Michael Dürfeld
Architecture&Theory

 

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Dr.-Ing. Michael Dürfeld: Architecture & Theory Curriculum vitae
Born in 1971 / 1992-1996 studied architecture and urban planning at Hamburg Hochschule für bildenden Künste (HfbK), and from 1996-2000 at the Berlin Universität der Künste (UdK) and Berlin Technische Universität (TU) / 2000 graduation at Hamburg HfbK with the thesis 'ornamental design - systems-theoretical observation of architectural design processes - a website' / 2001 freelance webdesigner / 2001-2003 doctoral student of the German Research Foundation's (DFG) university graduate training programme on the subject of the practice and theory of the artistic creative process, at Berlin UdK / 2007 PhD at the Institute of Architecture, Department of Architectural Theory at Berlin TU / 2008 Publication of the PhD-Thesis under the title "Das Ornamentale und die architektonische Form. Systemtheoretische Irritationen" / Since 2009 associated scientist at the "Innovation Center of Knowledge Research" (IZW) at Berlin TU with the research project "Architectural Evolutions" / Since 2010 member of "Netzwerk Architekturwissenschaft e.V." / 2010-2011 Architect and lecturer in Santiago de Chile / Since 2011 guest lecturer at the department of architecture theory at TU Berlin. 

 

Research Priorities

Interferences of architectural, art and systems theory:

Architecture & Aesthetics
Architectural theory in the field of tension between art theory and philosophy. Architecture as the art of building. On the tectonics of philosophical edifices of thought.

Architecture & Design
Models of architectural design processes with special reference to the strategies applied in artistic production.

Architecture & Ornamental Art
Facets of ornamental art in architecture: on the foundations for, as well as the formulation, form and function of ornamentation in art and architecture

Architecture & Society
The foundations of systems-theoretical observations in architecture. The theory of architectural theory: genesis, function and form of an academic discipline.

 

BOOKS



Michael Dürfeld: Das Ornamentale und die architektonische Form

Das Ornamentale und die architektonische Form. 
Systemtheoretische Irritationen.

[The Ornamental Art and Architectural Form.
Systems-theoretical Irritations]. 
Bielefeld, May 2008. 
If, according to Niklas Luhmann, ornamentation is interpreted as a basic artistic principle for generating shapes and bodies, ornamental art in architecture may be seen as the specific artistic-creative quality of the architectural design process. This book decompresses the foundation, formulation, form and function of ornamental art into the following thematic complexes: perception, calculation, geometry and structure. This generates an operational interpretation of ornament, to be used in architectural theory, which asks further questions about cosmos, evolution, virtuality and atmosphere. This makes a fundamental comment on the current discourse regarding the theory of ornamental art in architecture and at the same time acts as a ‘hinge’, which - for the first time - can be used to question the foundations of Niklas Luhmann's systems theory. 

>>> Summary in English [pdf]


Articles

Ornamental Structuralism. From Rhythm to Evolution – the Future of Structuralism?
In: Tomás Valena / Tom Avermaete / Georg Vrachliotis (eds.): Structuralism Reloaded? Rule-Based Design in Architecture and Urbanism. Stuttgart/London: Edition Axel Menges 2011, pp.297-303.
>>> [pdf]

BauKunstKommunikation.
[Architectural communication]
In: Christian Filk / Holger Simon (eds.): Kunstkommunikation: "Wie ist Kunst möglich?" Beiträge zu einer systemischen Medien- und Kunstwissenschaft. Berlin 2010, pp.267-277.

L'ornemental comme ornement intrinsèque. 
[The ornamental as an internal ornament] 
In: Perspective. La revue de l'Institut national d'histoire de l'art, 2010/2011-1 "Ornement/Ornemental", pp.21-22.
>>> Online-Information: Institut national d'histoire de l'art (INHA)
>>> Article in German: [pdf]

Architektonische Konkretion als Formproblem. Eine systemtheoretische Perspektive.
[Architectural Concretion as a problem of Form. A system-theoretical perspective.]
In: Cloud - Cuckoo - Land: International Journal of Architectural Theory, Vol. 14, No. 1/2009 "Concreteness in Architecture", edited by Susanne Hauser, Claus Dreyer. 
>>> Abstract in English and article in German: www.cloud-cuckoo.net

