Madeleine Morley, Max Boersma
Ode to Construction
Abstraction in the Digital Age
- category
- Bronze Medal
jury statement
★★
Finland /// Finnland
★★
“Each form is the frozen temporary image of a process. Thus, any work merely represents a way station in the process of becoming, and not a frozen goal.” El Lissitsky (on his work Proun Room)
Inspired by Russian Constructivism of the 1920s, this impressive work explores the intersections of graphic design and generative art. The book’s typography engages in a dialogue with geometric shapes created by code. The beautifully executed edge printing and the imposing redness of the work make for a convincing object that throws an ideal bridge to the content.
A project traversing both media and time extends across a printed book, a spatial installation, and a digital tool. A digital tool that is available online at odetoconstruction.com. Within several clicks, the site produces new constellations instantaneously, each iteration downloadable as an image file and printable at home.
Re-exploring the Suprematist movements – that had a very strong influence on De Stijl, Bauhaus and many others – the book draws on history while simultaneously utilizing contemporary technological possibilities. Via “Ode to Construction” Polina Joffe questions medium and context: What happens when a construction turns from code to print, or from code to space? What is lost? What stays the same?
