Somlai-Fischers
Born in 1976, Budapest. Exported as startup founder. Currently founder and Head of Innovation at Prezi. Exhibited project created by the Somlai-Fischer family: Anita Pozna, Antu Somlai-Fischer, Léna Somlai-Fischer and Ádám.
Dear reader, student, creator! Perhaps we are connected by our interest in the built world? Spaces, cities, objects, furniture – the physical reality shaped by our civilisation? Our role can be that of the creator, designer, collector, observer or preserver. (Even Socrates claimed Daedalus, the mythical architect, as his ancestor, underlining the relationship between thought and space.) How is the cultivation of space intertwined with the cultivation of thought? What we create today may still be around decades from now. Our work goes beyond momentary market conditions; we shape the world around us house by house, object by object, making the original function more sustainable and future-proof. Thinking purely in terms of text is difficult for many of us – mobility in space, change, tangible thoughts make it easier for ideas to be born. That’s also how Prezi was born: as a personal tool for spatial thinking, in which the zooming journey helps organise ideas and evokes spatial memory. As architects, this can be our role across the ages. To love, develop, use and share spatial thinking, from tangible reality to abstract thought, which is of great value. – Ádám Somlai-Fischer and Anita Pozna
Manifesto ↓
We inspire and support each other swinging back and forth between the quotidian and the global scale, because the experience of creation is the same for both. We strive to create an adaptable world, driven not by consumption, but by an architecture that creates a shared, joyful life for all of us.
Career path ↓
Observing the career of Ádám Somlai-Fischer, we can clearly discern his career arc leading from architecture through works of media art to the development of Prezi, a world-famous presentation software. Whether a physical or virtual space, the ability of users to shape the way the space around them works has always been an integral part of Ádám’s projects. As a student at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Ádám quickly became disillusioned with the rigid view of architecture as an engineering solution to superficially understood problems, rather than a human vision that shapes our personal and communal spaces. He eventually completed his studies at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, where in his works of media art, he created interactive media spaces by reinterpreting conventional technologies. According to Ádám, these works are not the result of technological innovation, but rather a different approach, a way of taking a different look at things we normally take for granted. The most exciting project participation in his architectural career was the creation of the Hungarian exhibition at the 2006 Venice Biennale of Architecture. In the project Re:orient – migrating architectures, the team of young artists had created interactive spaces by interconnecting cheap Chinese toys, demonstrating that it is possible to create a complex system from simple elements in which the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. The exhibition resonated strongly with contemporary issues and was the subject of over a hundred articles worldwide, including leading papers. As a result, Ádám was invited to the Experimental Architecture section of the main exhibition of the next Venice Biennale of Architecture. In Ádám’s opinion, just like toys that seem redundant in themselves, we can only step outside our boundaries by collaborating, combining different disciplines. This approach was reflected in Kitchen Budapest, co-founded by Ádám – an open, experimental environment where innovative ideas were born from the encounter of different perspectives –, and Prezi, founded in 2009. Boasting over a hundred and sixty million users to date, the presentation software has become so successful because instead of constraints, it offers a free, non-linear structure, inspiring users to share their ideas more expressively, while making learning as well as work more enjoyable and creative. This open, curious approach is also evident in Ádám’s personal life: together with Anita, they are building a creative community together with their children, Antu and Lena, where each of them learn from, and are inspired by the other. Whether it is a global start-up, a family holiday home, a painting or mechanical wooden toys, instead of controlling them, they want to encourage them to actively shape the world with their own thoughts and ideas.
Somlai-Fischers
Born in 1976, Budapest. Exported as startup founder. Currently founder and Head of Innovation at Prezi. Exhibited project created by the Somlai-Fischer family: Anita Pozna, Antu Somlai-Fischer, Léna Somlai-Fischer and Ádám.
