©Alessandra Hofmann Portfolio 2021
Interference MA Diploma Project 2021 HEAD-Geneva January - May 2021 Interference is part of an ongoing exploration of the light behavior in space. Optical instruments, artificial light, and natural movement are fused together to explore their interconnected relationship. The analog light interferences are being designed within an exhibition as well as performative space. Through a personal and experimental approach, the performer precisely controls and manipulates the light with her own body movement to explore visual phenomena. The natural behavior of light involves a very random and unexpected character as every small movement generates a unique visual outcome. Therefore, the light interferences are being generated through flat to volumetric surfaces of translucent instruments fused with artificial light and pre-designed body movements. Interference aims to emphasize the power of light as a medium and material to create, shape and transform the spatial experience in a live moment. Rediscovering the relationship between human and the material world and emphasizing a sense of vulnerability towards materiality. Project design & production: Alessandra Hofmann Full installation size: 400x400cm Materials: glass lenses, triangular prisms, MDF, steel stands, mirror, plexiglass plate, LED flashlight
Video documentation: https://vimeo.com/566343091 Project publication: https://www.head-geneve.show/ projects/interference-ah
Photo Credits:
©Alessandra
Hofmann, Baptiste Coulon
Interference Moment: Reflection of triangular prism and glass lens
Interference Moment: Prismatic light and bended light reflection
Interference Moment: Double reflection through glass lenses
Interference Moment: Reflection of flexible plexiglass plate being bended
Interference Moment: Reflection of triangular prism
Optical Instruments: Triangular prisms and glass lenses
Interference Experiments: Dichroic glass plate interfering natural light
Photo Credits:
©Alessandra
Hofmann
Interference Experiments: Triangular prism interfering sunlight
Photo:
©Alessandra
Hofmann
Magnifying Illusion MA Thesis 2020 HEAD-Geneva, Switzerland March - October 2020 The inspiration for light phenomena and its unexpected behavior evolved from the written Master thesis called Magnifying Illusion about the 19th century inventor Nikola Tesla and his creative approaches. Accidents and surprise moments were more than usual while he explored and experimented with large electrical streamers in space. Tesla, just like other investors within the scientific frame, was establishing a new relationship with electricity and needed to be constantly flexible towards the unknown. Known as a significant contributor to the electrical revolution of the late 19th century, Tesla established a strategy of communication that involved the creation of illusions: While Tesla personally struggled to adapt his inventions to a practical and commercial application, the only way he felt secure was to manipulate the audience‘s perception in order to promote his personal ideals. The focus therefore lays on Tesla‘s extensive photographic execution in Colorado Springs from 1899 to 1900 where he and his photographer documented experiments on the wireless power transmission. Scenes of electrical light in action were composed and captured resulting in images that transmit a fictional plot. Fascinated strongly by his own experiments, Tesla‘s illusions finally took over his own perception of reality. Book Design: Alessandra Hofmann, Gina Cansell Screen print and binding: Duo D‘art, Finissimo, Geneva, Switzerland Online Thesis: https://issuu.com/aleshofmann/docs/alessandrahofmann_ magnifyingillusionhigh-compresse
Photo Credits:
©Alessandra
Hofmann
Photo:
©Alessandra
Hofmann
