Transformative Spaces

2024

A universal space. For the most personal place.

https://www.dornbracht.com/en-us/lp/transformative-spaces

Concept documentation movie: Meiré und Meiré, Creation documentation movie: Joseph Strauch

Partners:

Dornbracht
Meiré und Meiré

Lecturer:

Prof. Andreas Muxel
Prof. Dr. Alessandra Zarcone

Students:

Catharina Bierl, Christian Frey, Gina-Maria Gioia, Timo Holzmann, Lucilia Metzer, Andreas Outos, Bastian Rögele, Oliver Schunn, Lisa Schwabe, Dorian Spiegelhauer

Study Programm / Course:

Team project in Interactive Media

How much physical materiality is even needed anymore in a digital world?

Through tactile, auditory and visual stimuli the project offers new perspectives and experiences in the context of the future bathroom. A particular focus is placed on transformative spaces of extended realities. The goal is to offer individual experiences in an immersive and mindful way by combining digital technology with physical materials.

At the beginning of the project, the students questioned established notions of spatiality and materiality. The bathroom was conceived as a place of retreat, serving physical and mental regeneration. To convey a sense of comfort and security, the students advocated for the integration of personalized elements. The idea was that the space itself should adapt to the changing needs, moods, and routines of its users. Various approaches emerged that thematically integrated the transformation of materials and forms as well as the dynamic alteration of the environment.

»Shifting Sink« is an interactive and kinetic basin that can take on different shapes depending on the input of the user. The numerous components that make up the sink are 3D printed and invite you to touch them directly.

For »Living Tiles« properties of physical tiles are extended with auditory and visual elements. Artificial intelligence was used to create abstract, translucent shapes, which were materialized using 3D printing. In combination with projected animations, the tiles are brought to life in different ways.

In »Distorted Echo«, a mirror shows an abstracted counterpart and breaks with the usual perception. A spatially distorted surface becomes a projection surface for generative animations of one's own image.

»Eco Arc« focuses on the integration of organic components and promotes the return of nature to man-made spaces. A cube-shaped wooden frame serves as a classic bathroom module, but is filled with moss, soil and seeds. A time lapse shows how the growing plants unfold freely in the room and form a connection with their surroundings.

»Transformative Spaces« thus becomes an insightful exposition that combines technology, nature and customisation to offer new perspectives on established bathroom architecture and hygiene rituals. The approaches turn away from static components, create new sensory stimuli with the help of movement, sound or light and thus offer an immersive experience in the bathroom in harmony with the moods and emotional states of its users.

Photos: Bastian Rögele, Dorian Spiegelhauer and Joseph Strauch