ASA Masterclass 2
Irmgard Frank with Judith Augustinovic 
February 2022

Masterclass Summary Booklet

The second iteration of the ASA Masterclass invited Irmgard Frank and Judith Augustinovic to Politecnico di Milano. In contrast to the first masterclass, the work presented was entirely individual. However, many days were spent in discussion and collaboration to understand methods of design as well as the importance of interaction between the individual and the group.

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Masterclass II addressed the relationship between a person and space, both in a collective and in an isolated situation. Many of the early discussions followed the idea of loneliness, and when or where do we feel lonely in the city. As a person who has lived in away from home for the last eight years, loneliness is a near constant companion. But there is a key difference between feeling alone and genuine isolation. For me this is rooted in an auditory sensation. Merely hearing the voice of a friend or family member grounds me in a way that I do not feel so alone. Following this train of thought, I began to also understand music helps me feel more involved in my surroundings, and I have specific memories correlated to specific songs. I developed a playlist to draw inspiration for the remainder of the masterclass. This playlist also served as the title of the final work, Beloved.

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Delving more deeply into the grounding of both voice and music have for my mind, I wanted to create a space that reacts to the user. While you may feel alone, the space moves and adapts to all the occupants present. I opted to use textiles pulled in tension that would undulate with the introduction of a weight or movement. This simulates the sensation of feeling alone, but still surrounded by to others. For me, it was more important to reuse a familiar existing space rather that create an abstract architecture. For this reason, I selected two use the "patio" of building 11 at the Leonardo Campus of Politecnico. This space is often filled to the brim with students studying and working, and is the main access to the architecture buildings of the campus. In order to maintain this critical working space, three levels of fabric are stretched and pulled to make a new multi-level space for isolation or interaction. This would allow students to have a space to relax after a bad critique or spend time with friends while continuing to be a working area. For the final booklet please click here.