Jenny Lamda @jennylamda - Tumblr Blog

SARDINES

Sardine Contest Proposal - Festa di Lisboa 2020

SARDINE SOUP In the far-away island of Lefkada there is a unique sardine garlic soup, made for the local sardine fest. I can't tell its secret recipe, but i can draw it for you.

HOLY SARDINE Oh Holy Sardine, for all the things you have given to us, humans, we celebrate, worship and thank you. (Holy Icon of a Sardine, 2020 AD)

SARDINE ARCHAELOGICAL FINDING- in collaboration with Danai Lazari Excavation finding, South European Region. Worshiping figurine, probably used in sardine related festivity, dating back to 2020 AD.

THIRTEEN SQUARE METERS

Realized project, designed and produced for Hiboux Architecture

A small rooftop apartment of 13m2 on Mavromixali street with a view to Lycabettus Hill is transformed into a writer’s studio/guest house. To attain multifunctionality in such limited space, the apartment is equipped with adjustable furniture, thus creating multiple spatial conditions. A sofa bed, two folding desks and two benches with storage space, change positions and formation to adapt to the desired use. The former storage loft is opened to function as an extensive shelf and can be reached by climbing up the benches of slightly different height. The writer’s shelves on the wall extend until the kitchen, gradually shifting from a typical bookshelf into an open kitchen cabinet filled with plates and pots. A small research was conducted through visual interpretations on how different body postures accommodate this flexible space.

SMOKING ROOM: ASPECTS OF TOGETHERNESS

Proposal by ΣΟΔΑ for the Greek Pavilion,17th Venice Biennale of Architecture

“How will we live together?” This is the title of the 17th Venice Biennale of Architecture taking place in 2020. The question is highlighting a broad typology of “togetherness”: “together” as citizens of different nations, “together” as gendered subjects, “together” as shared users of the same physical or digital spaces, “together” as guests on the same planet. However, every “togetherness” puts something apart, and therefore the “spatial contract” implied by the initial question, is one which should organize not only interconnections but also dialectical separations. ΣΟΔΑ’s proposal for the Greek pavilion is concentrating on this very underlying aspect of the title: who are “we”? The word “all” after “we” has been aptly omitted, and implicitly, yet aloud, the question points towards the stereotypical categories that define us: left/right, immigrants/indigenous, christians/muslims, straight/gay, smokers/non-smokers. The Smoking Room is a conceptual mechanism to help us reflect upon all these new, ad hoc “togetherness” situations that are emerging through conditions of exclusion, even as brief as smoking a cigarette, occupying exile-like spaces, generally undesigned, infrastructural and invisible. The proposed exhibition focuses on those excluded from the “we” that form different “togethers”, and the spaces they inhabit.

Project in collaboration with: G. Bougioukos, K. Efstathiou, G. Papamattheakis, V. Portokalis, X. Stoumpou, K. Tsellos.

THE BLACK TABASCO PROJECT

Professional Assignment

Logo and animated artwork, created for the solo music project The Black Tabasco Project.

Misprint Athens: Towards a new Paradigm

The book Misprint Athens: towards a new paradigm was published in October 2019 and collects the works of ΣΟΔΑ, the Cooperative for Diploma Projects on Athens, in a printed edition. The book includes material about the formation of ΣΟΔΑ, the group’s thoughts on the matter of Athens and it’s peculiar urbanity, the trascripted series of public lectures held by the group in the National Technical University of Athens in spring 2017, visuals form the resulting diploma projects of the 7 distinct teams, as well as commenting texts by the supervising professors. The conclusion is written by the curators of the Greek Pavillion for the 16th Venice Biennale, where the ΣΟΔΑ initiative was presented under the subject ‘Academic Commons’. You can visit https://www.sodathens.gr/ to get a copy of the book. (site’s curation by jenny lamda)

(For jenny lamda ‘s diploma participation in ΣΟΔΑ click here)

HYLAS: ATHENA

Professional Assignment

Album cover and animated artwork created for music album Athena by Hylas.

Hylas is an instrumental progressive post rock band based in Athens. The artwork for their debut album “Athena” is inspired by the city of Athens and follows a fictional character, Hylas, in his wanderings across the city. The artwork vibes are those of an almost dystopic place, dirty yet wonderous, balancing between ramshackle graffity-painted buildings and bitter orange trees on the sidewalks. Each of the five settings corresponds to a different track in the album, and depicts a real location in Athens: Alexandras Avenue, a road in Exarcheia, the Metro, an athenian apartment and a public swimming pool. The visuals are still images with selected elements in motion, constantly playing in a loop.

