Peter Macapia is an artist and architect and the director and founder of the experimental office labDORA.

Macapia studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, Harvard University, and Columbia University. He started labDORA in 2003 after receiving his PhD from Columbia where he was the recipient of the Presidential Fellowships. His interests involve the problem of geometry in the age of computation, the geometry and topology of matter/energy relations, and the possibility of an elastic density in the contemporary metropolis for which he has received numerous academic grants. He has won distinction in competitions and collaborated with engineers from Ove Arup and Buro Happold as well as artist-in-residencies.

His work and writings have been published internationally in Log, Huffington Post, Monitor, A+U, Architectural Review, Architectural Record, Interior Design, Pin-Up and others. Macapia’s projects Dirty Geometry 1 and Dirty Geometry 2 were acquired by the FRAC Centre in Orleans France in 2007. Recently Macapia’s Pavilion Seroussi, has been shown throughout France as part of the Dentelles d’architectures exhibition, which includes Nouvel, FOA, and Philip Morel. Macapia’s work has been exhibited in Basel, Miami, New York, Chicago, London, Paris, and Los Angeles including the recent solo shows titled Swarm, Ship of Theseus, Skullcracker, and The Birth of Physics. His work on Dirty Geometry, including the Dirty Geometry Pavilions, will be published in 2011 by the FRAC titled Architectures experimentales, 1950-2010.

Macapia began teaching at Columbia’s GSAPP on architecture and ontology in 1999 and has since taught nationally and internationally in both art and architecture at Sci-Arc, Pratt Institute, Parsons School of Design, the Ecole Special d’Architecture, Malaquais, TU Delft , School of Visual Arts and other schools.

Ph.D.      Columbia University
Major, Theory and Criticism/ Rosalind Krauss advisor
Minor, 19th Cent. Arch. Theory and History/Barry Bergdoll advisor
Dissertation:  Minimalism:  The Problem of Meaning (committee: Rosalind Krauss, John Rajchman, Akeel Bilgrami, Richard Brilliant)
M.Phil.    Columbia University
M.A.     Columbia University
M.T.S.     Harvard University
B.F.A.     Rhode Island School of Design

Selected Exhibitions

9-10/2011 “Origins of Distance” , Sebastian Barquet, New York

7/2011 “What We Know About the Moon”, Jalopy Theater, Brooklyn

5/2011 “Audi Future Visions”, New York

8-9/2010 “Chiachiarita,” group show Sebastian Barquet

4/2010 “Birth of Physics,” solo show Sebastian Barquet

10/2009 “Architeture et dentelle,” la maison de l’architecture et de la ville, Lille, France

9/2009 “Digital Primitivism,” Lisboa, curated by Katerina Tiazzoldi
6/2009    “Ship of Theseus” Nous Gallery, London, Solo Show
5/2009    “Skullcracker,” Angstrom Gallery, Los Angeles, Solo Show
5/2009    “Swarm2,” Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
5/2009     “Swarm,” Bridge Gallery, New York, Solo show
10/2008    “(Im)material Processes” Beijing Biennial, Alisa Andrasek, Neil Leach, Xu Wei-Guo curators,
9/2008    “Light” at Norman Schaffler Gallery, curated Keith Sonnier
9/2008    “Natural and Artificial Behavior,” Bridge Gallery, New York
12/2008    “Seroussi Pavilion,” AA School, London, Brett Steele curator
11/2007    “New Work,” Johnson Trading Gallery, New York
9/2007    “Scriptedbypurpose,” Fuel Collection, Philadelphia, Marc Fornes curator
6-9/2007“Pavilion Seroussi,” Maison Rouge, Paris, Elias Gounoun curator
4/2007    “Line, Grid, and Network,” Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York, Peter Macapia curator
2/2007    “The Computational Turn,” Maison de l’Architecture et de la Ville, Marseille, France, Philippe Morel curator
11/2005 “Beyond Media: Script/Spot on Schools”, Florence, Italy, Marco Brizzi and Paola Giaconnia Curators,
9/2005    “New Architecture,” Tokyo University, Tokyo, Japan, curated by Daisuke Hirose.

