MARIA MANDEA
b. 1991, Bucharest, Romania
mariamandea[at]gmail.com
EDUCATION
2018-2022 - Doctoral studies in Visual Arts
National University of Arts, Bucharest, Research topic: Play Design
2019-2020 - Erasmus at Kunstuniversität Linz
Reasearch mobility, 4 months, Linz, Austria
2012-2017 - Bachelor+Master Product Design (graduated 2017)
University of Architecture and Urbanism, UAUIM Bucharest
2010-2012 - Bachelor Architecture - interrupted second year
University of Architecture and Urbanism, UAUIM Bucharest
2006-2010 - High-school - computer programming focus
co_FOUNDED
2017-2023 - Lead Designer, Super:Serios design studio
design, print and digital, project management, organisational www.superserios.ro
2020-2023 - Toy Designer, Micul Haos
product design, prototyping, photography, social media www.miculhaos.com
2021-2022 - Co-founder, Știrbei47
artist run space, emergent & participatory art, www.stirbei47.ro
ART INSTALLATIONS
2023 - Restitutio in Integrum
game-installation, Gaep Gallery, Bucharest; in the group exhibition Back to where it all began, curator: Tevž Logar
2022 - I + Line
game-installation and contemporary dance workshop coordinated by Mădălina Dan, Minitremu space, Timișoara. Made together with Ștefania Ferchedău and Mădălina Dan, production: The Institute of the Present
2022 - Rousseau Game
exhibition, installation, game - National Museum for Contemporary Art - MNAC, Bucharest
2022 - I ME OURS: Food
game installation, Combinatul Fondului Plastic, The Institute, Bucharest, part of Art in Progress - Coming Back to Our Senses group exhibition
2022 - Proche Loin
adaptation of Aproape Departe for Cajarc; part of the exhibition L’aire de Jeux at Maison des Arts Georges & Claude Pompidou, Cajarc, France
2021-2022 - I ME OURS: Housing
game installation, National Museum of Contemporary Art - MNAC Bucharest, part of Y.A.C. - Young Artist Connections group exhibition
2021 - I ME OURS: Transport
ephemeral game installation in public space, Czech Centre Bucharest
2021 - I ME OURS series
game installations - developed with an audience in artist studio at Știrbei47, 5 games in 5 weeks, Bucharest
2020 - The System in the Room
game installation, co-author: arh. Teodora Ungureanu, part of Utopian Cities, Programmed Societies , Garnizoana Timișoara, Simultan Festival #15
installation game, co-author: arh. Teodora Ungureanu, WASP - Working Arts Space & Production, Bucharest, part of Life Long Burning Residency
2019-2020 - Divided
immersive installation game, Deep Space 8K, Ars Electronica Center, Linz, in Ars Electronica Festival 2020
2019 - Matera Narrative Puzzle
urban game, site-specific installation, Fusion Urban Games Festival, Matera, Italy
2019 - Victoria Narrative Puzzle
installation, part of Utopian Cities, Programmed Societies group exhibition at Fabrica de Pensule, Cluj, Romania
2017 - Eviction Notice
360° VR stop-motion animation short film, director, puppet creator, produced by CINETic, Bucharest
2016 - nunu collaborative game
participant, graphic designer, collaborative game for the cinema screen, part of the workshop Digital Stories at the French Institute in Bucharest
STAGE DESIGN
2021 - Bucuresti Livrator
object & graphic design for stage, Masca Theatre, Bucharest (stage director David Schwartz)
2020 - Kunterbunt
puppet design for stage, Gong Theatre, Sibiu (stage director Ana Crăciun Lambru)
2014 - Memories from the School Age
stage designer, Comedy Theatre, Bucharest (stage director Radu Apostol, playwright Mihaela Michailov)
2014 - Theatre of the Child’s Rights
stage designer, Comedy Theatre, Bucharest (stage director Radu Apostol, playwright Mihaela Michailov)
2013 - Familia Offline
stage and costume design, "Teatrul Foarte Mic" Theatre, Bucharest (stage director Radu Apostol, playwright Mihaela Michailov)
WORKSHOPS & TEACHING
2022 - Vitamin P3 puppet making workshop
teacher, offline, held at Știrbei47 studio
2021 - Soft Toy Creation For Beginners
teacher, online course teaching craft through play exercises available on Domestika
2018 - Visual design workshop for Architecture Students
co-author: arh. T. Ungureanu, 3 weeks, UAUIM Bucharest
2017 - mic maraton
4-days design marathon for NGOs in the Prahova district - co-creator, designer
2015-2018 - Anina Mine of Ideas
participant in the workshop, later graphic designer and visual researcher, organiser Alba Verde Association
2013 - Initiation in Photography workshop for children
workshop coordinator, 2-days workshop about urban exploring through photography for children ages 5-12, part of the Victoria Film Festival
FESTIVAL PARTICIPATIONS
Explore Dance Festival 2013, Temps des Images 2013, 2014, Poitiers Film Festival 2018, TAKAVOIR - laboratoire des nouvelles images 2019, Romanian Design Week 2019, 2021, Simultan Festival 2020, Ars Electronica Festival 2020.
AWARDS
The Schedule Monster, First Prize, Dash Design Awards 2020, Bucharest
Memories from the School Age, First Prize, Independent Theatre Festival FNTI, 2014, Bucharest
PUBLISHED PAPERS
Online Educational Modules, a Do-it-yourself Approach by Design Thinking
2021, DOI: 10.12753/2066-026X-21-055
Urban Games in Pandemic Times
2021, co-author Teodora Ungureanu, DOI: 10.12753/2066-026X-21-074
The post aesthetic journey of an installation
2020, UNATC Journal of Drama Teaching Vol. 4 Iss. 2(7) 2020
Post-processing on scale models - a tool in design education
2019, 11th Lumen Proceedings, DOI: 10.18662/lumproc.110
SOFTWARE:
Adobe Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Lightroom), Procreate, Cinema4D, Rhinoceros, p5.js, Microsoft Word & PowerPoint, Google Docs, Slides, Sheets.
LANGUAGES: English - fluent, Romanian - Native, Spanish - Beginner