top of page

As part of my Master thesis, I decided to explore the power of cute, its ambiguity and its double language; examining what kind of relationship it can have with its surroundings. I wanted to determine how cute could be used in architecture and how it could create long-term attachment to a broader audience. I was particularly interested in the cute’s proximity to femininity and childish-ness, given the overall male dominance in this profession.

In the grand scheme, I devised four characters that would embody the four main aspects of the cute aesthetic. The first, Sasha, works in between the kitsch and the irony - where cute materialises in a two dimensionality. The second, Katya, demonstrates the playfulness and childishness, usually found amongst cute archetypes, in a purely geometrical style. The third, Bianca, is where the abject and erotic side of cute manifest through shapes historically related to femininity. Finally, Raja, who explores the anthropomorphic side of cute by the use of posture and melancholy.

Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Instructor: Ulrika Karlsson, Cecilia Lundbäck

Programme: Masters Thesis

Year: 2021

Cute Sthlm

bottom of page