We are delighted to announce details of the forthcoming exhibition and one-day conference: ‘Visualising atmospheres: digital placemaking in the 21st century’
The Building Centre, Store Street, London WC1E 7BT, August 19th – 31st 2013.
For further information and images please contact: clare.melhuish@open.ac.uk, tel: 020-7916 0957
Please register to attend the conference at www.goo.gl/QCpCC.
In the so-called ‘experience economy’, architecture and urban design have become vital to place-making and urban branding strategies as cities re-invent themselves on a global stage. Digital visualisations of buildings and places are crucial tools for imaginig and designing new urban developments, as well as for projecting what they will feel like. They have become an ubiquitous part of the urban visual landscape, and now constitute the main platform for interaction and communication between architects, developers, planners, and the public.
This exhibition takes a closer look at digital visualisations. It explores what lies behind the glossy surface of the images we see, and how they are changing the way in which architects work. Focusing on a large-scale urban transformation in Doha, Qatar, designed by British and US architects, the exhibition explores the complex processes of digital image production. It examines how these images circulate between architects, visualisers and their client; it explores the impact they have on design development; and it interrogates their attempt to shape how people will experience urban spaces in the future across the globe.
A conference open to all will be held at the Building Centre on 31st August from 10.00 – 17.00, bringing together a range of design professionals and urban academics to discuss these issues. Places are free but please register to attend at www.goo.gl/QCpCC.
‘Visualising atmospheres’ is curated by Monica Degen, Clare Melhuish and GIllian Rose. It is based on the ESRC research project ‘Architectural atmospheres: the impact of digital visualising technologies on contemporary architectural practice’ (RES-062-23-3305), at The Open University and Brunel University.
Exhibition design: Studio DA; graphic design: BCMH
Photo: C.Melhuish 2012, courtesy Msheireb Properties
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