Composition of stress and balance n. 1

Bright Cityscape, Faber, from September 1st to November 11th, 2023, Timisoara.

With Timisoara’s industrial and economic growth, the city is in a constant state of construction. The materials used in this industry represent an intricate web of hidden engineering, manufacturing, and manpower, ensuring that building stability can be taken for granted. Ioan Both describes this collective effort of finding optimal construction elements to prevent damage during a building’s lifespan as ‘structural design’.

‘Composition of stress and balance n. 1’ is a sculpture serving as a 3D diagram of latent construction forces. A suspended steel truss, acting as both stressor and connector, impacts a soft mattress covered in a printed textile. A corrugated sheet counters the mattress, achieving sculpture balance in terms of volumetric proportions and structural forces. The project originates from Parasite 2.0’s aesthetic interpretation of Both’s research into the production systems of architectural elements, such as trusses, pillars, and corrugated sheets. Interpreting the engineering lexicon of ‘stress’ and ‘balance’ artistically, it draws attention to how these words also signal modern labour conditions.

 

Project by Parasite 2.0 and Ioan Both
Production by SC PROFILE GALVANIZATE SRL

 

“Composition of stress and balance n. 1” is part of the exhibition “BRIGHT CITYSCAPE. Turn Signals – Design is not a dashboard” curated by Martina Muzi, co-produced by FABER and Polytechnic University of Timisoara (UPT), in the context of Timisoara 2023 European Capital of Culture.

 

Thanks to Oana Simionescu and Loredana Gaita.