I participated at the European Cultural Centre biennial architecture exhibition called TIME SPACE EXISTENCE in Venice, Italy, which took place from the 20th of May till the end of November with my exhibition piece I named “Portraits: Shaped in Concrete”.

ECC also had a virtual exhibition here (my project is on the 2nd floor around the centre).

Big thanks goes to project supporters:
Tom Arban – one of the best Canadian Architectural Photographers;
Autodesk Technology Centre Toronto – Matthew Spremulli and Tyson Fogel for helping me with both concept design and execution;
And everyone else who helped me with bits and pieces of it.

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More info can be found here

Portraits: Shaped in Concrete

Concrete is one of the most universal, durable, and aesthetically pleasing building materials in architectural history. It is the second-most used material on earth and the second-largest emitter of CO2. A global dialogue around environmental sustainability and climate change has put the concrete family in the spotlight of innovation and experimentation to shape a more sustainable future.

“Portraits: Shaped in Concrete” is a study of the distinct concrete family members that are being found around the world.

Ruta’s passion for concrete aesthetics came naturally since the material offers flexibility to achieve interesting interaction with form and structure. The artist encounters a unique collaboration with each charismatic family member which was found on accident throughout her travels in two continents. Every building has its own unique portraiture, with its shapes, structure and (im)perfections that can be intensified with a help of either urban context, weather, or light & shadow. The time spent analyzing each of them helps to discover the best charismatic concrete angle and capture it using various gear ranging from smartphones to full-frame cameras.

In this project, each eye-catching portrait is housed by a plywood frame representing a concrete formwork which reminds us of the way that concrete is being shaped  at a construction site. The composition grid represents the different parts of the world that each member is standing.

Project Supporters:

Tom Arban – Architectural Photographer;

Autodesk Technology Center in Toronto;

Tyson Fogel – Technical/Workshop Specialist, Autodesk Technology Centers

Matthew Spremulli – Engagement Manager, Autodesk Technology Centers

And yet, more lost concrete family members to be found.