Smudge, with a degree in experimental architecture and a second from the studio of Herman Diaz Alonso, of Die Angewandte in Vienna, Belgium-born and UK based arist Isaie Bloch is bound to take design to another level. “Smudge” is the latest creation from the studio he founded, Eragatory, and it stands for everything that the company strives to achieve: “the correlation between craftsmanship and additive manufacturing within several creative domains, including architecture, fashion and plastic arts.” Recognizing 3D Printing as a means of changing the geometry of design, Bloch aims to create new shapes and aesthetic forms.
© Isale Bloch
Smudge is a skeletonized version of the classical bookshelf, a fictionalized manner of attending a basic house need. Since the artist states that most of his design would be impossible to create without 3D Printing, it is strange that he also describes himself as an observer of the past, not a hyper-technologized futuristic creator. Whether we choose to see his design as reinterpreting existing elements, or as the creation of a new design approach, it is impossible to deny that uniqueness and aesthetic appeal that define his creations.
Lidia Ratoi is a Romanian architect, educator, and researcher, currently serving as Assistant Professor at the University of Hong Kong’s Department of Architecture. With a background in both architectural design and theory, her work explores the intersections of technology, media, and politics in the built environment. Ratoi’s research focuses on the aesthetics of power, surveillance, and virtuality, with a strong interest in critical and speculative design. She has practiced internationally and exhibited in venues across Europe and Asia. Passionate about challenging conventional narratives, Ratoi integrates digital tools with philosophical inquiry, encouraging experimental approaches to architecture. Her contributions continue to shape emerging discourses in design and architectural pedagogy.