Margherita Fontana
@an-icon.unimi.it
Post doctoral researcher at the Department of Philosophy "Piero Martinetti"
AN-ICON ERC Advanced Grant, Department of Philosophy "Piero Martinetti, University of Milan
RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS
Philosophy, Arts and Humanities, Visual Arts and Performing Arts, Multidisciplinary
Scopus Publications
Scholar Citations
Scholar h-index
Scopus Publications
Margherita Fontana
Firenze University Press
This paper examines the theoretical and practical aspects of geodesic dome architecture in North America as part of an aesthetic of virtualization. Geodesic domes can be conceived of as virtual environments designed as alternatives to the contemporary world and its internal crises. They were originally a tool of the American counterculture of the 1960s to search for futuristic housing solutions which responded to ecological concerns. The contribution traces some of the most important phases of dome architecture, which crossed paths with the emerging technoculture linked to the rise of virtual reality. Indeed, the idea of the dome as a means of imagining new virtual environments, as was the case of Biosphere 2, intersects with the career of VR pioneer Jaron Lanier. Today, virtual reality technologies have merged geodesic architecture with visualization devices, as happens in the case of “virtual domes”, offering a unique way to experience virtual reality and connect with others in a shared environment.
Margherita Fontana
Edizioni Ca Foscari
This article discusses the artistic approach of feminist artist Judy Chicago and her recent practice of re-enactment as a form of reframing. Reframing was a key methodological feature of American feminist art in the 1970s, aimed at repositioning women’s bodies and agency beyond patriarchal constraints. Chicago revolutionised minimalist aesthetics, domestic spaces and monumentality through a new understanding of women’s experience. Her most recent work includes partnerships with the fashion industry to create The Fertile Goddess setting for Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Dior and her first augmented reality installation, Rainbow AR, which continues the feminist rewriting process by exploring its possibilities and limitations in critical engagement with liberal feminism and progressive neoliberalism.