18th October at 2 p.m. (Vilnius) Marija Puipaitė, a doctoral student in Design, will defend her art project "The Surface and the Inwards of an Object: Towards Sensual Design" (Design V 003).
If you would like to participate in the Art Project Defence meeting, please register at marija.puipaite@stud.vda.lt (places are limited).
The dissertation defence meeting will be held in Lithuanian.
Art project supervision:
Assoc. Prof. Licentiate in Arts Mantas Lesauskas (Vilnius Academy of Arts, Visual Arts, Design V 003)
Thesis supervision:
Prof. Dr. Giedrė Mickūnaitė (Vilnius Academy of Arts, Humanities, Art History and Theory H 003)
The Artistic Research Project will be defended at a public meeting of the Academic Board of Design at Vilnius Academy of Arts composed of the following members:
Chairperson:
Prof. Dr. Renata Maldutienė (Vilnius Academy of Arts, Visual Arts, Design V 003)
Members:
Dr. Karolina Jakaitė (Vilnius Academy of Arts, Humanities, Art History and Theory H 003)
Dr. Michael Kaethler (Istituto Europeo di Design (Italy), Visual Arts, Design V 003)
Prof. Dr. Audrius Novickas (Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Humanities, Art History and Theory H 003; Visual Arts, Fine Arts V 002)
Dr. Tojana Račiūnaitė (Vilnius Academy of Arts, Humanities, Art History and Theory H 003)
Abstract
This project explores the sensual affectability of an object and intimate, active relationship with it, arguing that a design object holds more meanings than just function, aesthetics, and concept, and that its full comprehension requires an irrational perception of the object. The idea of sensuality in this study goes beyond the boundaries of physical sensation. Sensual experience is intertwined with imagination, memory, and cultural context. It is suggested that the surface appeals to the senses, while the interior extends the limits of sensation into the realms of knowledge, imagination, and belief.
This seeks to understand where the essence of an object resides, giving the form its content and creating an invisible yet perceivable value, capable of evoking emotion. The relationship between object and subject is reversed, exploring strategies to create an active, desiring object—one that invites care and elicits a response. The object's ability to evoke emotion is described as its aura, which defines its authenticity and impact. The search for this aura is likened to the early anatomists' passion for discovering not only how the body functions but also where the human soul lies. This highlights the importance of structure, layers, and interior in the perception of an object—whether visible or implied.
The parallel between the anatomy of the body and furniture, the desire to reveal and see more than just the surface, along with the analysis of historical artefacts, shapes the strategy of the rupture or see-through gap as a condition for an intimate and active relationship with the object. In a new design object, this rupture manifests as incompleteness or a flaw, with its programmed insufficiency stimulating desire, much like the 'patina of time'—wear and tear (the reverse analogy of incompleteness) in historical objects is valued and often associated with the object's aura.
Alongside the strategy for creating a desiring object, the research reveals how the practitioner-researcher adds value to historical studies by uncovering aspects that can only be reconstructed through practical experience. Artistic research and the practitioner's skills fill in the gaps of bodily experience and embodied knowledge. When factual information is lacking, the practitioner extends the boundaries of the object's perception and uncovers meanings embedded in its materiality.
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Marija Puipaitė, Atsidavę paviršiai / Devoted Surfaces, 2023, photo by Jonas Balsevičius
