Lecture 6 - Felice Varini
In association with think4.
Lecture date:
27 March 2008, BAFTA, London
The sixth in the series and our first for 2008 was held in March at
BAFTA's headquarters, this time with the work of artist, Felice Varini.
Renowned for working with architectural space and perspective,
Swiss-born Felice Varini has been creating paintings in the public
realm for the past thirty years. Using enclosed spaces and urban
environments, Varini makes us think about the connection between space
and reality.
The accompanying journal of the lecture delivers a compelling outlook of Varini's projections. The work of our sixth lecturerer is somewhat intriguing and probably the most daring. It captures the sheer magnitude of some of Varini's pieces and leaves the reader begging the question; just how did he do it?
In an extract from his foreword to the journal, Adrian Shaughnessy writes;
"It’s easy to see why Graphic Designers are attracted to Varini’s work. Designers expend lots of brainpower making two-dimensional space look three-dimensional. the surfaces of posters, the pages of books, even the screens of computers and TVs are depthless, and so when designers need to create a sense of a third dimension, they have to use graphic tricks and illusions. Colour can suggest distance; layering techniques can suggest whether something is deep or shallow; perspective can be used to suggest scale.
Varini, however, does the opposite: he uses his artistic genius to make three-dimensional space look flat. by going out into the physical world, and painting two lines on two different surfaces so that when viewed from a certain point the two lines appear to be on the same plane, Varini is creating a thrilling illusion. but for Varini, it’s not a trick. It’s a way of seeing and understanding space. just as graphic designers are masters of two-dimensional space, Varini is a master of tri-dimensionality – to use a favourite term of the art philosophers."
Watch the video:
The accompanying journal of the lecture delivers a compelling outlook of Varini's projections. The work of our sixth lecturerer is somewhat intriguing and probably the most daring. It captures the sheer magnitude of some of Varini's pieces and leaves the reader begging the question; just how did he do it?
In an extract from his foreword to the journal, Adrian Shaughnessy writes;
"It’s easy to see why Graphic Designers are attracted to Varini’s work. Designers expend lots of brainpower making two-dimensional space look three-dimensional. the surfaces of posters, the pages of books, even the screens of computers and TVs are depthless, and so when designers need to create a sense of a third dimension, they have to use graphic tricks and illusions. Colour can suggest distance; layering techniques can suggest whether something is deep or shallow; perspective can be used to suggest scale.
Varini, however, does the opposite: he uses his artistic genius to make three-dimensional space look flat. by going out into the physical world, and painting two lines on two different surfaces so that when viewed from a certain point the two lines appear to be on the same plane, Varini is creating a thrilling illusion. but for Varini, it’s not a trick. It’s a way of seeing and understanding space. just as graphic designers are masters of two-dimensional space, Varini is a master of tri-dimensionality – to use a favourite term of the art philosophers."
Watch the video:
You need Adobe Flash 10 to view this video - Howard Smith Paper Group - Lecture 6 from Howard Smith Paper on Vimeo.
To find out how he does it, and to register your interest for a copy of the Felice Varini limited edition journal, click here. Or if you just want to learn more about the family of products featured in the think4 range, click on the logo above right.
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Collaboration: Lecture Series
think4
