Description
In his recent publication Antoine Picon makes a case for the connection between traditional (pre-modernist)
ornamental practices and its contemporary expression. He counters the message conveyed by
the founding fathers of modernism, arguing that traditional ornament was not meant solely for pleasure,
that it participated in the expression of social values, hierarchy, and order. While these specifi c criteria are
no longer relevant today, the need to defi ne and express collective values is. This seminar will focus on
contemporary techniques and subject matter towards the development of an ornamental object.
Traditonal ornament relied heavily on botanical and animal imagery resulting in a specfi c array of motifs
and elements. We will look to the culinary arts for material, content, and imagery. Using advanced digital
techniques such as 3d scanning and voxel-based modeling we will reconfi gure our source material into a
unifi ed assemblage of texture, pattern, color, & topology