ORNAMENTAL PLAY  – GALLERY OXHOLM – COPENHAGEN 2014

DIALOG BETWEEN SKETCHES – MATERIALITY – SPACE

 

GLAZED CONCRETE – ENGAGING

Between 2009 and 2013, I developed a unique ceramic-glazed concrete through a
project supported by The Realdania Foundation, in my role as Associate Professor
at DTU BYG, Architectural Engineering. This research synthesized material science,
process technology, and artistic exploration—bridging the fields of art, design, and
architecture. By merging technical and artistic inquiry with practice, my work
sought to engage with the surrounding world, acquiring both explicit knowledge
and the tacit understanding that emerged through
action, sensory experience, and emotion.

MATERIALITY – LIGHT AND SPACE

At Gallery Oxholm, this exhibition presented a meeting between my works in
ceramic glazed concrete and the spatial framework of the gallery itself.
My contribution featured concrete-based ceramics created at the Danish Art
Workshops in 2013, alongside grey-painted pegs forming a ceramic sketch
an inquisitive exploration of ornamental structures and spatial compositions.
These elements did not merely occupy the space; they sought to engage in
dialogue with it, responding to the scale, proportions, and architectural
characteristics of the room.

AN INVISTIGATION

Through this installation, I examined how material, texture, and ornamentation
could shape and transform spatial perception. The works played with the
boundaries between structure and decoration, solid and permeable, rigid and
fluid. Light and shadow became active participants, revealing subtle variations
in surface, depth, and form. The ceramic elements, whether integrated or
standing apart, interacted with the exhibition space through reflection,
diffusion, and contrast, inviting a dynamic reading of their presence
within the room.

A CERAMIC SKETCH

The foundation of this ceramic sketch lay in the industrial, prefabricated building
where elements and construction systems were defined by installation and
juxtaposition. In contemporary architecture, millimeter-thin façade panels acted
as decorative shells, concealing the functional layers of a building’s exterior,
particularly in energy-efficient renovations. In contrast, this exhibition moved
beyond the static nature of façades, embracing a spatial play of ceramic
installations that questioned the relationship between surface, structure,
and perception.

ACTIVATING SPACE

By activating the space through material interventions, the exhibition became an
exploration of patterns, ornamentation, and the shifting dialogue between object
and room. It was a study of surfaces, structures, and spatial gestures—ornamental,
yet always in motion.

MATERIALS: Glazed concrete and painted wood

PHOTOS: Ole Akhøj
SEE CATALOG

Photos from the Gallery Ocholm 2014 – the exhibition. Photos Ole Akhøj.