Metamorphosis or Confrontation—Tobias Klein

Tobias Klein explores applications of 3D printing in architecture, art, design and interactive media installations in order to create a fusion of contemporary CAD/CAM technologies built from natural materials, found objects and cultural historical references. Through his work, Klein develops the emerging discipline of Digital Craftsmanship as an operational synthesis between digital and physical tools and techniques.

This publication traces Klein’s work over the past decade, with each chapter unravelling the relationship and evolution of the artist’s body of work, while demanding that readers take a position of negotiation or confrontation.

Tobias Klein was trained as an architect at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. Before relocating to Hong Kong in 2014, he taught for more than ten years at the world-renowned Architectural Association School of Architecture and the Royal College of Art. He holds a PhD from RMIT Melbourne and currently teaches in the School of Creative Media at City University of Hong Kong.

Florian Knothe studies and teaches the history of decorative arts in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries with a particular focus on the social and historic importance of royal French manufacture. He has long been interested in the early modern fascination with Chinoiserie and the way royal workshops and smaller private enterprises helped to create and cater to this long-lasting fashion. He is currently working on the scientific developments of glassmaking in Qing China, bringing together results from both historical and chemical analysis. Harald Kraemer is an associate professor at the School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong. He teaches ‘arts management and curatorship’ and is working on multimedia research projects. Since the 1990s, he has helped develop multimedia technology with a growing impact on communication and education in museums. Over the years, he has curated numerous contemporary art exhibitions and online projects, and has collaborated with UMAG on exhibitions, publications, and student courses.

Video of the Metamorphosis or Confrontation Exhibition