Dear reader, student, creator! Perhaps we are connected by our interest in the built world? Spaces, cities, objects, furniture – the physical reality shaped by our civilisation? Our role can be that of the creator, designer, collector, observer or preserver. (Even Socrates claimed Daedalus, the mythical architect, as his ancestor, underlining the relationship between thought and space.) How is the cultivation of space intertwined with the cultivation of thought? What we create today may still be around decades from now. Our work goes beyond momentary market conditions; we shape the world around us house by house, object by object, making the original function more sustainable and future-proof. Thinking purely in terms of text is difficult for many of us – mobility in space, change, tangible thoughts make it easier for ideas to be born. That’s also how Prezi was born: as a personal tool for spatial thinking, in which the zooming journey helps organise ideas and evokes spatial memory. As architects, this can be our role across the ages. To love, develop, use and share spatial thinking, from tangible reality to abstract thought, which is of great value. – Ádám Somlai-Fischer and Anita Pozna
Manifesto ↓
We inspire and support each other swinging back and forth between the quotidian and the global scale, because the experience of creation is the same for both. We strive to create an adaptable world, driven not by consumption, but by an architecture that creates a shared, joyful life for all of us.
Career path ↓
Observing the career of Ádám Somlai-Fischer, we can clearly discern his career arc leading from architecture through works of media art to the development of Prezi, a world-famous presentation software. Whether a physical or virtual space, the ability of users to shape the way the space around them works has always been an integral part of Ádám’s projects. As a student at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Ádám quickly became disillusioned with the rigid view of architecture as an engineering solution to superficially understood problems, rather than a human vision that shapes our personal and communal spaces. He eventually completed his studies at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, where in his works of media art, he created interactive media spaces by reinterpreting conventional technologies. According to Ádám, these works are not the result of technological innovation, but rather a different approach, a way of taking a different look at things we normally take for granted. The most exciting project participation in his architectural career was the creation of the Hungarian exhibition at the 2006 Venice Biennale of Architecture. In the project Re:orient – migrating architectures, the team of young artists had created interactive spaces by interconnecting cheap Chinese toys, demonstrating that it is possible to create a complex system from simple elements in which the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. The exhibition resonated strongly with contemporary issues and was the subject of over a hundred articles worldwide, including leading papers. As a result, Ádám was invited to the Experimental Architecture section of the main exhibition of the next Venice Biennale of Architecture. In Ádám’s opinion, just like toys that seem redundant in themselves, we can only step outside our boundaries by collaborating, combining different disciplines. This approach was reflected in Kitchen Budapest, co-founded by Ádám – an open, experimental environment where innovative ideas were born from the encounter of different perspectives –, and Prezi, founded in 2009. Boasting over a hundred and sixty million users to date, the presentation software has become so successful because instead of constraints, it offers a free, non-linear structure, inspiring users to share their ideas more expressively, while making learning as well as work more enjoyable and creative. This open, curious approach is also evident in Ádám’s personal life: together with Anita, they are building a creative community together with their children, Antu and Lena, where each of them learn from, and are inspired by the other. Whether it is a global start-up, a family holiday home, a painting or mechanical wooden toys, instead of controlling them, they want to encourage them to actively shape the world with their own thoughts and ideas.
Somlai-Fischers
Born in 1976, Budapest. Exported as startup founder. Currently founder and Head of Innovation at Prezi. Exhibited project created by the Somlai-Fischer family: Anita Pozna, Antu Somlai-Fischer, Léna Somlai-Fischer and Ádám.
Dear reader, student, creator! Perhaps we are connected by our interest in the built world? Spaces, cities, objects, furniture – the physical reality shaped by our civilisation? Our role can be that of the creator, designer, collector, observer or preserver. (Even Socrates claimed Daedalus, the mythical architect, as his ancestor, underlining the relationship between thought and space.) How is the cultivation of space intertwined with the cultivation of thought? What we create today may still be around decades from now. Our work goes beyond momentary market conditions; we shape the world around us house by house, object by object, making the original function more sustainable and future-proof. Thinking purely in terms of text is difficult for many of us – mobility in space, change, tangible thoughts make it easier for ideas to be born. That’s also how Prezi was born: as a personal tool for spatial thinking, in which the zooming journey helps organise ideas and evokes spatial memory. As architects, this can be our role across the ages. To love, develop, use and share spatial thinking, from tangible reality to abstract thought, which is of great value. – Ádám Somlai-Fischer and Anita Pozna
Manifesto ↓
We inspire and support each other swinging back and forth between the quotidian and the global scale, because the experience of creation is the same for both. We strive to create an adaptable world, driven not by consumption, but by an architecture that creates a shared, joyful life for all of us.
