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Zalán Szakács, is a Transylvanian born, NeTherlands based mulTidisciplinary designer wiTh fascinaTion for ConcepT-, inTeracTion-, and CommunicaTiondesign. *1992
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ABOUT
CONTACT
abouT
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Born in the heart of the Carpathian mountains in Transylvania and grown up in Austria, my research-oriented conceptual design projects are influenced by my multicultural background.
(Behind The Bookshelves), curation (The Institute of Unseen Digital Art), processing (Transfiguratio), projection mapping (VJ Branco) to virtual reality (Blocks Remix) for human interactions.
My studies at the Design Academy Eindhoven started in the Man and Wellbeing department where the main focus was on material experiments and aesthetics. Soon I realised this wasn’t the right department to develop my strength in communication and media design, therefore I changed my study direction to Man and Communication (nowadays called Media and Culture).
The main thought behind all my projects is to bridge the gap between culture and technology - a new field which needs to be explored, therefore I feel an obligation and challenge to become a pioneer in this upcoming field. We live in a time in which media is in a constant state of change and my generation is the first experiencing a transformation between classical and new information handover.
Here I got to work with several aspects of communication and its importance in society, I developed my multidisciplinary design approaches and applied several mediums starting from print
The future role of a designer is to take the challenge to explore new ways of communicating information and understanding their acquiescence by the public.
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Curri culum
ZALÁN, graduated from the DESIGN ACADEMY EINDHOVEN I am motivated by DIGITAL CHALLENGE! I could talk with you in HUNGARIAN, ENGLISH, GERMAN, DUTCH or ROMANIAN.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
EXHIBITTIONS / AWARDS
STUDIO DUMBAR [visual identity studio] Rotterdam, NL Intern as visual designer - Creating visual identities for international and national clients.
DUTCH DESIGN WEEK Eindhoven, 2017
August – November 2016 / 3 months
KLUTE AGENCY [art direction studio] Berlin, GER Intern as graphic designer - Art Direction till creating brand identities for international clients. March – August 2016 / 5 months
TALIAYSTUDIO [social design studio] Vienna, AUT Research project and publication about human immobility. July – August 2013 / 1 month
SOUND:FRAME [festival for audiovisuals] Vienna, AUT Full responsibilities for silkscreen workshop at the festival.
‘THE ARCHIVE OF KILLED DARLINGS’ group exhibition in TAC, Eindhoven, 2015 ‘LAB OF CURIOSITIES’ group exhibition in TAC, Eindhoven, 2015 ‘UNDER INFLUENCE’ group exhibition in OM, Amsterdam, 2014
July 2009 / 1 month
2nd Prize with LEI[N]WAND MAGAZINE at the COMPETITION JUGENDINNOVATIV, 2011
EDUCATION
SOFTWARE
DESIGN ACADEMY EINDHOVEN, The Netherlands Bachelor of Arts, Man and Communication Department 2012 – 2017
Cinema4D / Photoshop / Illustrator / Indesign / Premiere Pro / After Effects / Muse / Resolume Arena / Coding / Processing / Unreal Engine (learning)
March 2010 / 1 month
VALENCE STUDIO [graphic design studio] Vienna, AUT Main focus on digital illustration, typography and branding.
Higher Technical School for Art and Design ‘SPENGERGASSE’, Vienna, Austria Graduated with Honors, Textile-designer Diploma 2007 – 2012
Let’s talk +31 626 924 454 ZALAN@SZAKACSUNIVERSE.COM
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WORKS
� � Feel free to click on the images of the projects
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THe insTiTuTe of unseen digiTal ArT
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MULTIMEDIAL INSTALLATION + VISUAL IDENTITY / 2017
NEW METHODOLOGY The Institute of Unseen Digital Art manifests a new methodology. It is an alternative way of conserving and curating software based digital artworks from 1980’s and 1990’s. It functions as an immersive environment that does not replicate a physical model – less as a setting, and more as an unbound space that defies normative spaces and takes
the whole idea of interacting with the works to another level! Z. Szakács developed the unique qualities of the immaterial architecture of the institute, which embraces the characteristics of the presented artwork and adapts to its content recreating a new spatial experience every time. The Digital Artwork becomes the context for itself!
The Institute of Unseen Digital Art aims to raise awareness about the possibility of the loss of Digital Art and invites a dialogue between visitors, artists, curators and art institutions to confront this problem and find new solutions together.
