Synthetic Nature is an instance of my explorative research into spatiality, scale and materiality; all with deep roots in my architectural background. The work has transcended those levels by creating artefacts that are interpretable and adaptable to anything from jewellery, fashion, product design and interiors, architecture to fine art.

Algorithmic and geometrical concepts generate surface to volume morphologies that are blurring the boundaries between 'inside' and 'outside', between 'solid' and 'transparent' or between 'natural' and 'synthetic' - blended into abstract hybrid species. (Vlad Tenu)

In Shoreditch, London, acclaimed architect Richard Scott has transformed the street level part of his practice on Scrutton Street into an art gallery featuring the work of artists and architects that explores tensions and influences between the two areas of practice. "My work as an architect has been driven by the impulse to create newness through experimentation," Scott told WSI, "In this work, art has been prominent and yet I have become aware of the need for architecture to speculate beyond the constraints of function as typically accepted."

Surface_Gallery opens with Synthetic Nature, a solo exhibition of the Romanian artist and architect Vlad Tenu. The extraordinary exhibition is a collection of prototypes born through holistic architectural research into the genesis of form and space. The self-organization of matter, conservation of energy, equilibrium and notions of minimal complexity are concepts that drive the creative process; a symbiotic mix of design, art and science.

The analogy with the molecular behavior of soap bubbles informs the research method, which involves nature-inspired algorithms and geometrical constraints. Focusing on periodic minimal surfaces, the design process challenges the concepts of multi-dimensional symmetry and repetition, creating modular continuous surfaces that are infinitely expandable.

The paradoxical character of Synthetic Nature is emerging from the computational side of the design process as well as the artificial materiality of the generated prototypical artifacts. Following the biological model taxonomy, the collection challenges the notion of artifact through creating a series of morphological design species.

This research explores new spatial qualities, material effects and volumetric intricacy, through continuous surface geometries, repetition of cellular components to skin topology systems. The resulting prototypes open-up several opportunities at various scales in architecture, product and fashion design.

Vlad Tenu is an architect based in London. His design research focuses on the integration of computation, science and technology in the creative process involving generative algorithms, digital fabrication techniques and interactive design. His project – Minimal Complexity, winner of the Tex-Fab REPEAT 2010 competition, was exhibited at the London Festival of Architecture 2012 and the London Design Festival 2012, as part of the International Architecture and Design Showcase 2012. Minimal Complexity has been awarded an AIA Houston Design Award for ‘Divine Detail’ in March 2012.

Vlad Tenu, Synthetic Nature
Surface_Gallery,
51 Scrutton Street
London, EC2A 4PJ, UK
www.surface-gallery.com
17th July - 27th September 2013
Free exhibition

Photos credits: Sebastian Heroiu
1. Vlad Tenu, Alveolata 3.7.A, detail
2. Vlad Tenu, Synthetic Nature, Surface_Gallery
3. Vlad Tenu, Synthetic Nature, Surface_Gallery
4. Vlad Tenu, Alveolata 2.4.A
5. Vlad Tenu, Nucleotida 3.7.A
6. Vlad Tenu, Alveolata 3.7.A