Aurore Monteil - 4A STUDIO
© Aurore Monteil - 4A STUDIO

RESEARCH PROJECT

ABOUT :

This research category gathers past and ongoing projects exploring the relationships between architecture, materiality, perception, and states of consciousness.
Across visual arts, ceramic practices, spatial installations, and architectural investigations, matter is approached not as a passive material, but as an active field of resonance capable of shaping human experience.

At the core of these investigations lies a reflection on the invisible structures that influence the body and perception: memory, vibration, light, rhythm, color, and spatial atmosphere.
Through azulejos, sound experiments, chromatic studies, and immersive environments, each project becomes a fragment of a broader research into the dialogue between inner states and built space.

SOUND OF CREATION

Research study for healing architecture – montage & tile's composition by Aurore Monteil

INFO

Multidisciplinary research project

Architecture, Acoustics, Art, Bioenergies, Spiritual.


Keywords: Architecture of Care; Ceramic Craftsmanship; Chromatic Perception; Acoustic Phenomena; Spatial Psychology; Neuroaesthetics; Material Resonance; Sacred and Contemplative Spaces; Sensory Architecture; Embodied Experience; Cymatics and Wave Forms; Light and Reflection; Ritual and Spatial Memory; Healing Environments; Architectural Atmospheres; Perception Studies; Cross-cultural Approaches to Care and Space

Research study for healing architecture – montage & tile's composition by Aurore Monteil

INFO

Sound of Creation is an ongoing multidisciplinary research project exploring the relationships between architecture, matter, color, perception, and states of consciousness through the medium of ceramic art and azulejos.

Situated between architectural research, craftsmanship, visual arts, and sensory studies, the project investigates how material environments influence the body emotionally, physiologically, and psychologically. Through ceramics, sound, light, chromatic composition, and spatial immersion, the research seeks to question how architecture may become not only functional, but deeply perceptual and restorative.

At the center of this investigation lies the azulejo: a material both architectural and symbolic. Historically associated with light, reflection, rhythm, and sacred space, the ceramic tile becomes here a contemporary field of experimentation. Each project, installation, mural, or object functions as a fragment of a broader fundamental research exploring resonance between body, material, memory, and space.

Rooted in studies surrounding healing environments, contemplative architecture, acoustic phenomena, chromatic perception, and embodied spatial experience, Sound of Creation develops through both theoretical inquiry and material practice. Hand-painted ceramics, large-scale frescoes, digital simulations, cymatic experiments, and immersive architectural projections are used as tools to explore how surfaces may alter perception and create emotional atmospheres.

Rather than opposing scientific and intuitive approaches, the project seeks to establish dialogues between disciplines: physics of vibration, phenomenology of perception, traditional craftsmanship, neuroaesthetics, meditative practices, and architectural care studies.

Through this ongoing body of work, architecture is approached as a living environment capable of affecting rhythm, attention, contemplation, and human presence itself.



  • Research study for healing architecture – montage & tile's composition by Aurore Monteil

Chinese ink of Cymatic’s patterns

528 Hz – Universal healing frequency

EYE SEE YOU

ABOUT :

This fundamental research project aims to become an applied research project that combines all the disciplines I embrace in my work. Currently exploring this concept in my visual and plastic art, I wish to develop it and apply it to architecture, in order to create a healing architecture. Rethinking the environment in which humans evolve and resonate with the material that surrounds us.

A material to touch, a material to think.

By returning to the foundations of our material reality, analyzing the frequencies that create all forms of life and shape our inner world, is a way to contribute to the balance of our environment.


Collab : Don’t hesitate to contact me for any informations or a collaboration work on 4astudio.contact@gmail.com.

ANANTA – 528 Hz artwork

AT FIRST IT IS SOUND


“Then the shape is formed. The shapes and patterns. The flowers of life.

The infinitely creative music of space, the waves, vibrations, the sound of the sea.

Rushing, accelerating, resonating.

We are from the crystals to the people, solidified music. There is a sleeping song in all things.

We are intended to resonate.

We are sound.”


128Ve980, Kymat – Good vibrations

AURA

INFO

The aura is a delicate, invisible halo surrounding each person, revealing the essence of our being beyond the physical form. It is a subtle field of vibrant colors and shifting energies that connects us, forming an unseen web of emotions, thoughts, and vibrations.

This aura holds our purest joys, deepest sorrows, hopes, and dreams. It reflects our moods and inner states, serving as a living portrait of our inner world. At times, it glows brightly, illuminating our path and that of others with its benevolent light, while at other times, it dims, mirroring our inner conflicts and struggles.

With a silent yet powerful language, the aura expresses our soul beyond words, embodying our true self and highlighting our shared humanity. It reminds us of our universal connection and interdependence, an essence that transcends time and space.

This collection features four aura paintings of individuals with whom I share a deep spiritual bond.

Part of a series of eleven works created in late 2023, they began as digital pieces developed using 3D glasses to capture vibrant color and light. The project will evolve through experiments with glass printing and neon lights, aiming to embody the aura’s immaterial quality and immerse viewers in this captivating energetic universe.