Physical Editing Experimental Project 2020 HEAD-Geneva December 2020 Individual project design and production as an installation for HEAD-Geneva executed within the MA space & communication program. Physical editing is part of a design workshop in space and human scale, and started off by interpreting the given words asteroid and lead-lined refrigerator into a physical experience. Therefore, an abstract and imaginative narrative between the two words was conceptualized involving the sun‘s intensities to create an interconnected relationship between all elements. An animated sun produced in Adobe After Effects, appears and disappears as a slow growing movement projected on a large 5x3m wall. When the sun is fully visible, the projected asteroids within the refrigerator transform and appear externally on another spot of a 3x3m black paper in space. The sun‘s heat provokes asteroids to emit radiation in certain moments, causing them to shift away and travel to another direction. The radiation levels are being detected through the design of physical glass tubes within the refrigerator inspired by NASA‘s bubble detectors. Unwanted aluminum objects were found in the metal trash and reused within the translucent fridge. The 3 parts of the installation: the sun, the fridge and the external asteroids interact with each other through projected animations expressing the notion of transformation space. Project design & production: Alessandra Hofmann Full installation size: 5x8m Materials & devices: 3 light projections, plexiglass, glass, aluminum, paper, concrete wall, mirror, translucent gel. Animation Asteroids: https://vimeo.com/480906573
Photo Credits:
©Alessandra
Hofmann, Roman Lusser
Frontal View of 3 Elements
The Bubble Radiation Detectors
The Lead-Lined Refrigerator
The Bubble Radiation Detectors
The External Asteroids
The Animated Sun
Dans l’œil du Prince Hermès x MA Space & Comm. 2020 Geneva, Switzerland March 2020 - January 2021 Project collaboration between the MA space & communication course and Hermès in Geneva, Switzerland. Given the brief to design the f/w 2020 windows in Geneva, the words vivid, playful, captivating and color richness represented the first visual concepts and experiments in space. Therefore, the main exploration involved the relationship between the viewer and colors to become a strong perceptual experience between interior and exterior space. The Hermès products were conceptualized to be staged as the main characters and protagonists of an imaginative trip through the Swiss mountains. Inspired by “L’œil du Prince”, the most privileged place to watch a play in a theater, the proposal engages the viewer to experience the perspectives of moving illusions created by the physical compositions and its colors in space. Project design & production: MA Space & Communication course, HEAD-Geneva Project supervision: Arno Mathies, Alexandra Midal, François Dumas Materials: MDF, digital print on matte paper Amount of windows: 10 Project publication: https://www.hesge.ch/head/projet/hermes-loeil-du-prince
Photo Credits:
©Michel
Giesbrecht
Perspective Rue Robert-Céard
Perspective Rue du Rhone
Perspective Rue Quai du Général-Guisan
Visual Process & Experiments The experiments explore a strong experience between the viewer and the color richness in space. The relationship between both is being strengthened by glass lenses that in one hand magnify the digital color effect and on the other hand shape it to new unexpected visuals. Pushing the analog character even further by overlapping and over layering glass lenses the visual experience is being expanded. Experimental development: https://hermesaudiospectrum.tumblr.com Password: hermesproposition
Photo Credits:
©Alessandra
Hofmann
Visual Process & Experiments Digital color animation of gradients on screen are being interfered by physical glass lenses. Together they fuse to become a strong analog and digital relationship and language. Depending on the position of the viewer, different perspectives and its effects on the glass / screen interference are being explored.
