PORTFOLIO
Adam Hudec
CONTENT
_RESEARCH BASED PROJECTS Breathing Central | The University of Hong Kong Low Oxygen Areas | Hong Kong Hoi Ha Marine Life Centre EnergyScape | Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
_EXHIBITIONS Thread Softly | Academy of Fine Arts Vienna The impossible Order | Berlin Wall Memorial Altwasser_Sudetenland | The Gallery of Architecture Brno 79 104 Steps | Palace for Artist Prague The Cloth |
Contemporary Art Platform Brno
The Ambiguity of Peanut | Gallery Mini Brno
BREATHING CENTRAL Research based project | 2017 TOPIC_ microclimate and air content in public space LOCATION_ Hong Kong Central GRANT_ The University of Hong Kong SUPERVISOR_ prof. Valerie Portefaix COLLABORATION_ Hong Kong Clean Air Network ANIMATION_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWSla6oul1k
Looking back to history, air content, especially levels of oxygen determined LIFE on earth. Following Great Dying Period (about 252 million years ago) when oxygen levels dropped to below half what it is today, so about 10% - majority of species living on Earth that time died out. But how it looks like to experience a lack of oxygen personally in certain areas of Hong Kong? Ventilation Buildings, as an innocent structures, hidden almost in every street, releasing thousand cubic meters of heavy, low oxygen air into local climate, influencing our well-being more than we could ever imagine. Hypoxia, followed by dizziness is just direct influence of low oxygen air on our bodies. One can witness reactions of this air on our environment we live in, nature has several back-ups to cope with lack of oxygen - forests and ocean play the main role with photosynthesis. Marine Ecosystem can suffer from low oxygen air by creating algae helping to cope with low level of oxygen in atmospher. Data collection as a main mapping method transform invisibility of gases and feelings into numbers, diagrams and drawings. Present attributes of air reflects human processes shaping the atmosphere. So how our future (anthropocene) air would look/smell like? How architecture can potentially address and show this problem? Is finding the solution the right answer?
Mapping the number of ventilation building hidden in most prominent public space in Hong Kong Central as a benches
Hong Kong Central Pier area | site is build on reclaimed land with high density infrastracture | high amount of ventilation outlets influence local microclimate
㌀㈀⸀㠀
㜀㌀ 搀戀
瘀愀挀甀甀洀 挀氀攀愀渀攀爀
㘀㘀 搀戀
渀漀爀洀愀氀 挀漀渀瘀攀爀猀愀琀椀漀渀
㘀㈀ 搀戀
渀漀爀洀愀氀 挀漀渀瘀攀爀猀愀琀椀漀渀
㈀㤀⸀㤀
noice levels
temperature
㈀㤀⸀㠀
oxygen levels
Process of collecting and visualising data about air quality coming out of the ventilation outlet
Drawing (1.2m x 3.0m) shows the invisible architecture (collected data, air content, underground infrastructure, air corridors etc..) with zooming in to the site of my research
device PLA-02
E X P E R I M E N TA L D E V I C E P L A - 0 2 Device for experiencing. Temperature inside: 29.7°C Oxygen level: 16% Humidity: 62% PM2.5: 28 μg/m3 Risk of Hypoxia: high Dimension: 2.5x3x5.5m Volume: 41.25m³ Device enables people to experience exhaust air coming out of the pumproom outlets. The device will be inflated by this air and people could enter the structure and experience the difference between fresh outside air and heavy and used vent air. Device could adress problems about air quality and make people aware of this issue. Thermometer, humidity meter and PM2.5 particles meter was placed inside the structure to measure differences and potential pollution between inside air and fresh air on the street.
PLA - 02 experience - interior
PLA - 02 inflation on site - 10.11.2017 - Hong Kong Central Pier n.5 public intervention - device was plug on existing pumproom outlet and exhaust air was used as a structural element. Later on, public was invited to step into the device and experience the difference between air quality coming out of the outlet and fresh air outside.
