Mobility of the Line
Dr Ivana Wingham
Published by Birkhauser Verlag
The line is the constitutive element of every drawing and forms the core element of any design – for art, architecture, urban design or design in general. It resists reduction to simple linearity, but rather takes on complex and dynamic forms that attract the viewer in various ways, both consciously and suggestively. Whether analogue or digital, the movements and effects that lines produce are different for each type of line: straight, meandering, interrupted or even invisible. The book is a stimulating celebration of the manifold aspects of line, using unique examples from architecture, design and art, combining interviews with designers and essays by various authors.
Contributors include: Bruce Brown, Ivana Wingham, Alberto Perez-Gomez, Diana Agrest, Gary Garrels, Mark Cousins, Marco Frascari, Ricardo Scofidio, Costas Varotsos, Jeffrey P. Turko, Jenny Lowe, Ivana Wingham, Anthony McCall, Monika Grzymala, Antoni Malinowski, Duncan Bullen, Casey Reas, Angus Leadley-Brown, Roderick J. Lumsden, John Andrews, George Hardie, Andrew Benjamin, Brian Hatton, Gregory Votolato, Teresa Stoppani.
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“In Mobility of the Line: Art Architecture Design Ivana Wingham seduces us with the promiscuity of the line, which she exposes as an unreliable but alluring accomplice. She exposes the diversity of meanings and influences that a line might hold once drawn, while pointing out its subversive tendencies to lead the line’s author astray during the act of drawing. Her book draws on the research of some of the most respected thinkers in the field through a series of conversations and presents examples of by a talented group of practitioners suitably corrupted by the lines they have drawn.”
Professor Nat Chard
University of Brighton, UK
“The originality of the research is in the way it brings together diverse theories and practices to interrogate the line as a constitutive element across art, design and architecture. In this way it positions the line beyond merely being a tool of representation; the line becomes a way of interrogating practice. Architects, students and scholars reading this book will gain exposure to theories and practices they may not have encountered before. At the same time, canonical figures and works are repositioned. The quality of visual material is first rate, and on that basis alone will engage a wide audience, beyond those with specialised knowledge. Overall, Mobility of the Line: Art, Architecture, Design is an excellent outcome of sustained research.”
Professor Charles Rice
Head of School of Art and Design History
Kingston University, London, UK
“By interrogating the drawing’s most basic component, the line, fresh insights into the potential of the drawing emerge. Mobility of the Line: Art Architecture Design sets out a multifaceted discussion of the most basic device in architecture, art and design, one that implies deployment beyond representation. Deepening our understanding of the line’s role and use as a trans-disciplinary critical tool opens up possibilities for the production of new types of work across creative, cultural and critical practices.”
Professor Tom Jefferies
Head of Manchester School of Architecture, UK