Visual Process & Experiments
Performative Spaces Semaine de Tous les Possibles 2020 HEAD-Geneva, Switzerland February 2020 Workshop led by Ola Maciejewsca One week spatial related workshop about the role and use of materiality in performance art. The performance proposition explores the precision of body movements of two performers interacting with salt on a 150x60cm cloth - light piece. The projected light rectangle becomes the principle visual and interactive spot through which the performers are challenged by a complete dark space surrounding. Functioning as a canvas in certain moments, the light spot changes between red and white digital light according to the performance procedure from less to more dynamic movements of precision. With the use of salt through the body movement of the hands, transformative visuals are being created on the light spot that range from random to complete graphic shapes. While involving a sense of improvisation, the visual outcomes are partly unknown and unexpected, making every moment unique by itself. Finally, the notion of time in space is strongly being physically investigated through this work by different speeds of the body movement fused with the intuition between the performers. Spatial concept design & production: Alessandra Hofmann, Viola Poli Visual design & art direction Alessandra Hofmann Materials: Cotton cloth, salt, projected light
Photo Credit:
©Alessandra
Hofmann
Performance Documentation
Photo:
©Alessandra
Hofmann
Constellations Verbier Art Summit 2020 Verbier, Switzerland September 2019 - January 2020 Realized during a collaboration between the MA course Space & Communication at HEAD-Geneva and the Verbier Art Summit 2020. Tapping the potential of using unwanted and waste materials, we conceptualized and produced “chair pockets” that create flexible seating constellations and its group clusters. The project emerged for the Verbier Art Summit in 2019, which challenged us to find spatial propositions for its future conferences. After researching on waste materials, we contacted and obtained the opportunity to get waste textiles by the Swiss awning companies STOBAG and Georjon SA to produce our mockup and final pieces. The main concept is to provide the user a flexible, simple and sustainable chair pocket which can be further designed to a seating group or landscape within any human scale space. The natural graphic and colorful appearance of the textiles enabled us already an expressive visual language without any forced intervention. Finally, the experience with the chair pockets works within interior as well as exterior spaces because of its waterproof textile material. Project concept & design: Alessandra Hofmann,Tejal Gala Project production: Arno Mathies, Emma Pflieger Material: Pergola textile by STOBAG
Project publication: https://www.hesge.ch/head/projet/resource-hungry-our-cultured-landscape-and-its-ecological-impact Photo Credits:
©Alessandra
Hofmann, Tejal Gala
Mockup: 2-4 pocket constellations
Mockup: 5-8 pocket constellations & final production at the summit
UNTOLD Camper x MA Space & Comm. 2019 Mallorca, Spain Oktober - November 2019 Project collaboration between the MA space & communication course and Camper in Mallorca, Spain. The project proposition for the Spanish shoe brand Camper and its visual and spatial language evolves around showcasing the transformative experience between the analog and the digital character. Through the use of reflecting pvc foils, acrylic ramps and a projector as the main light source, an interference as well as fusion between the organic and artificial imagination is being created. Video campaigns by Camper between 2016-1019 were selected and used as the visual content to be transformed in space emphasizing their history but also an innovative and futuristic visual language. While projecting the digital moving-image content on foils in a very sharp angle, the reflections become the main visual display on the wall and provide a complete visual transformation of the moving-image experience of a familiar/unfamiliar visual context. The shape and distance of the foils towards the projector mark the size, clarity and shape appearance of the reflection. The digital is being interfered by the analog and reverse rediscovering the Camper imagination and beyond. Full installation size: 5x5m Project design & production: Alessandra Hofmann Materials: Pvc foils, bended mirror plate, acrylic ramp, light projection Video documentation: https://vimeo.com/571768839 Project Publication: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17874135188186847/ Photo Credits:
©Alessandra
Hofmann
Analog x Digital Spectacle: Physical transformation of video footage
Analog x Digital Spectacle: Physical transformation of CAMPER Logo
Analog x Digital Experiments: The object and its shadow within a reflective landscape
Analog x Digital Experiments: The object and its shadow within a reflective landscape
Site and visual exploration through photography without filters
Photo Credits:
©Alessandra
Hofmann