ANIMATION � � Click here or on the image to watch it
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THe insTiTuTe of unseen digiTal ArT
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MULTIMEDIAL INSTALLATION + VISUAL IDENTITY / 2017
Logo
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890?!@&+— ,.:;’ €| IOUDA Druk Wide Medium
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890?!@&+—,.:;’ €| Akkurat Mono IOUDA White R 229 G 228 B 228
IOUDA Black R0 G0 B0
C 9% Y 7% M 7% K 0%
C 0% Y 0% M 0% K 100%
LOGO + TYPE + COLOUR The diverse aesthetics of this subcategory can be described from minimalist graphical elements to complex programmed softwares. Therefore it was an important starting point to take a minimalistic design approach to the visual identity by keeping it more transparent to focus on the presented artworks themselves.
Since the Institute represents a unique philosophy of contrasting old and new mediums several characteristics of computers from the 1980’s and 1990’s were chosen and translated into more contemporary design aspects, for example old computer keyboard screenwriting became an important part of the motion graphics. The interplay of the spatial
characters (physical, digital and virtual) is illustrated in the external communication elements, whose interaction aspects invite the visitor to explore in a new manner. To conclude the visual identity becomes a statement.
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THe insTiTuTe of unseen digiTal ArT
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MULTIMEDIAL INSTALLATION + VISUAL IDENTITY / 2017
We found the Institute of Unseen Digital Art to create new approaches to conserving and displaying software— based Digital Art created during the 1980’s and 1990’s.|
WEBSITE
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THe insTiTuTe of unseen digiTal ArT
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MULTIMEDIAL INSTALLATION + VISUAL IDENTITY / 2017
WEBSITE
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THe insTiTuTe of unseen digiTal ArT
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MULTIMEDIAL INSTALLATION + VISUAL IDENTITY / 2017
VISUAL IDENTITY ELEMENTS
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THe insTiTuTe of unseen digiTal ArT
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MULTIMEDIAL INSTALLATION + VISUAL IDENTITY / 2017
VISUAL IDENTITY ELEMENTS
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THe insTiTuTe of unseen digiTal ArT
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MULTIMEDIAL INSTALLATION + VISUAL IDENTITY / 2017
VISUAL IDENTITY MANUAL
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THe insTiTuTe of unseen digiTal ArT
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MULTIMEDIAL INSTALLATION + VISUAL IDENTITY / 2017
POSTER
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blocks remix
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VIRTUAL REALITY INSTALLATION / 2017
INTERACTIVE ENVIRONMENT The aim of the exhibition is to curate a contradistinction between two digital artists. The artwork of the first was made with older technology in a different context and the artwork of the second one with the “newest technology” in a contemporary context. In this way the work of two
generations of digital artists contrast each other to emphasize the importance of the context. For its first show the Institute of Unseen Digital Art exhibits P. Struycken, a digital artist born in 1939, and a young artist designer, Z. Szakács, born in 1992. Struycken’s artwork BLOCKS (1998) is reinterpreted for a virtual reality environment and
Szakács created an interactive environment, which emphasizes the importance of the work’s surrounding.
ANIMATION � � Click here or on the image to watch it
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blocks remix
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VIRTUAL REALITY INSTALLATION / 2017
VIRTUAL REALITY EXPERIENCE
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blocks remix
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VIRTUAL REALITY INSTALLATION / 2017
ORIGINAL ARTWORK
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blocks remix
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VIRTUAL REALITY INSTALLATION / 2017
EXPLORING VIRTUAL REALITY
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TransfiguraTio
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MULTIMEDIAL INSTALLATION / 2016
GRAPHICAL SOUNDSCAPE Transfiguratio is a graphic and soundscape installation exploring sound visualisations in a playful and interactive manner. Users are invited to translate their favourite songs into graphical compositions. The visual language explores the endless possible combinations of the three basic graphical elements - reacting on the frequencies such as the circle for
low frequencies, square for middle frequencies and the triangle for high frequencies. These compositions are live-projected on three different surfaces representing the different frequency levels (low, middle and high) of the chosen song. The interface is programmed with processing, which is a flexible software sketchbook and a language for coding within the
VIDEO � � Click here or on the image to watch it context of the visual arts. During the interaction the users can press the stop button and this moment will be captured and sent as an email to the user, creating a physical memory of the playful moment.