Career path ↓
Observing the career of Ádám Somlai-Fischer, we can clearly discern his career arc leading from architecture through works of media art to the development of Prezi, a world-famous presentation software. Whether a physical or virtual space, the ability of users to shape the way the space around them works has always been an integral part of Ádám’s projects. As a student at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Ádám quickly became disillusioned with the rigid view of architecture as an engineering solution to superficially understood problems, rather than a human vision that shapes our personal and communal spaces. He eventually completed his studies at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, where in his works of media art, he created interactive media spaces by reinterpreting conventional technologies. According to Ádám, these works are not the result of technological innovation, but rather a different approach, a way of taking a different look at things we normally take for granted. The most exciting project participation in his architectural career was the creation of the Hungarian exhibition at the 2006 Venice Biennale of Architecture. In the project Re:orient – migrating architectures, the team of young artists had created interactive spaces by interconnecting cheap Chinese toys, demonstrating that it is possible to create a complex system from simple elements in which the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. The exhibition resonated strongly with contemporary issues and was the subject of over a hundred articles worldwide, including leading papers. As a result, Ádám was invited to the Experimental Architecture section of the main exhibition of the next Venice Biennale of Architecture. In Ádám’s opinion, just like toys that seem redundant in themselves, we can only step outside our boundaries by collaborating, combining different disciplines. This approach was reflected in Kitchen Budapest, co-founded by Ádám – an open, experimental environment where innovative ideas were born from the encounter of different perspectives –, and Prezi, founded in 2009. Boasting over a hundred and sixty million users to date, the presentation software has become so successful because instead of constraints, it offers a free, non-linear structure, inspiring users to share their ideas more expressively, while making learning as well as work more enjoyable and creative. This open, curious approach is also evident in Ádám’s personal life: together with Anita, they are building a creative community together with their children, Antu and Lena, where each of them learn from, and are inspired by the other. Whether it is a global start-up, a family holiday home, a painting or mechanical wooden toys, instead of controlling them, they want to encourage them to actively shape the world with their own thoughts and ideas.
Somlai-Fischers
Born in 1976, Budapest. Exported as startup founder. Currently founder and Head of Innovation at Prezi. Exhibited project created by the Somlai-Fischer family: Anita Pozna, Antu Somlai-Fischer, Léna Somlai-Fischer and Ádám.
Dear reader, student, creator! Perhaps we are connected by our interest in the built world? Spaces, cities, objects, furniture – the physical reality shaped by our civilisation? Our role can be that of the creator, designer, collector, observer or preserver. (Even Socrates claimed Daedalus, the mythical architect, as his ancestor, underlining the relationship between thought and space.) How is the cultivation of space intertwined with the cultivation of thought? What we create today may still be around decades from now. Our work goes beyond momentary market conditions; we shape the world around us house by house, object by object, making the original function more sustainable and future-proof. Thinking purely in terms of text is difficult for many of us – mobility in space, change, tangible thoughts make it easier for ideas to be born. That’s also how Prezi was born: as a personal tool for spatial thinking, in which the zooming journey helps organise ideas and evokes spatial memory. As architects, this can be our role across the ages. To love, develop, use and share spatial thinking, from tangible reality to abstract thought, which is of great value. – Ádám Somlai-Fischer and Anita Pozna
Manifesto ↓
We inspire and support each other swinging back and forth between the quotidian and the global scale, because the experience of creation is the same for both. We strive to create an adaptable world, driven not by consumption, but by an architecture that creates a shared, joyful life for all of us.
