MARIA ESTEBAN CASAÑAS
THESIS
RIBA PART II
YEAR 5
2015
THESIS: THE DIGITAL GRAMMAR OF ORNAMENT
A Reinterpretation of Baroque Aesthetics
The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, Fifth Year, 2015
Thesis Advisor: Oliver Domeisen
RIBA Part II
My thesis indulges in the development of hyper-digital ornament, investigating computational explorations verging on the representational or non-representational; the figurative and the abstract. An investigation into the dialectics of tendencies, offers a re-interpretation and interrogation of the present role of meaning and ornament. By grounding digital ornament in its historical context, it creates a rapport between architecture, digitalism, language and culture that instills the boundaries for this study.
Through a speculative argument, this thesis interprets the underlying tendencies in the current digital era. This leads to a theoretical and historical understanding of my own digital explorations, critically informing, extending and augmenting my design portfolio. The study thus becomes an investigative speculation and analysis, which explores one method in which ornament can carry meaning again through the use of the emerging tools.