Book Chapters by zenovia toloudi
Ludics: Play as Humanistic Inquiry (Edited by Vassiliki Rapti and Eric Gordon), 2021
The essay presents how Technoecologies exhibition at the intersection of art, architecture, and h... more The essay presents how Technoecologies exhibition at the intersection of art, architecture, and humanities reconceives the relationship between humans and their environment in architecture through prototypes and models that explore emerging forms of bioarchitecture, living systems, and evolving environments. Technoecologies exhibition proposes a metabolic architecture as a provocative alternative approach, being
manifested by speculative yet tangible ways (technoutopia vision). Metabolic architecture is contemplated here both literally, and metaphorically. Literally, it deals with material transformations caused by either growth or decay of organic matter. Metaphorically, it relates to immaterial transformations of light or sound caused by environmental or artificial stimuli. Through these processes, metabolism within architecture becomes an apparatus that produces constant changes in form, space, and in user perception.Through a series of concepts/modes such as metamaquettes and installations, the notion of experiment and experience, metabolic aesthetics, the binary of ordinary and illusionary, empathy and vulnerability, as well as public participation and user engagement, Technoecologies exhibition let us envision the possibility of this future world, and its positive and playful aspects.
The Routledge Companion to Biology in Art and Architecture (Edited by Charissa N. Terranova, Meredith Tromble), 2016
The essay unfolds around art installations and speculative projects that embody processes of mate... more The essay unfolds around art installations and speculative projects that embody processes of material transformation exploring a theory of the metabolic. The idea of metabolic architecture is analogous to life itself in its unfolding according to four fundamental states of development: birth and growth; digestion and nutrition; motion and action; and finally, decay and recycling. There are two primary goals in this essay, each of which is dependent on the other. First, the essay argues that the art of installation as a medium is a working tool of twenty-first-century metabolic architecture, with its capacity to focus on specific materialities such as form-in-process and kinesis. Second, and reciprocally, it argues that installation shapes metabolic architecture, setting in relief the following central themes: the feedback loop between objectification, the temporal, and ephemeral; the role of modular and infrastructural elements; the merging of experiment and experience, including the user’s participation; and the integration of the vernacular, which consists of historical artifacts, cultural habits, and rituals. From within these forces, objects and modular systems manifest metabolism, producing hybrid buildings/gardens, evolving edible structures, choreographic machines, and decaying artifacts. Metabolic architecture challenges human perception in order to reveal immaterial properties and flows, while mapping spatio-temporal changes.
Essays by zenovia toloudi
Journal of Civic Media, 2024
(In the western world) our inner reality, needs, and desires to be, and to share, do not necessar... more (In the western world) our inner reality, needs, and desires to be, and to share, do not necessarily get along with the external reality, often overstructured and overscheduled, and always centered around work. The need to travel and escape from this individualistic present, only temporarily gives relief to the burnout of the working (wo)man. But what can we learn from working in what are generally considered places of "escapism" such as a Mediterranean island or, specifically, a small rural village in Sardinia? What is it that fosters sociality in these places, what constitutes our moments together with others, what ignites publicness*?
This essay presents the artistic process of Zenovia Toloudi, a Greek architect/artist based in the United States, during a brief residency in Sardinia, in the town of Milis. In presenting two temporary installations created in the streets of Milis, the essay suggests an approach to contemporary public space as a place most influenced by the lives of its inhabitants, imagining the creation of new hypothetical architectural elements that foster subjective time, slow time and "we" time. The essay seeks to redefine public space by focusing on places far from cities and wondering how public and social dimensions fit into remote landscapes in close contact with nature.
Journal of Civic Media (Issue 2), 2021
Motivated by the context of large-scale developments and discussions taking place at Harvard Squa... more Motivated by the context of large-scale developments and discussions taking place at Harvard Square (around 2017), lacking civic imagination, Dr. Zenovia Toloudi designed and taught a course at Dartmouth College Studio Art, on Art, Architecture, and Public Space (Fall 2018), which reimagines the public space of the square with an emphasis to engage the less privileged groups of society, as well as address civic concerns that are often neglected. The course focused upon how physical design and transformation of the environment could inspire civic imagination, even temporarily. Through their installations, interventions, and designs, students employed a variety of media aiming at improving (within the urban context of Harvard Square) general and specific conditions related to the public(s), such as the psychology of the individual, the inner- circle relationships among family and friends, face-to-face interactions as well as conversations among strangers, and equality for education in relation to the broader topic of undocumented students. What became clear through this investigation can be summarized in three recommended approaches a) improve human relationships and retreat from other ones; b) in response to current challenges, establish a design language that can better enable human potential; and c) start small (scale), so we can experience some change quickly (civic imagination), hoping to eventually inspire larger scale developments (policies, planning, etc).
