ORNAMENTAL PLAY 2 – A SITE-SPECIFIC CERAMIC INSTALLATION – OFFICINET 2014 COPENHAGEN
FACADES IN MODERN CITYSCAPE
In 2014, amidst the vibrant urban landscape of Copenhagen, Ornamental Play 2 – Officinet invited visitors to engage in a
site-specific exploration that redefined the role of the façade in the modern cityscape. Drawing inspiration from key
architectural theories—Loos’ Ornament and Crime, Sullivan’s Form Follows Function, Mies van der Rohe’s Less is More,
and Venturi’s Less is Boring—this installation became both an intellectual and material dialogue, where the boundaries
between ornamentation, function, and design collapsed into a unified concept of exploration.
GLAZED CONCRETE AND TRANSFERS
At the heart of this work was the use of Glazed Concrete, a material both timeless and contemporary, firm yet adaptable.
The installation consisted of 42 individual ceramic tiles, each serving as a segment of a larger, intricate narrative. When
arranged in a specific formation, the tiles recreated the very façade of the building that housed the exhibition itself, a
photograph of which had been transferred onto the tiles using ceramic transfers. The façade, a fixed, immovable feature of
the architecture, was fragmented into 42 movable pieces, inviting visitors to reshape, reconfigure, and explore the
puzzle-like composition.
THE FACADE AS A PUZZLE
The installation’s play with this motif allowed the static to become dynamic. The 42 tiles, each bearing part of the
photographic image, became a shifting canvas as viewers actively participated in its transformation. The tiles could
be rearranged, offering an experience where the architectural image of the building was reimagined continuously.
It was as though the very structure of the space, the architecture itself, could be reconsidered and reassembled in
new ways—its form constantly evolving in dialogue with those who engaged with it.
REARRANGE AND RETHINK
Ornamental Play 2 was thus not just an installation but an invitation: to rethink, to reimagine, and to engage in the
fluidity of architectural meaning. As visitors interacted with the tiles, they were not only manipulating the physical
space but also participating in the larger conversation about the nature of ornamentation, function, and the evolving
relationship between architecture and its inhabitants. In this way, the puzzle of 42 tiles became a metaphor for the
potential of architecture to be more than just a static backdrop to daily life—it became a space for active participation,
a living, breathing dialogue between the past and the present.
NEW NARRATIVE
Through ceramic transfers and glazed concrete, a new narrative of form and function emerged, one in which the
boundaries between architecture, art, and interaction were forever blurred.
Dimensions: 12m × 7m
Materials: A self-developed ceramic technique, specific ceramic glazed concrete
(both fired and unfired), alongside stoneware with glazing and graphic transfers, and additional wood elements.
Photos: The facade and videostill -Anja
Photos: The rest – Ole Akhøj and Anja Bache
Transfers printed in UK at: Transfers Sadler Green
Click here to watch a video about it
Click here to watch jouurnalist Katrine Scmeichels Video
Photo of the facade at Officenet divided into 42 pieces and a still from th evideo made for the exhibition.
Photos from the exhibition.