Then, I began recreating them on azulejos tiles during a residency in Lisbon. This process seeks to give to the intangible a material vibration, an anchoring in this world, on Earth, through the medium of clay.

RED AURA


The red aura aligns with the root chakra, symbolizing grounding, stability, and vitality. Those with a red aura are often reliable, confident, and passionate, with a competitive and risk-taking spirit. However, this aura can also indicate impulsiveness or anger, potentially challenging relationships. A darker red may signal unresolved anger or energy depletion.

STRANGER 0.1

Digital painting to tile's painting

40x60 cm

July 2024, Lisbon

NATHALIE

Digital painting to tile's painting

40x60 cm

July 2024, Lisbon



AZULEJOS, AN ARCHITECTURAL

CLADDING CONSTITUTING THE IDENTITY OF A NATION


INFO

THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE ARCHITECT IN THE USE AND PROMOTION OF AZULEJOS IN THE 21ST CENTURY


Master’s research thesis in architecture

ENSAPVS, 2022-2023

Research Director : Sandra Parvu


Contributors : Tile's national museum of lisbon, SOS Azulejos, AzLab, Creazul Studio, Lisbon City Hall.


Details : Book, 21,5x30 cm format, 180 pages.

Full version : click here

ABOUT :

This passion developed out of this craftsmanship, that has been largely neglected, led me to make it the subject of my master’s research thesis in architecture.


The artists and craftsmen, by ensuring the transmission of the know-how specific to azulejos, have perpetuated the vitality of this traditional art in the writing of our time. However, the craft is threatened with disappearance due to the country’s socio-economic and political difficulties, and due to a lack of awareness of the importance of preserving its cultural heritage.


Indeed, considering the historical analysis of the art of azulejos, the understanding of its strong identity-characteristic of Portuguese culture, and the inseparability between azulejos and architecture in Portugal, the question arises as to what particular role the architect can play in the safeguarding, perpetuation, and evolution of the heritage.


However, after extensive research, it appears that the architectural profession in Portugal is not subject to any explicit legal or regulatory obligations regarding the use of azulejos in the design of new architectural projects. After reading the oath of Portuguese architects, it would thus be perfectly legitimate for them to play a role in the preservation of the art of azulejos and could go even further to become a true promoter of it. Indeed, it seems to us that the use of azulejos in an architectural project could be an additional means for the architect to naturally fulfill their commitment, especially in light of the new challenges posed by sustainable development, which humanity can no longer ignore today. More than ever, architects have a major role to play in contributing to a more just and humane society in the design of their projects.

TEJO NASCENTE

Renewal of Cacilhas

INFO

End of studies project, ENSA Paris Val-de-Seine • 

fiel of study : Territory

“A new multimodal transit hub in the heart of the Tagus estuary.”


 Cacilhas, Almada, Portugal – 2022 / 2023


Details : Book, 21,5x30 cm format, 240 pages.

Full version : click here

ABOUT :

The revitalization of Almada, particularly in the Cacilhas area, aims to reconnect the city with the Tagus Estuary, which has historically been a key economic driver but has seen diminishing importance due to new infrastructures like the 25th of April Bridge. While Lisbon thrives, Almada has remained somewhat neglected, facing challenges like congestion, an aging population, and underutilized spaces.

Cacilhas, a poetic and fragmented area, struggles to connect its northern and southern parts due to its existing layout. The project seeks to restore coherence and integrate the area with the river by improving transportation and creating a unified urban landscape. New ferry lines, metro extensions, and tram routes are planned, along with the development of green spaces and facilities like a permanent market hall. The design uses local materials, including Portuguese pavement, to create continuity between the ground and sky, while also introducing local plant species to enhance the environment.

The project will provide spaces for commerce, services, and leisure, and preserve the historical memory of Cacilhas. Buildings with iconic umbrella roofs will house various services, while the market hall will revive public space and extend the city’s commercial vitality. Local materials like azulejos and limestone concrete will contribute to a distinctive architectural identity. The revitalization will restore Cacilhas as a transport hub and a key activity center in the region, emphasizing the social, environmental, and historical significance of the river.

My experience in Portugal, particularly in Lisbon where I learned ceramics and azulejo techniques, has deepened my appreciation for this culture and city. I wanted to anchor this project in an approach that values the city not only as a functional space but as a place of heritage and values. This project has allowed me to combine analysis, creativity, and commitment, strengthening my vision of architecture as a means to influence and enhance the broader landscape.

PLACES OF MEMORY

Arthur Pastor, Almada

INFO

In the footsteps of Arthur Pastor.

Places of Memory 1922-1999, Almada – Lisbon.

Creation of an inventory of the artist’s photographs and an “before-after” architectural and sociological analysis as the starting point of my architecture thesis project.


Details : Book, 20x20 cm format, 146 pages.

This collection allowed me to dive into the heart of Portuguese artisanal life history and understand the deep connection between the Tagus River, fishing activity, and the development of this territory.

The sensitive relationship with water is captured as a central element in all forms of activity and social ties between the inhabitants.

The selection presented here has been a true source of inspiration in the research for my project, one of whose primary objectives is to rediscover this connection to the Tagus, which today seems to have been profoundly neglected.