Between earth and sky: a procession towards afterlife

2nd Prize in competition organized by Patras Municipalitity

The proposal’s basic concept is a circular route, resembling the procession of epitàfios, -a sort of funeral parade in Greek culture- which evolves around a holy open-air space. Morphologically, the route becomes a quadrilateral, with sides of different «thickness» each, a shape enclosing -and almost suspended above- a courtyard of freeform natural topography, like a prism between sky and earth. The quadrilateral’s side which is bigger in thickness and height, hosts all the functions of the crematorium, with the level above dedicated to the living (friends and relatives’ activities) and the level below to the dead (technical procedures). The other three sides complete the “epitaph procession” as semi-open-air spaces defined by urn walls. The courtyard enclosed by the shape is the garden of ashes, a point of reference for all the crematorium complex, a space of reflection, mourning, scattering ashes or burying them. The building as a whole is surrounded by a grove of trees, protecting it from sight and creating, together with the existing vegetation of the area, a green continuum until Glafkos river. Its geometry and position within the green, form an internal space, a space of worship, that momentarily turns its back to social life and dedicates itself to the remembrance of the departed.

MAGNA MATER

-a short celestial narrative-

conceived by jenny.lamda & kate.xtz

Magna Mater is an imaginary maternity center, adrift in space, where women of the future can spend their pregnancy months and give birth to their children. The objective of the center is to organically create the next generations of space-tolerant people: the enhancement of humanity’s biological performance in outer space without directly interfering with its DNA, merely through the controlled exposure of the embryo and the pregnant woman to space radiation and zero-g environments. The maternity center as a celestial object consists of a) a solid core, the Mother Unit, that encloses all common spaces and offers earth-like conditions for its users, b) a liquid which surrounds the core, the Ferrofluid, that holds together and protects the whole system, while constantly being formulated by the magnetic field the core produces, c) several organically shaped masses that float within the ferrofluid and serve as space-exposure chambers for the mothers-to-be . Magna Mater is presented through a narrative, a hypothetical conversation between a pregnant woman using the center’s facilities and an A.I. phycologist that follows her progress.

(to read the narrative click here)