Selected Publications

Hirose, Daisuke, A+U, no. 10, March 2010
Padovano, Gabriella, Complessità e Sostenibilità: il territorio e l’architettura (Gangemi, Rome 2009).
Rafaat, Afshin,    Tall Buildings, MA no. 35 (Tehran: Memari Iran, 2009)
Lovell, Sophie, Once Upon a Chair: Furniture Beyond the Icon, ed. Shonquis Moreno (London: Gestalten, 2009).
Meyers, Holly, “Review: Peter Macapia at Angstrom Gallery,” LA Times, July 19, 2009, http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/06/review-peter-macapia-at-angstrom-gallery.html
Wei-Guo, Shu,“Architectural Beijing Biennial,” World Architecture, Vol 4, 2009, Forthcoming
De Looz, Alex, “Dora’s Dirty Deeds”, Pinup Magazine, no. 6, Spring, May 2009
Yudina, Anna, “Peter Macapia,” Monitor Magazine, no. 53, February 2009
Ezichielle, Carlo,“. . . tra Logiche et Principe . . .”, interview with Peter Macapia, Io Architetto, Vol 4, no. 2, March 09.
Della Para, Aracelli,“Architettura della Vita . . .”, interview with Peter Macapia, Genitronsviluppo, http://www.genitronsviluppo.com/2008/12/09
Iwamoto, Lisa,    Digital Fabrications: Material Techniques, Princeton Architectural Press, (forthcoming)
Moreno, Shonquis, “labDORA seating based on Fluid Dynamics,” ID magazine, June 2008
Gendall, John,“Ranch House: A cantilever stores water for drought-inflicted site,” Architectural Record
Online, May 2006,http://archrecord.construction.com/residential/unbuilt/archives/2007/07
_ranchhouse/default.asp

Macapia, Peter,    “Influence,” Spread Art and Culture, Vol 4, Spring 2009
Macapia, Peter, Diaggrama Agon, Nous Gallery, London, 2009
Macapia, Peter and Bernard Cache, “From Geometry to Industry,” Interview with Bernard Cache, ADRD, http://www.adrd.net/crowdcast/video/9.html
Macapia, Peter, “Investigations” in Computational Architectures, ed. Philipe Morel, HYX, Paris, (forthcoming)
Macapia, Peter,    “Dirty Geometry”, Log No.10, Fall, 2007
Macapia, Peter, “A conversation with Toyo Ito: Emergent Grid,” Hinge Magazine, Hong Kong, (forthcoming)
Macapia, Peter,    “Question: on Space and Power,” Cambridge Architecture Journal, no. 19, forthcoming
Macapia, Peter    “Singularities,” Proceedings from the International Workshop on Computational
Morphogenesis, Cornell
Macapia, Peter,    “Turbulent grid part 1: dirty geometry,” Arch’It, January 2007,
http://architettura.supereva.com
Macapia, Peter,    “Turbulent geometry,” Proceedings from the International Workshop on Computational
Morphogenesis, Nagoya University, Japan
Macapia, Peter,    “Crunk space: continuity of kinds,” in Matter and Geometry, ed. D. Ruy, D. Mertens,                 (New York: The Monacelli Press, 2007, forthcoming).
Macapia, Peter, cover, Performative architecture: beyond instrumentality, ed. B. Koralevic (London: Spon Press, 2004).
Macapia, Peter, “Edge Unlimited: The mathematical logic of material organization,” Architecture Review Australia, 90, September 2004.
Macapia, Peter,    “The material grain of geometry: A conversation with Alejandro Zaera-Polo,” Log no. 3,
September 2004.
Macapia, Peter, “Rates of change: computation and design,” ACSA Annual Review, January 2005.
Macapia, Peter,  “Some notes on analytical instruments,” in Ed Keller ed., Chronomorphologies (New York:Columbia Books on Architecture, 2003).