The Distorted Square Bauhaus Summer School 2019 Bauhaus University Weimar, Germany July 2019 Workshop: Design Delight, Re-projections for expanding spaces led by Luca Pulvirenti The distorted square is marked to be a multimedia sculpture and installation representing a digital fusion in the material world. The digital projection is fixed and the physical object is suspended, mapped onto the back face of the virtual. Through a reversed reprojection, the digital and the material eventually converge, expanding and unfolding the possibilities of the mediums which creates infinite points of view. The multimedia sculpture originally developed through the application of the plane’s description in a tangible space. The model evolved from the surface’s relation in the space, materializing the experience of re-projection. By mapping the shadows of the physical object, the light creates a bridge between the material and the digital plane. For a fugitive period of time, the precise pixels and the inaccurate world of shadows share the same space creating an ephemeral communion in a poetic space. The light reflected in the object goes beyond the projection frame and invades the space while the diffraction of white light creates natural colors in the composition. The sound design consists of a generative composition. Sonic waves are triggered by the natural movement of the sculpture playing with the relation of the changing form in time. Project Design & Production: Alessandra Hofmann, Emilio Cordero Checa, Yu Tang Materials: Plexiglass plates, aluminium sticks, sand paper, MDF, mirror, digital white projection Video documentation: https://vimeo.com/496624927
Photo Credits:
©Andrew
Vathanakamsang
Résumé
Education MA Degree of Arts HES-SO in Design Major in Space and Communication Average grade 5.3 of 6.0 2019 - 2021, HEAD-Geneva, Switzerland Bauhaus Summer School 2019 Re-projections for Expanding Spaces July 2019, Bauhaus University Weimar, Germany BA Degree of Arts Major in Digital Arts and Multimedia Average grade 18.0 of 20.0 2016 - 2019, BAU Barcelona, Spain ESAD Matosinhos, Portugal
Experience Junior Design Research Conference 2020 Chosen speaker and representative of MA course Presentation of MA thesis “Magnifying Illusion” November 2020, Luzern, Switzerland Hermès f/w 20/21 Geneva Window Design Role: Visual design and experimentation In collaboration with MA course March 2020 - January 2021, Geneva, Switzerland
The Design Film Festival 2020 OSCAR film publication Role: Direction of photography In collaboration with MA course December 2019 - April 2020, London, UK
Constellations - Verbier Art Summit 2020 Selected project proposition by the summit Role: Concept and visual design In collaboration with MA course September 2019 - January 2020, Verbier, Switzerland UNTOLD - Camper Project propoition for new retail experience Role: Concept, visual design and production In collaboration with MA course October - November 2019, Mallorca, Spain Inshadow Screen Dance Festival 2018 Nomitated film: Raindro Role: Film direction and production December 2018, Lisbon, Portugal DNA Barcelona Architects Marketing and communication design intern July 2015 - July 2016, Barcelona, Spain
Skills Adobe Suite (intermediate-advanced) (After Effects, Premiere Pro, Audition, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Animate CC) MadMapper, Resolume Arena, Ableton Live (beginner-intermediate) AutoCAD, Rhino, Maxon Cinema 4D (beginner) MS Word, Excel (intermediate)
Languages
Contact
English (fluent), German (native), Brazilian Portuguese (native), Spanish (fluent), French (intermediate)
alessandrahofmann.de@gmail.com +41 786979798
Bio Alessandra Hofmann Birthday: 01.11.1995 Birthplace: Hong Kong Nationality: German
Coming from a creative background in digital arts and multimedia design, Alessandra‘s use of the moving image and photography is being applied for visual exploration and transformed into physical experiences. Therefore, the space, media and objects meet with a strong perceptual atmosphere. After being intensively active in the digital arts field, Alessandra found her passion and need to fuse the digital with the analog character and to expand it through small to human scale installations. She established a multidisciplinary design approach along the last 3 years through which she specifically focuses on the power of light to shape and transform spatial experiences. Alessandra explores the flexible use of light as a material involving also its natural phenomena and unintentional results fused with intentional interferences. Her workstyle is strongly experimental and intuitive, generating the work through the experimentation itself. After graduating in July 2021 with the MA degree in space and communication design at HEAD-Geneva, she supports the pluralistic design mindset, ever exploring what design can be within our contemporary frame.
Online Portfolio alessandra-hofmann.com Photography Portfolio https://vsco.co/alessandrahofmann/gallery LinkedIN www.linkedin.com/in/alessandra-hofmann Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aleshofmann/ Vimeo https://vimeo.com/alessandrahofmann MA Thesis https://issuu.com/aleshofmann/docs/alessandrahofmann_magnifyingillusionhigh-compresse