This paper revisits the concept of metabolic architecture by intro‐ ducing the pair of plants and... more This paper revisits the concept of metabolic architecture by intro‐ ducing the pair of plants and ambient computing, constructing a stage between automation and interaction. By acknowledging a technophilic present, the paper proposes ambient computing to control the metabolic architecture, but together with a vulnerable component, that of plants. This way it develops an interde‐ pendent system among technology, people, space, and plants. Assuming that in the future, the role of plants (and potentially people) will depend on computers, the automatic process requires to be thought together with vulnerability and unpredictability, so it is more humane. In this system, there is no redundancy, plants and ambient computing are predominant aspects of the design. The plants paired with ambient computing constitute a mediator for future technoecologies operating both through automation/control and people's care/interaction. The paper explores this position through a project, which is a provocative statement on ecology, Photodotes V: Cyborg Garden (2015).
Ambiances, demain | Ambiances, tomorrow | Ατμόσφαιρες, Αύριο, 2016
In an era where mainly growing bottom-line profits are the focus of universal corporate cultures ... more In an era where mainly growing bottom-line profits are the focus of universal corporate cultures , being creative and experimental is less affordable, and also there is a lack of equal opportunities for all. Architecture, both in practice and education terms, remains competitive and very much attached to the rich-client/genius-architect couple. In my pedagogy, I critique and challenge this enterprise by taking a different approach that allows and reinforces creativity and experimentation for students, while equipping them to become emergent professionals with skills to envision and produce a more social and more public architecture that integrates larger concerns. In doing so, I have developed a pedagogical model that is based on exhibitions and art installations which I had used and tested as part of my Thesis Lab course.
Technoetic Arts, 2016
In 1969, Kisho Kurokawa stated that the ‘capsule is cyborg architecture’. The capsule is the ulti... more In 1969, Kisho Kurokawa stated that the ‘capsule is cyborg architecture’. The capsule is the ultimate form of the prefabricated building. As such it has emancipated itself from the land to become the immediate extension of the moving self, similar to cars or the Japanese kago. In Japanese Metabolism, an architecture movement of the 1960s and 1970s, the capsule is a small, repeatable building unit rooted in historical elements, such as the teahouse. The capsule is also a tool – a machine for living – that is modular and part of a system offering simplicity and complexity. The capsule signifies individuality within a diverse society, including standardization, functionality, technology and smallness in scale. This article re-examines the potential of the capsule in contemporary bioarchitecture, in living systems and in evolving environments. Through Philip Galanter’s theory of ‘complexism’, the article connects the capsule to modular(ity), embodiment, protective vulnerability, voyeurism, unpredictability, complexity, immateriality and ephemerality. I propose that the capsule instantiates a cyborg bioarchitecture.
Organs Everywhere (edited by Simone Ferracina), 2017
of moisture and water away is architecturally framed in such a way that it becomes the very reaso... more of moisture and water away is architecturally framed in such a way that it becomes the very reason and logic of moisture and water production.
200 Contributors 202 Team 204 Acknowledgements 7 MAS CONTEXT / 23 / ORDINARY 131 MAS CONTEXT / 23... more 200 Contributors 202 Team 204 Acknowledgements 7 MAS CONTEXT / 23 / ORDINARY 131 MAS CONTEXT / 23 / ORDINARY
Transfer of knowledge and/or methodologies among areas of specialty is not an uncommon phenomenon... more Transfer of knowledge and/or methodologies among areas of specialty is not an uncommon phenomenon in disciplines. Architecture has been borrowing terminologies, models, and frameworks from biology, neuroscience, computer science, and other disciplines, in order to develop a specific theory or design approach. However, the aforementioned disciplines rarely (if ever) borrow architectural theories or models. One case, where this transferal is bi-directional is that of the gastronomy and architecture pair.