all tool for construction has been given or borrowed to me - ecology is about sharing
BUILDING PROCESS Building process was part of the concept of the device. Biodegradable film as a main material determined the form and structural reinforcement of the device. Working with no-waste strategy influences final outcome - no neccesary cuts and design acts. Design is strictly following the behaviour of semi-transparent biodegradable plastic film. With a planned degradation period of 15 months, device is environmental friendly despite of the fact it can be used only once. Material: Biodegradable plastic PLA 489 Colour: light blue Transparency: 80% Thickness: 0.25mm Total lenght: 66m Total weight: 1.69kg Degradation time: 15 monts
Process captured at The University of Hong Kong, Department of Architecture PLA plastic for construction
axonometry - lifespan of the device
inflated device PLA-02
public intervention | Hong Kong Central Pier n.5 | 10.11.2017 | 7 - 9pm
people engaging with device PLA-02
collected questionaires
The device caught a lots of attention among public and policemen as well. Few of them came and support my project. I invited people to step into the structure and advise them to stay there no more than 5 minutes due to pollution of that air. After they came out, they were asked to fill the questionaire about their feelings and common knowledge about ventilation buildings and quality of air in Hong Kong. Almost everyone experienced consequences of low oxygen air personally such as dizziness or breathing difficulty... Just to describe how it felt - the air was warmer, it smelt a bit like oil and it was difficult to breathe normally. Together with Hong Kong CAN we developed a strategy to organise public events about impacts of ventilation buildings on humans planned in each district of Hong Kong with locals. First discussion was held on January the 21st. in Sheung Wan district with one of the worst air quality index across the city of Hong Kong thanks to the high density of ventilation outlets from underground infrastructure. http://www.hongkongcan.org/hk/
LOW OXYGEN AREAS Research based project | 2017 TOPIC_ impact of low oxygen air on coastal and marine ecosystem LOCATION_ Pearl River Delta, Hong Kong area GRANT_ The University of Hong Kong SUPERVISOR_ prof. Valerie Portefaix COLLABORATION_ Hong Kong Hoi Ha Marine Life Centre|GMO
Project was based on research about mapping the coastal areas of Pear River Delta region. Main focus of explorations was on marine ecosystem, impacts of low oxygen air on marine life and ecosystem, coastal areas and pollution levels across natural reservoir. Expeditions took place during August and October 2017 and was guided by Hong Kong Hoi Ha Marine Life Centre. One of the major discovery was the finding of relation between low levels of oxygen in atmosphere and growth of algae around Pearl River Delta what caused significant devastation of marine life over past decades. Several algal bloom in Pear River Delta region recorded over last decade was nothing else just “activated back up” system of nature how to deal with low levels of oxygen in air. Growing algae started to release oxygen with photosynthesis in order to bring ecosystem back to equilibrium. Destroyed marine life was just a side effect of that process, however, long term overfishing signigicatly weaken the self-recovery processes of marine environment. Discoveries and explorations made during this research led to project “Breathing Central” where I have tried to investigate the influence of low oxygen air on human body and public space.
Hong Kong archipelago | sites of the research
natural coastal habitat | Lantau Island
after strong typhoon beach is a deposit of trash from sea | Lantau island
exploration of coastal ecosystem
exploring the destruction of marine life through glass bottom of the expedition boat | impact of low oxygen air | Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park
One of the last mangrove forests in Pear River Delta| Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park
natural textures of beach with mangrove forest
ENERGYSCAPE Research based project | 2016 TOPIC_ anthropocene processes and microclimate LOCATION_ Open pit mine Bilina | Czech Republic UNIVERSITY_ The Academy of Fine Arts | Vienna SUPERVISOR_ prof. Hannes Stiefel | prof. Kathrin Asthe COLLABORATION_ The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute | GMO
Shapes and forms making up the landscape of surface mines are nothing but the reflection of invisible energy structure spread throughout all levels of territory. Changing landscape creates new topographic qualities of these places. Dehydrated areas, exposed surfaces, windless sites, increased temperature of the local environment. Landscape is in transformation process. (Landscape transformation can make invisible elements appear and reveal describing features) In surface coal mine Bilina (CZ) the human activity continues to develop the landscape. Considering that any territory and land-use system can evolve in many ways, tracking potential becomes a way intended to prevent social and ecological decay as well as energy deficiency of the landscape. Above the visible physical landscape lies the invisible architecture of our atmosphere. What we can not see, we can feel. The process of shaping surface has tremendous infuence on its surroundings. Changing atmosperic properties are captured thorugh weather data over last few decades, but how we can reconstruct them and how do we show this sensational aspect of space?... open-pit mine BĂlina
Czech Republic
Open pit mine Bilina
As a source information for “ground processes� we gathered GEO-data and for processes happenning above the site we collected weather data - how they relate to each other?
politics
coal forming processes
PROCESSES Shapes and forms making up the landscape of surface mines are nothing but the reflection of invisible energy structure spread throughout all levels of territory. Changing landscape creates new topographic qualities of these places. Dehydrated areas, exposed surfaces,windless sites, increased temperature of the local environment. Landscape is in transformation process. The process of shaping surface has temendous influence on its surrounding.
dehydration of landscape
mining processes
recultivating process
energy production process
coal burning processes
multiple 3D scans of surface from drona footage
Drawing (1.1 x 2.0m) showing the weather data from local meteo station projected on site, reflecting changing microclimate over past decades of mining process
TREAD SOFTLY Exhibition| 2016 LOCATION_ The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna SUPERVISOR_ prof. Michelle Howard COLLABORATION_ Clarissa Lim, Clara Fung, Aya Kurz, Duha Telme, Bard College Students
The City, Migration, and Memory deals with migratory and migration memories in and of the city. The exhibits came into being as individual research projects in a seminar on German migration history at Bard College Berlin. The installation embedded these exhibits. Responding to the challenge of finding transitory, adaptable, disappearing and reappearing architectures, it seeks neither to master nor to serve the individual embedded pieces, but to enter a dialogue with them.
