, a new material nearness is introduced into our practice. This new practice is characterised by an engagement into material design. New digital tools allow architects to simulate and design for material performance allowing for higher degrees of complexity and control. Designing for digital fabrication is designing material specification. At the most fundamental my research asks what happens as material design becomes part of architectural design, what are the crafts traditions that can allow us to engage with this new design culture and how will this impact on the way we think the overarching spatial frameworks we live and work in?

 

Research development to date: textile logic for a digital architecture

My research is informed by a dual interest into material research and computer science. Since completing my PhD in architecture and computer science in 2005 I have developed a series of research projects investigating a performative architecture. My interest is to articulate the imagination of a motile space informed by movement scores. It is this idea of the motile and the behaving which is further developed in the robotic projects. Here, the aim is to sew a robot of room size and to embed sensing and actuation into its membranes. Through projects such as Vivisection, Breathing Room and Slow Furl I have developed an interest into textiles as a matrix for computation. This material interest collapses an understanding of textiles as a means of material production as well as incorporating a series of craft traditions such as flat pattern cutting that hold new relevance for architectural design as we enter the digital practice of computer controlled fabrication.

I have named this new research field textile logics for a digital architecture. As an essentially cross disciplinary research project the aim is to build new knowledge transfers between the fields of textile engineering, textile design and fashion with the emerging research field of digital fabrication.

My research follows a practice based research method through which the concepts, technologies and experiences of intelligent coding, digital fabrication and textile logics have been developed and exemplified. The method is experimental and focuses on the production of material evidence in the form of speculative models, material prototypes and full scale demonstrators through which the research inquiry is developed, tested and communicated. Following this I have developed an exhibition practice by which these works can be publically tested. I have focused my dissemination efforts on developing research exhibitions and full scale installations so as to further the progression of the work. This material focus is further reflected upon in written practice through the publication of work in conference papers, journals and book chapters.