Introductions: Liene Bosque

This week's MFA Fiber and Material Studies lecture will be presented by Liene Bosque. Bosque holds a degree in Fine Arts from São Paulo State University and Architecture and Urbanism from Mackenzie University, both in São Paulo, Brazil. Although she no longer practices architecture directly, she has become a sort of mystic architect with her structural and decorative interventions. Louis Sullivan wrote, "But the building's identity resided in the ornament." Bosque, an admirer of Sullivan, looks closely at simple actions of architectural adornment and often amplifies them. Her current studio is SAIC's Sullivan Graduate Studio Center whose exterior and on some floors interior still bears the mark of the famous architect.

Before moving to Chicago she received a grant to complete several projects in Lisbon, Portugal where she cast the exterior iron work of buildings then mirrored them with latex forms. Her work however does not always require such monumental forms, she also draws from the simple ornament that we interact with on on a day-to-day basis including stone work, staircases and banisters.

This fall Bosque noticed that construction on downtown Chicago landmark was destroying its historic exterior. She decided that the structure could not just be preserved in photographs but needed a more tangible record. Dressed as a construction worker, Bosque and colleague did guerrilla castings of the building's ornamental exterior in broad daylight.

Liene Bosque's lecture is Friday, February 26th at 12:10 in Sharp 903 at 37 S. Wabash St., Chicago, IL. If you miss her lecture be sure to check out her website for more images, installation shots, and a complete resume.

Next week's lecturer will be David Harper (Tuesday 3/2).