THE IMPOSSIBLE ORDER Exhibition | 2016 LOCATION_ The Berlin Wall Memorial SUPERVISOR_ prof. Michelle Howard COLLABORATION_ Clarissa Lim, Clara Fung, Aya Kurz, Duha Telme, Bard College Students
Exhibition attempts to tread softly by exploring new approaches to migration history, memory and experience in Germany. It does so in a post-migrant educational context where the students’ migrant background is the norm rather than the exception. The concept employed means and materials which have been either loaned, given or recycled, itself proposing an important alternative to consumerist methodology. The interior of The Berlin Wall Memorial had been transformed into archipelago of cardboard structures working as an self-standing elements. Each of them embeded works of Bard college students in different media and scale.
ALTWASSER _ SUDETENLAND Exhibition | 2016 LOCATION_ The Gallery of Architecture | Brno | CZ SUPERVISOR_ prof. Jan Mlecka COLLABORATION_ Martin Valicek, Lenka Levickova, Maria Muskova, Paula Zavacka, Kristína Uhrová, Jan Urbasek, Petra Sebova
The exhibition was based on 5 months of research about Sudetenland - border areas of Czech Republic where lived 3 milion Germans. After WWII. the ancestors where displaced and the areas remained empty. Newcomers did not respect the land quality and local history what had tremendous influence on social, environmental and landscape continuity.
There is a frozen land in the heart of Europe. In the past it was a prosperous region, home to 3 milion people. Paralyzed by expulsion. Today it offers forgotten potential. -Sudetenland-
Czech Republic
The aim of the research was to observe the natural potential of the landscape and propose the concept for “defrozing” the country. Post-industrial areas, water, forest and pastureland, displaced villages and towns, which have survived, even former education centre of Europe. The wide - range of nature environments offer the possibility of research in energy and other types of topics.
landscape is remarkably touched by forced desplacement of its ancestors...empty houses, empty villages, forgotten places...
My response to the concept of the exhibition was a flying wind turbine. Helium filled construction fly above the existing landscape without any support column. In the area of Sudetenland is very efficent to use wind turbines for its unique wind condition. This fictional proposal should provoke a discussion of use the renewable energy sources across the country. Czech Republic is in the very end in using of natural sources to gain energy.
THE CLOTH Fashion show | 2015 LOCATION_ Contemporary Art Platform | Brno | CZ COLLABORATION_ Tereza Dvorakova
The proposed model was a part of fahsion performance for Prototyp Venue in Brno, reflecting the topic of she show - body & space & light. PVC tubes filled with a coloured liquid was used as a significant element of the model.
79 104 STEPS Exhibition and Performance | 2015 LOCATION_ Palace for artist Pokoje | Prague COLLABORATION_ Lenka Levickova, Maria muskova, Marek Svoboda, Martin Valicek, Petra Sebova, Jan Mlecka
25 000 german inhabitants were moved out from Brno in the evening the 30th of May 1945. During the March of Death towards Vienna, 1690 humans died deu to exhaustion and inhumane treatment, the majority of them in a detention camp in Pohorelice. Authentic soil has been brought from the Memorial in Pohorelice and refers to humanity. Just keep silence and follow them. Overcoming of Physical boundaries and the Boundaries of the the mind. Space, the smell of soil, silence, step, step, step, step.....
During the opening hours of the gallery there was always a human being walking on soil from cemetery. Steps, Steps, Steps...
steps steps steps steps
....the soil after 14days
2 9 t h o f S e p t e mb e r 2 0 1 5 5 p m
G a l e r i e M I N I FA VU T BR N O
THE AMBIGUITY OF PEANUT Exhibition + performance | 2015 LOCATION_ Gallery Mini | Brno | CZ COLLABORATION_ Marek Svoboda, Maria Muskova, Petra Sebova
The title of the exhibition reflects the ambiguity, sometimes even oddity of everyday moments in UK. The conflict between expectations (the subconsciously created image british culture, lifestyle, standards, icons...) and the reality, daily life stereotype. Involving all senses we represent life experience (9 months student exchage in Brighton) Exhibited objects, activities, sounds (authentic) became the synonym of UK and replaced our idea of what is typical and traditional.
of Peanut We were focused to fulfill visitors all senses and bring taste, sound and flavors of our casual life in UK directly to the gallery.
The Ambiguity