This paper assumes that in an information-rich and time-poor society, mental shortcuts that disco... more This paper assumes that in an information-rich and time-poor society, mental shortcuts that discourage rational thought are important in shaping decisions among selections. The research focuses on understanding and forming the taste of people on architects' identities. The broader scope aims to establish an architectonic language of communication based on the links emerging among identity-taste dyads. The methodology consists of surveys, social networks analysis tools and PICANICO game: they all gather, classify and eventually form this language's mental shortcuts. A possible application of this experimentation is an interface between the architect and the client, where the learning yields out of a left right arrow.
Brand is a set of attributes associated to an object. In architecture, such an object can be a bu... more Brand is a set of attributes associated to an object. In architecture, such an object can be a building, an architect, a firm or a process of practice. Architects may be able to control the act of constructing their identity (branding). However they are not able to control the perceived identity (brand) by others. This probably happens due to the
Micro-Ceasefire Under Shadow [MCUS] is an art experiment that aims to map the relation-ship[s] be... more Micro-Ceasefire Under Shadow [MCUS] is an art experiment that aims to map the relation-ship[s] between city and sound by simulating the effects of transforming or zeroing [in simu-lation] the noise around its spatial configuration. Through this experiment the paper investigates the production and perception[s] of a sound micro-environment in the megalopolis. The [artificial] foliage of the sound tree is made by one modular leaf that propagates itself in 3dspace in innumerable interlocking configurations. The interlocking leaf for MCUS is inspired by the platanus leaf. The platanus tree is associated with enjoyment, relaxation and community gathering. At the same time, platanus in its different species is planted in many cities worldwide due to its ability to absorb the city noise through the volume of its foliage. This noise absorption quality of platanus in the city is what this Micro-Ceasefire wants to be. MCUS is not just one tree: It has been developed as a flexible mechanism, a parametric design that depends on: facts, needs, and desires and it can be transformed to innumerable formations in space. These parameters have been analyzed both computationally and empirically on how they affect its spatial form, the density of the foliage volume and its 3d representation including color variation, texture differentiation or material preference. Through this process, space, sound, form and color are all interconnected to produce a prototypical sonic micro-environment that will improve the urban sound and spatial quality by offering a unique sound and visual identity.
Exhibition Pamphlets & Catalogues by zenovia toloudi
Technoutopias, 2019
Technoutopias exhibition explores architecture's ability to animate the social imaginary and trig... more Technoutopias exhibition explores architecture's ability to animate the social imaginary and trigger the extinct civic self. The work critiques our alienation from nature and each other and strives to restore broken relationships. At a moment of extreme cultural and ecological anxiety, we're retreating from engagement, shrinking our world to the handheld sphere of our devices. It's the intent of Technoutopias to challenge this retreat and investigate how architecture, thoughtfully shaped, offers a medium through which to find the right size for tech and an exemplary space for what it means to be a public and publicly-motivated human. Intimate, historically-inflected, openly discontented and bracingly optimistic, Technoutopias' pieces invite us to remember we are makers of and participants in the creations we experience as home. And that if we do not remember our better selves, we may not be able to house what's left of what's most important. Technoutopias shares a series of possibilities for who we want and may need to become. It steers us toward a new civic vocabulary and fresh chances to establish rituals building empathy, courage, and connection. Moving fluidly between spaces, with an ease mirroring the malleability of the spirit we need to develop, Technoutopias helps us rediscover and activate a public and truly public-spirited self.
(Technoutopias exhibition run from September 24 - November 17, 2019 in the Jaffe-Friede Gallery and Strauss Gallery, Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA).
Essays:
Pedro Gadanho. The Return to Techné as Micro-Utopia.
Tarek El-Ariss. Portals of Life: Reflections on Zenovia Toloudi’s Technoutopias
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Book Chapters by zenovia toloudi
manifested by speculative yet tangible ways (technoutopia vision). Metabolic architecture is contemplated here both literally, and metaphorically. Literally, it deals with material transformations caused by either growth or decay of organic matter. Metaphorically, it relates to immaterial transformations of light or sound caused by environmental or artificial stimuli. Through these processes, metabolism within architecture becomes an apparatus that produces constant changes in form, space, and in user perception.Through a series of concepts/modes such as metamaquettes and installations, the notion of experiment and experience, metabolic aesthetics, the binary of ordinary and illusionary, empathy and vulnerability, as well as public participation and user engagement, Technoecologies exhibition let us envision the possibility of this future world, and its positive and playful aspects.