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TransfiguraTio
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MULTIMEDIAL INSTALLATION / 2016
GEOMETRIC JUNGLE
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TransfiguraTio
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MULTIMEDIAL INSTALLATION / 2016
INTERFACE DESIGN
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VJ Branco
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VISUAL JOCKEY / 2010–CURRENT
LIGHT EXPERIENCE In summer 2009 during my internship at the Viennese graphic design studio VALENCE I experienced with live VJing for the first time. In 2010 I found with my friends Moritz Schwarzl, Philip Kasper and Tamara Pichler NANOLACK an art and design collective focussing on VJing, graphic design, animation and photography.
During the years we were performing for DJs and producers such as Disclosure, Butch, Oliver Huntemann and many more in several Viennese and Eindhoven clubs. In 2012 NANOLACK was invited to the audiovisual festival sound:frame and to the Danube Island festival in Vienna.
VIDEO � � Click here or on the image to watch it
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VJ Branco
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VISUAL JOCKEY / 2010–CURRENT
SOUND:FRAME FESTIVAL
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behind The bookshelves
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EDITORIAL DESIGN + ONLINE PUBLICATION / 2015
ANECDOTES ABOUT LIBRARIANS Behind the bookshelves started as a research project about the future of the libraries. Through the research time I became more and more curious about the perspectives of the librarians, their anecdotes, their thoughts about the daily job, the passion towards the books and the future of the library. I decided to create a book about
the librarians, which includes interviews from different libraries in the Netherlands. This publication reflects their opinions about the development of the digitalisation of the libraries; a shift into a new era. In addition to this analogue book I uploaded the content to an online platform, a digital version of this publication.
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behind The bookshelves
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EDITORIAL DESIGN + ONLINE PUBLICATION / 2015
THE VIDEO ABOUT THE BOOK � � Click here or on the image to watch it
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behind The bookshelves
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EDITORIAL DESIGN + ONLINE PUBLICATION / 2015
THE ISSUU PUBLICATION � � Click here or on the image to read it
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behind The bookshelves
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EDITORIAL DESIGN + ONLINE PUBLICATION / 2015
ONLINE PUBLICATION � � Click here or on the image to read it
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Transylvanian design fesTival
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VISUAL IDENTITY / 2015
TRANSYLVANIA = DRACULA The visual identity of the fictional Transylvanian design festival is a contemporary reinterpretation of the middle age heraldry culture of this region. An other aim is to break the clichés about Transylvania to be able to recreate a cultural image for the region. The theme of the festival CULTURE [RE]MIXED refers to the history and the present of this
region, which was and is a melting point of different culture such as Romanian, Hungarian, German and Roma. A bridge between East and West Europe. The festival would take place in the heart of Transylvania in Târgu-Mures. It would feature a professional forum, as well as exhibitions, workshops, discussions, talks, book openings and parties.
VIDEO � � Click here or on the image to watch it
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Transylvanian design fesTival
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VISUAL IDENTITY / 2015
POSTER CAMPAIGNE
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Transylvanian design fesTival
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VISUAL IDENTITY / 2015
VISUAL IDENTITY ELEMENTS
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Transylvanian design fesTival
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VISUAL IDENTITY / 2015
GUERILLA MARKETING
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Transylvanian design fesTival
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VISUAL IDENTITY / 2015
WEBSITE
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Transylvanian design fesTival
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VISUAL IDENTITY / 2015
T- SHIRT CAMPAIGNE
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A liTTle GifT Of Time
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MULTIMEDIA INSTALLATION / 2012
SENSORY EXPERIENCE A multimedial installation was designed for the Austrian artist and curator Joachim Lothar Gartner. His main problem was that he had not enough time for his activities as an artist. With help of 5 senses (vision, audition, gustation, olfaction and tactition) I took him through a time journey of the 60´s. This period was really important in Gartner´s
life, because he achieved his breakthrough in the art world. A Little Gift of Time for Joachim Lothar Gartner gave him energy and creative output from the past to have creative success in his future as well.