MAGNA MATER

- a short celestial narrative -

___________________________

“Did you observe any improvements on your last zero-g session?” “I am not sure, I still feel a bit disoriented. Maybe those inner ear devices are not working properly.” “My system does not detect any malfunctions. Statistics imply that it is perfectly normal for the adjustment period to expand over the first five weeks of gestation. However, based on your data analysis and your testimonials, I will recalibrate the levels of space radiation exposure, during your next sessions.” “I hope it helps. I just thought I would have seen some progress by now. What if I my body is just not capable of adapting to all this?” “This is highly unprobable. There are no recorded incidents of physical incompatibility. Your bodily activity is being monitored and your results do not deviate from the established parameters.” “I guess you are right… I’m just a bit stressed, that’s all.” “Your cortisol levels are indeed high. Do you want me to help you relax your brain activity?” “No, I think talking to you will do just fine. I want to experience this in the most natural way possible. Sometimes it is hard to draw a line between humane and artifice in this place…” “Artifice like me, you mean.” “I’m sorry, that was rude of me…I don’t know where all those insecurities came from. You truly are a wonderful advisor and your company is a great comfort, you know that.” “That is the purpose of my design, to guide you through this experience and address to all those issues you may be dealing with, physically or mentally.” “And I am grateful for that! I didn’t mean to degrade your work by calling you a… machine.” “My understanding of humans is that you are complex biochemical machines that function under the same universal rules as everything else. Your later statement is therefore not considered degrading. Your inhibitions are justified. However, let me remind you that the very purpose of our research and maternity facility is to assist the evolutionary adaptation of humankind.” “Agreed. I’ m a machine that reproduces itself naturally, I guess.” “Maintaining natural reproduction methods has proven to be crucial for your evolution as a species and the safeguard of your biodiversity. We aim to interfere with your biochemical functions in the least intrusive way possible, solely making sure your fetus will be able to live a healthy life away from Earth.” “I know, and that was precisely my motive for coming here. I am doing this for my baby. I don’t know… maybe his father is considered more of an idealist, saying all these children will be the next generation of interplanetary citizens. He believes humanity had to cut the umbilical cord to Earth at some point, and I agree- it does make perfect sense to adapt ourselves to space life rather than create earth-like environments everywhere. Still… I don’t understand how he does not suffer any Earth nostalgia at all.” “You do not seem to share the exploratory aspirations of your partner.” “I do. I just don’t see humans leaving Earth as the only option. If my children want to live on Earth, they might as well do so. I just want them to be physically capable, to provide them the option.” “This is a reasonable desire. I believe there should be no concern on this matter, it is upon you and your offspring to decide in which environment you will reside during your lifetime. “ “I guess all those women here share this earth-detachment mentality... I must sound like I’m coming from the 21st century or something.” “I cannot confirm this assumption. There are plenty of different intentions that attract lifebearers here.” “Like?” “A percentage of our facility’s guests choose zero-g labor without residing during the gestation period. Their aim is to return back to Earth as soon as the incubation period is over. Some others employ solely our Crispr research services, aiming at minor focused interventions for their offspring. However, for those who plan to spend an extended period of their lives in space, exposure during embryonic development is crucial for the adaptation of the neonate to extraterrestrial environments.” “The truth is I don’t know where we‘ll go as soon as we leave here. My partner was recently relocated to another base, assigned with asteroid mining services. Maybe we will join him somewhere in the nearby system. I just wish he was more present during all this… You know, he accompanied me here, but left after you were assigned to me. At least we experienced this place together initially. Magna Mater can be quite overwhelming the first time you visit, with all this liquid substance floating around.” “The correct expression would be that the ferrofluid surrounding us is stabilized by the magnetic field created by the Mother Unit. Understanding of your environment is a crucial factor for your mental stability, I am therefore hardwired to provide any relative knowledge and address misconceptions.” “Is it a misconception then that it looks a bit fragile?” “Positive. The ferrofluid distributes energy to the incubators and zero-g chambers, sustaining our facility’s controlled environment and local gravitational fields. You may have also noticed how its molecular structure is rearranged when external objects are approaching so as to prevent internal disruptions, and how it then returns to its balanced state. It is safe.” “I must admit I always indulge in the way you describe things to me during our sessions. Maybe next week I will join those floating-yoga classes, and give this liquid thing a second chance.”

___________________________

conceived by jenny.lamda & kate.xtz

*MAGNA MATER: about the narrative*

The Triangle Bookshelf

The Triangle Bookshelf is a structure adjustable in size and appearance to its owner’s will. It is based on a triangulal modulo, that can be folded in different angles, fixed in one position by horizontal elements -the shelves- and then multiplied, each part connecting to one another, thus possibly creating a infinite triangle sequence. [*the project was originally conceived and developed under the guidance of the architecture studio Babau Bureau, in Venice]

Pilgrimage to a Rock

Participation in international architecture competition “SITE CHAPEL” of Arksite - Published in OFFICINA magazine, issue 26*, under the topic “Sacred and Profane”

The island of Pessegueiro, on the opposite of Portuguese southwest coast, is a place where nature rules: a rock lying between terra firma and the ocean, both elements beyond and above human existence. These divine entities are contrasted with the remains of artificial works on the island, incomplete human efforts to tame nature. Indeed, this unique environment already constitutes a place of meditation, internality and silence. If seen as a holy rock, it bears a resemblance, in symbolism and real size, to the one of Acropolis; a metaphorical island lying in the heart of the city of Athens, Greece. The Acropolis hill used to be a place of worship for ancient Athenians, the ending point of a holy procession (ποµπή) through the city. Various build elements of different functions and ambiences were located on Acropolis, but its holiness had strongly to do with the rock itself as a unity, as an open-air space of reflection, giving therefore meaning to the promenade between the elements: after climbing a spiral path until the entrance of Propylaea, one could drift along the Erechtheum, the statue of Athena Promachos or the Parthenon, following the rock’s topography.

Accordingly, the Island of Pessegueiro as a whole, a divine rock shaped by the ocean waves, becomes the Site Chapel itself.