Essays by zenovia toloudi
This essay presents the artistic process of Zenovia Toloudi, a Greek architect/artist based in the United States, during a brief residency in Sardinia, in the town of Milis. In presenting two temporary installations created in the streets of Milis, the essay suggests an approach to contemporary public space as a place most influenced by the lives of its inhabitants, imagining the creation of new hypothetical architectural elements that foster subjective time, slow time and "we" time. The essay seeks to redefine public space by focusing on places far from cities and wondering how public and social dimensions fit into remote landscapes in close contact with nature.
Exhibition Pamphlets & Catalogues by zenovia toloudi
(Technoutopias exhibition run from September 24 - November 17, 2019 in the Jaffe-Friede Gallery and Strauss Gallery, Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA).
Essays:
Pedro Gadanho. The Return to Techné as Micro-Utopia.
Tarek El-Ariss. Portals of Life: Reflections on Zenovia Toloudi’s Technoutopias
manifested by speculative yet tangible ways (technoutopia vision). Metabolic architecture is contemplated here both literally, and metaphorically. Literally, it deals with material transformations caused by either growth or decay of organic matter. Metaphorically, it relates to immaterial transformations of light or sound caused by environmental or artificial stimuli. Through these processes, metabolism within architecture becomes an apparatus that produces constant changes in form, space, and in user perception.Through a series of concepts/modes such as metamaquettes and installations, the notion of experiment and experience, metabolic aesthetics, the binary of ordinary and illusionary, empathy and vulnerability, as well as public participation and user engagement, Technoecologies exhibition let us envision the possibility of this future world, and its positive and playful aspects.
This essay presents the artistic process of Zenovia Toloudi, a Greek architect/artist based in the United States, during a brief residency in Sardinia, in the town of Milis. In presenting two temporary installations created in the streets of Milis, the essay suggests an approach to contemporary public space as a place most influenced by the lives of its inhabitants, imagining the creation of new hypothetical architectural elements that foster subjective time, slow time and "we" time. The essay seeks to redefine public space by focusing on places far from cities and wondering how public and social dimensions fit into remote landscapes in close contact with nature.
(Technoutopias exhibition run from September 24 - November 17, 2019 in the Jaffe-Friede Gallery and Strauss Gallery, Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH, USA).
Essays:
Pedro Gadanho. The Return to Techné as Micro-Utopia.
Tarek El-Ariss. Portals of Life: Reflections on Zenovia Toloudi’s Technoutopias
The French philosopher, Bruno Latour claims that science experimentation has now moved outside the laboratory, to the world wide lab, where we are all engaged in a series of experiments collectively attempting to survive. Metamaquettes exhibition presents new states for projects, where the laboratory and site merge into one. Models move away from the desk - and scale up to intervene in public spaces and lobbies, turning these sites into opportunities for experiments. We all collectively participate in these experiments to test an idea, witnessing its appeal and prospect. By positioning installations as meta-spaces that depart from the service model of architecture practice, Metamaquettes exhibition lends a fresh perspective on the influence of installations in contemporary architecture. The minimum quality of this architecture is subjected to specific costs, materials, and other resources and conditions; however, what in Metamaquettes appears as experimental and innovative will soon become integral part of the new traditional.
Silo(e)scapes was one of 33 projects in the exhibition, Tomorrows: Urban fictions for possible futures, which took place between May 16, 2017 -July 16, 2017 at Diplareios School in Athens, Greece. Tomorrows was curated by Panos Dragonas and Daphne Dragona, and was organized by Onassis Cultural Center. The exhibition explored the environmental, technological and social changes impacting our planet today, and considered tomorrow’s possible worlds.
As a concept, Silo(e)scapes would store and display threatened native seeds from the Mediterranean in transparent silos that double as columns for the museum’s space. The native seeds would be shared communally among Silo(e)scapes’ members, rather than belonging to private corporations. Silo(e)scapes strives to preserve the biodiversity of local seeds and protect Mediterranean tastes, flavors, nutrients and medicinal capacities, which could be “threatened by environmental catastrophes, as well as by the increasing demand for control and standardization” by agricultural companies.