Ornamentality as Artificial Evolution. A comment to the current discussion about a new ornament.
In: Zona #4, Supplement to Abitare, #494, Jörg Gleiter (ed.), Bozen 2009, pp.58-59.
>>> Article in English: [pdf]

Das Ornament. Architektur und Systemtheorie.
[The Ornament: Architecture and Systems Theory].
In: kritische berichte. Zeitschrift für Kunst- und Kulturwissenschaften, No. 4.2008 "Niklas Luhmann", Sabine Kampmann (ed.), pp.79-83.
>>> Article in German: [pdf]

www.ornamentalesentwerfen.de - Der Versuch, die Momente im Prozess festzuhalten  
[Ornamental design: the attempt to hold on to single moments in the process]. 
In: Karin Gludovatz, Martin Peschken (eds.), Momente im Prozess. Zeitlichkeit künstlerischer Produktion. Berlin, 2004, pp.141-152.
 >>> Article in German: [pdf]

ornamental - organisch - evolutionär. Architektonisches Entwerfen zwischen systemischer Konstruktion und evolutionärer Selbstorganisation.  
[ornamental - organic - evolutionary. Architectural design between systemic construction and evolutionary self-organization].
In: Friedrich Weltzien / Amrei Volkmann (eds.): Modelle künstlerischer Produktion. Berlin 2003, pp.57-68.
 >>> Article in German: [pdf]


Articles IN PRESS

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Posters

Ornamentstadt  
[The Ornamental City]
Exhibition in the Poster section of the 27th conference of German art historians in Leipzig, 2003.


WEBSITES

ornamentalesentwerfen - Systemtheoretische Beobachtungen architektonischer Entwurfsstrategien - Eine Website 
[ornamentaldesigning - systems-theoretical observations on architectural design strategies]. 2000
>>> Summary published online: baunetz.de


LECTURES, DISCUSSIONS, MODERATIONS

05.11.2011 Basel, Switzerland
Moderation at the conference "wissenschaft entwerfen. Vom forschenden Entwerfen zur Entwurfsforschung der Architektur", organized from eikones NFS Bildkritik.

30.09.2011 Krems, Austria
16th conference of the association of Austrians art historians
Title: Vom Ornament zum Ornamentalen. Vom Ästhetischen zum Kognitiven. [From ornament to ornamental. From aesthetic to cognition]

12.03.2011 Santiago de Chile, Chile
Guest lecture at Universidad Católica de Chile
Title: Ornament and Evolution.

09.07.2010 Berlin
bda-stadtsalon "Theory of architecture" 
Title: Architekturtheorie entwerfen. Zur Provokation einer Sinnsuche. [The design of architecture theory. The provocation of a search for sense.] 

27.06.2010 Einsiedeln, Switzerland 
International baroque summer course of the "Library Werner Oechslin" foundation
Title: Das Ornament der Mathesis universalis [The ornament of the Mathesis universalis]

01.06.2010 Bozen, Italy 
Conference "Digital. Material. Structural. Ornament Today" 
Title: Neues Programm und alte Funktion. Zum Verhältnis von Ornamentalität und Strukturalität im neuen Ornament [New programme and old function. The relation of Ornamentality and Structure in the new ornament]

22.01.2010 Copenhagen, Denmark
International conference "The Artwork between Technology and Nature" 
Title: Artistic Ornamentation between Natural and Artificial Evolution

21.11.2009 Munich
International symposium "Structuralism in Architecture and Urbanism - reloaded" 
Title: Ornamentaler Strukturalismus. Vom Rhythmus zur Evolution als Zukunft des Strukturalismus [Ornamental structuralism]

15.01.2009 Frankfurt am Main
Discussion forum "Ornament als Versprechen" by the AIT 
Title: Vier Dimensionen des Ornamentalen [Four dimensions of ornamentality]

10.10.2008 Stuttgart
International convention of the German Society of Semiotics 
Title: Architektonische Konkretion als Formproblem [Architectural Concretion as a problem of Form]

27.06.2008 Hamburg
Hamburg Graduiertenforum "Das Ornamentale in der Entwurfspraxis der Moderne" 
Title: Ornament und Entwurf. Ein formentheoretisches Modell [Ornament and Design]

16.11.2007 Cologne
Conference "Aisthesis und Medium. (In-)Differenzen der Beobachtung von Kunstkommunikation" 
Title: BauKunstKommunikation [Architectural communication]

 
CONTACT
mail@duerfeld.de