This peculiar Chapel-Island encloses nature while obeying its rules, without offering any build indoors human-controlled spaces. It is a procession, a promenade, a pilgrimage to nature. The island on its own is surprisingly diverse in ambiences: different parts of it define different conditions of peacefulness, exposure to natural elements, visibility, territorial formation, or sense of human presence. The proposed promenade recomposes all the existing fragments, giving them a new meaning and bringing them into unity. Using only simple architectural elements, such as walls, floors, beams or pillars, it creates a sequence of movements and rest spaces. Following the path, the pilgrim goes through an ever-evolving spatial experience along with the island’s topography, stimulating all of the senses, offering a constant change of glances and viewpoints, of relation with the ground, the guts of the rock, the ocean and the sky.

Tbilisi Biennale

Posters for the Mausoleum Pavillion, Tbilisi Biennale 2018, Buildings are not enough. The pavillion concept was developed by Babau Bureau, architecture studio in Venice. In an octagonal courtyard, surrounded by apartment blocks in Gldani, the studio recreated a 1:1 scale floorplan of Rome’s fourth-century Mausoleum of Santa Costanza, using pink paint on the ground. A wooden structure was erected in the centre of the courtyard to evoke a domed apse. The concept evolves around how a mere trace, without any build element, can define living space.

TRANSATTICA, a Topography of Deceleration - PART III

Transattica was part of an experimental working group consisting of 7 sub-teams, all delivering their diploma projects in Architecture School of NTUA. The aim was to discuss a common topic upon which each team’s distinct project would be based, consequently creating a Cooperative for Diploma Projects on Athens (ΣΟΔΑ). The 7 different approaches were discussed and debated in weekly meetings held by the students themselves, in gatherings with their supervising teachers, and finally in a series of lectures given in the Architecture School, where multidisciplinary speakers were asked to share their thoughts on the subject.

ΣΟΔΑ is arranging a publication, documenting the whole procedure and its results, and was also presented in the Greek Pavillion under the subject ‘Academic Commons’, in 16th Venice Biennale.

(for part I click here)

(for part II click here)

(for the ΣΟΔΑ publication click here)

A Toolkit for ‘Livable’ Cities

Competition Proposal for Arch+ Magazine

With reference to a provincial town in eastern Germany, a small research took place, concerning the reasons of urban sprawl and the ingredients of a livable city. The outcome was a utopic proposal, a literal transposition of urban theories (like those of Jane Jacobs, 1961) into space. If a livable city is “one that allows social interaction to develop and be visible in its public space”, can one create interaction without people? In a city sprawled and sparsely populated, “machines” imitating human presence are being placed in strategical spots, most preferably connecting areas with bigger density in activities, so as to create a continuum of livability. The machines are functioning as artificial capacitors for urban life, producing noise, light, movement, or smell. The network can be observed from the top of high, equipped with ‘life-detectors’, towers.

TRANSATTICA: a Topography of Deceleration - PART II

Ambiances

(for part I click here)

(for part III click here)

The Floor is not the Ground

Collage artwork to illustrate the essay of George Papamatthaikis entitled “The Floor is Not the Ground: Ecologies of Interruptions in Transportation Infrastructure”, published in Footprint 23 (2018) on the Architecture of Logistics. The essay evolves around human mobility infrastracture and the way it is affected by non-human-related logistics practices, employing the notions of “floor” and “ground”.

TRANSATTICA: a Topography of Deceleration - PART I

Diploma Project, National Technical University of Athens

The area of Attiki, at the northwestern part of Athens city center, is a place marked out as a public transport interchange, standing in-between arrivals and departures, serving multitudes of everyday people. The subway and overground stations, the bus stops, as well as car yards, depots and repair factories, create an infrastructural isle, bordered from public space, just next to the neighborhood’s central square. Despite the crowds constantly passing through the transit node, Attiki area remains invisible to them. Public transport may have a strict functional character aiming to effectiveness and time-saving, but it also has a great potential: it forces you to rub shoulders with total strangers, thus creating spaces of conflict and unpredictability. In our proposal, making use of that potential, we are stretching the space and time of the interchange, so as to create an expanded stop, also functioning as local public space. Using rural topography as a tool to bring nature’s decelerated pace inside this urban environment, we are trying to compose an open air public space dispersed with neighborhood uses, or potential detours for the passenger; a place worth staying or at least staying a bit longer.

(for part II click here)

(for part III click here)

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