VIDEO � � Click here or on the image to watch it
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A liTTle GifT Of Time
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MULTIMEDIA INSTALLATION / 2012
BACK IN THE 60’S
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bioplasTics
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PIG BLADDER / 2013
EXPERIMENTS As Transsylvanian born person I took part of lot of pig slaughteries in my childhood during the wintertimes. Since then I became conciouse about this unique tradition. From this personal interest I started my bioplastics experiments to find, combine and create similar materials from pig origin. During the experimental process I found out my own
way of working with this materials, always starting with a question. Afterwards sketching the possible solutions, but sometimes those ended up with completely new and different interesting results, which I never thought before. My curiosity drove me into challenging situations...
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bioplasTics
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PIG BLADDER / 2013
THE ISSUU PUBLICATION � � Click here or on the image to read it
EXPERIMENTS
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naTural hygroscope
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PIG BLADDER BIOPLASTICS / 2013
HYGROMETER The animal bladder possesses a unique relationship with air humidity, manifesting in a visible change of the material surface. An organic hydrometer was created to connect animal bladder material phenomenology and natural weather phenomena. By forcing air through a bladder hand pump onto the stretched membrane surface, the instrument transforms
the air humidity into sound, which varies in moisture sensitivity (high tones for low humidity and deep tones for high humidity). This rudimentary tool translates an invisible reality (air humidity) into a visible and audible one. It generates an awareness and better understanding of material and nature;a new way of interpreting and weather phenomena.
VIDEO � � Click here or on the image to watch it
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naTural hygroscope
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PIG BLADDER BIOPLASTICS / 2013
BACK IN TIME
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naTural hygroscope
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PIG BLADDER BIOPLASTICS / 2013
RUDIMENTARY TOOL
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HARGiTa
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HAND BLOWN GLASS / 2014
THE PERFECT SERVE OF PÁLINKA The pálinka can be imagined just like the honest, true man: it does not lie, it always tells the truth. It speaks of when it was made, the fruit from which it came, the trees from which the fruit blossomed, the volcanic mountains from which they grew. The pálinka is much more than a liquor, it is cultural artefact, connecting the drinker to the mountain-
ous landscape from whence it came. I wish to reinterpret and redefine the ritual of drinking pálinka and to emphasis it’s cultural role while preparing it in a manner that brings it it’s fullest potential.
THE ISSUU PUBLICATION � � Click here or on the image to read it
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HARGiTa
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HAND BLOWN GLASS / 2014
DRINKING RITUAL
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ARTEMONS
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EDITORIAL DESIGN COMMISSIONED BY KÜNSTLERHAUS VIENNA / 2012
ART CATALOGUE For the Viennese cultural centre Künstlerhaus together with a friend, Moritz Schwarzl we got the commission to design an exhibition catalogue for a new contemporary painting exhibition Artemons. The catalogue includes 18 artist biographies, portraits and art works on 80 pages.
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ARTEMONS
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EDITORIAL DESIGN COMMISSIONED BY KÜNSTLERHAUS VIENNA / 2012
INSIDE VIEW
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break on Through
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EXPERIMENTAL POSTER / 2014
SOUND ON POSTER This poster was inspired by the song of the Doors - Break On Through and it as game of typography, composition, balance and white space.
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ourai
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TYPOGRAPHY / 2015
EXPERIMENTAL TYPOGRAPHY 往来 Ourai translated from the
Japanese language means coming and going, being in motion. Inspired by the traffic signs and the massive traffic volumes on the highways of Japan I created an experimental typeface, a reinterpretation of the Japanese traffic into typography. While playing with the balance, dynamic and the negative space
I developed a deeper understanding for it. From the experimental typeface I created a triptychon poster while using only the typography and black and white colours.
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Ourai
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TYPOGRAPHY / 2015
TRIPTYCHON
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human immobiliTy
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FIELD RESEARCH COMMISSIONED BY TALIAYSTUDIO / 2013
A love story
HUMAN IMMOBILITY
Collection
ANECDOTES This book is a collection of anecdotes that came from informal conversations, observations and conclusions with people mostly in and around Vienna who deal on a daily basis with varying degrees of this issue – either they are mobility-impaired through their age, illness or accidents, or they work with and support people of this disposition.
As summer intern at the Viennese social design studio TALIAYSTUDIO I worked on this research project, which gave for me the first experience from the field research.