Selected Lectures/Conferences

Nov 26 2009    École Nationale Superieure d’Architecture de Paris Malaquais, “After the Night Watch”
Jul 30 2009    Storefront for Art and Architecture, “Immaterial Processes,” panel discussion, New York
Jun 15 2009    Hellenic Institute of Architecture , “Ship of Theseus,” Synathroisis conference, Athens
Apr 2009    Kent State School of Architecture, “Cartesian Wax,” Ohio
Mar 2009    The Drawing Center, “Blindleadingtheblind,” New York
Jan 2009    Princeton University, “WarandPeace”, Princeton
Jan 2009    SciArc, “The Smell of Geometry,” Los Angeles
Sep 18  2008    Pratt Institute, “Natural and Artificial Behavior,” Brooklyn, New York
April  24  2008         UNAM, “Bananas: or the algorithm”, Nonstandard Geometry Conference, Mexico City, Mexico.
Mar 22  2008       Estonian Academy of Arts, “Geometria Conflictus,” Tallinn, Estonia, Lecture
Nov16    2007        AA school, London, Karoake Seroussi, organizer Brett Steele. Conference
Oct 16  2007        Pratt Institute, “Recent Work,” New York, Lecture
Dec 10    2006        University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Architecture, “Kinds of Sublime,”
Philadelphia, Lecture
Nov 5   2006    University of Paris, Malaquais “On the Prehistory of Computation,” Paris, Lecture
Apr 29  2006        École Special d’Architecture, “Pressure,” Paris, Lecture
Apr 28  2006        École Nationale Superieure d’Architecture de Paris Malaquais, “Dirty Geometry,” Paris,
Lecture
Apr 27  2006    École Nationale Superieure d’Architecture de Paris Beleville, “Turbulence,” Paris, Lecture
Oct 20  2006        Nagoya University, “Turbulent Geometry,” International Workshop on Structural
Morphogenesis, Nagoya, Japan, organized Hiroshi Ohmori, Conference
Oct 11  2006        University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Architecture,, “Proto-computation: from JNL
Durand to Hannes Meyer,” NlSO (Nonlinear Systems Organization): Bites, Bits, Bricks, Philadelphia, Cecil Balmond and David Ruy organizers
May 2   2006        École Nationale Superieure d’Architecture de Paris Malaquais, “Geometry under pressure,”
Computation Matters, Paris, Philippe Morel, organizer, Conference
Mar 20  2005    Nasa Goddard Institute for Space Studies, “Hybrid architecture: Manhattanville,” New York, Lecture
Apr 25   2005    Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Science, “Renzo Piano and the question of engineering,” New York, Lecture
Dec  5   2005        Florence, Italy, “Hedonist Geometry,” Script, Marco Brizzi and Paola Giaconnia
Organizers, Conference
Mar 21  2005        Tokyo University of Science, “Sweet Honey Structure” Maya/CS software and engineering
conference, Minoru Mizuno organizer
Oct 22   2005        University Technology Sydney, “Mixology,” Cosmopolitanism and Place, Sydney, Australia
Andrew Benjamin organizer
Oct 24   2004        University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Architecture, “Crunk Space,” Lecture
Nov 29  2003        AA School, “The Material Life of Geometry,” The Intimate Metropolis, London,
UK , Vittoria di Palma organizer
Mar 18  2003        Miami ACSA, “Rates of Change: Computation and Matter,” Annual Conference,
American Collegiate Society of Architects, Miami, Ali Rahim organizer
Nov 15  2003        Pratt Institute, Graduate Program in Architecture, “Computational Matter,” Lecture
Sep 27  2002        Columbia University, GSAPP, “Crossing the line: A material history of geometry,” Lecture
Mar 14  2002        Columbia University, GSAPP, “Tati’s Playtime: The shelf life of modern geometry.