Lawrence Lek is an artist and filmmaker who explores the changing nature of architectural experience through new technologies. His work exists primarily in the virtual realm, utilising the digital tools that he learnt during architectural practice, integrating them with philosophical thinking to create a progressive architectural form.
Inspired by the writing of Juhani Pallasmma and Dalibor Vesley, Lek is interested by ideas around the experience of space, and not just its physical construction. He often draws on the work of ‘paper’ architects, who recognised that the imaginary potential of architecture extended beyond the material built environment. Lek’s evolution of this idea manifests in his pursuit of immersive virtual experiences of space, without the need for physical structures.
Lek’s work ranges from video essays about the language of architecture (Pyramid Schemes, ApexArt New York, 2018), to imaginary buildings for the construction of civic identity (QE3, Glasgow International, 2016), and video games that imagine worlds brimming with AI technology (2065, K11 Chi Art Space, Hong Kong, 2018).
In his current research, Lek applies digital algorithms for the automated production of three-dimensional architecture models, exploring the idea of AI-designed architecture.