THE ISSUU PUBLICATION � � Click here or on the image to read it
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HUMAN immobiliTy
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FIELD RESEARCH COMMISSIONED BY TALIAYSTUDIO / 2013
INSIDE VIEW
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discovery
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METAL / 2012
PRECIOUS SHELL The metal precious shell is made for the book ‘Anatomy for the artist’ published by the famous Hungarian drawer Jenõ Barcsay. My aim by the wrapping object was to evoke curiosity on drawing content and important details. The precious shell works as a microscope as well as a translator, which helps the user
to discover and understand the essence of this unique edition. If the user looks through the five cylinders, he will immerse in the world of the atlas and in the back site he has to possibility to take the book out.
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discovery
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METAL / 2012
IMMERSION
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sTimulus research
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FIELD RESEARCH / 2014
UNDERSTANDING ALCOHOL I took on the role of a social anthropologist in my exploration of club ambiance and in doing so, collected visual and physical data from observing and recording the scene. I observed from two different perspectives, as a voyeur, monitoring the activity from above and as a groundsman, experiencing the club dynamics from within the street.
From my data, I decided to focus on three elements, all of which do not speak of the obvious or literal, but rather exist on the periphery—light, sound and touch, phenomenologies that reference the unconscious, subtle and invisible.
VIDEO � � Click here or on the image to watch it
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sTimulus research
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FIELD RESEARCH / 2014
DETAILS FROM THE VIDEO
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sTimulus
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LIGHT INSTALLATION / 2014
THE POWER OF LIGHT Could light stimulate human emotions? How could light replace the level of alcohol stimulation while measuring your actual agression level? This project was an experiment in a collaboration with Eindhoven based light-designer Teun Vinken.
The Emotional circumplex model was the base of the process software, which one we create to stimulate the viewer with different light experiences from happy till ecstatic moods. An attional soundscape was played to create a stronger immersion.
VIDEO � � Click here or on the image to watch it
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STimulus
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LIGHT INSTALLATION / 2014
DETAIL OF THE INSTALLATION
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STimulus
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LIGHT INSTALLATION / 2014
LIGHT STIMULUS TECHNICAL SOLUTION + SCENARIOS
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ecstatic mood
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surprised mood
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excited mood
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delighted mood
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happy mood
agressive explosive – tensed – stressed – neutral – calm
agressive explosive – tensed – stressed – neutral – calm
PARAMETERS OF THE AGGRESION LEVEL based on the power of the feetsteps
ARDUINO SENSORS sober person
TRANSLATION OF THE AGRESSION LEVEL DATA INTO EMOTINAL CIRCUMPLEX MODEL
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TRANSLATION FROM THE EMOTIONAL CIRCUMPLEXMODEL INTO THE INSTALLATION
EMOTIONAL CIRCUMPLEX MODEL
PROCESSING
1sec–90sec
TECHNICAL SOLUTION
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STimulus
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LIGHT INSTALLATION / 2014
LIGHT EXPERIMENT
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Slow down cuTlery
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CASTED TIN / 2013
AWARENESS Food and eating becomes more and more in the Western civilized society a quickly daily habit. We often eat for lunch and dinner fast food to just have something in our stomach to still our hunger. But what is about the awareness of eating? The slow down cutlery makes us conscious about what we eat and
how we ate. It creates moments of the day, where we took time enjoying eating and stepping out from the stressfully daily life.
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Slow down cuTlery
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CASTED TIN / 2013
MAKING PROCESS
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borgmann1772
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ART DIRECTION @ KLUTE AGENCY BERLIN / 2016
BOTTLE LAUNCH During my internship at Klute Agency in Berlin I had the possibility to work on the Art Direction project for the new bottle lauch of the German herbal liqueur Borgmann.
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Gézuka
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MOVIE / 5 MIN / 2017
MY TRANSYLVANIAN FOTBALLPLAYER FATHER This movie is a portaiting my father Géza in Tirgu-Mures. Every location has a specific memory for him and therefor it was important for me to try to give back the specific atmospheres in the movie. His story is dealing with topics such as youth, dreams, fotball, beeing
against the system and never giving up the wishes from the youth. This movie brings back the viewer into the teenager yeas of my father.
MOVIE � � Click here or on the image to watch it
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gézuka
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MOVIE / 5 MIN / 2017
DETAIL FROM THE MOVIE
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gézuka
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MOVIE / 5 MIN / 2017
DETAILS FROM THE MOVIE
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CONTACT INFORMATIONS Tuinstraat 15, 5611PL Eindhoven, NL +31 626 924 454 zalan@szakacsuniverse.com www.szakacsuniverse.com
© 2017 ZALÁN SZAKÁCS
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