Career path ↓
Observing the career of Ádám Somlai-Fischer, we can clearly discern his career arc leading from architecture through works of media art to the development of Prezi, a world-famous presentation software. Whether a physical or virtual space, the ability of users to shape the way the space around them works has always been an integral part of Ádám’s projects. As a student at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Ádám quickly became disillusioned with the rigid view of architecture as an engineering solution to superficially understood problems, rather than a human vision that shapes our personal and communal spaces. He eventually completed his studies at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, where in his works of media art, he created interactive media spaces by reinterpreting conventional technologies. According to Ádám, these works are not the result of technological innovation, but rather a different approach, a way of taking a different look at things we normally take for granted. The most exciting project participation in his architectural career was the creation of the Hungarian exhibition at the 2006 Venice Biennale of Architecture. In the project Re:orient – migrating architectures, the team of young artists had created interactive spaces by interconnecting cheap Chinese toys, demonstrating that it is possible to create a complex system from simple elements in which the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. The exhibition resonated strongly with contemporary issues and was the subject of over a hundred articles worldwide, including leading papers. As a result, Ádám was invited to the Experimental Architecture section of the main exhibition of the next Venice Biennale of Architecture. In Ádám’s opinion, just like toys that seem redundant in themselves, we can only step outside our boundaries by collaborating, combining different disciplines. This approach was reflected in Kitchen Budapest, co-founded by Ádám – an open, experimental environment where innovative ideas were born from the encounter of different perspectives –, and Prezi, founded in 2009. Boasting over a hundred and sixty million users to date, the presentation software has become so successful because instead of constraints, it offers a free, non-linear structure, inspiring users to share their ideas more expressively, while making learning as well as work more enjoyable and creative. This open, curious approach is also evident in Ádám’s personal life: together with Anita, they are building a creative community together with their children, Antu and Lena, where each of them learn from, and are inspired by the other. Whether it is a global start-up, a family holiday home, a painting or mechanical wooden toys, instead of controlling them, they want to encourage them to actively shape the world with their own thoughts and ideas.
Somlai-Fischers
Born in 1976, Budapest. Exported as startup founder. Currently founder and Head of Innovation at Prezi. Exhibited project created by the Somlai-Fischer family: Anita Pozna, Antu Somlai-Fischer, Léna Somlai-Fischer and Ádám.
Dear reader, student, creator! Perhaps we are connected by our interest in the built world? Spaces, cities, objects, furniture – the physical reality shaped by our civilisation? Our role can be that of the creator, designer, collector, observer or preserver. (Even Socrates claimed Daedalus, the mythical architect, as his ancestor, underlining the relationship between thought and space.) How is the cultivation of space intertwined with the cultivation of thought? What we create today may still be around decades from now. Our work goes beyond momentary market conditions; we shape the world around us house by house, object by object, making the original function more sustainable and future-proof. Thinking purely in terms of text is difficult for many of us – mobility in space, change, tangible thoughts make it easier for ideas to be born. That’s also how Prezi was born: as a personal tool for spatial thinking, in which the zooming journey helps organise ideas and evokes spatial memory. As architects, this can be our role across the ages. To love, develop, use and share spatial thinking, from tangible reality to abstract thought, which is of great value. – Ádám Somlai-Fischer and Anita Pozna
Manifesto ↓
We inspire and support each other swinging back and forth between the quotidian and the global scale, because the experience of creation is the same for both. We strive to create an adaptable world, driven not by consumption, but by an architecture that creates a shared, joyful life for all of us.
Career path ↓
Observing the career of Ádám Somlai-Fischer, we can clearly discern his career arc leading from architecture through works of media art to the development of Prezi, a world-famous presentation software. Whether a physical or virtual space, the ability of users to shape the way the space around them works has always been an integral part of Ádám’s projects. As a student at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Ádám quickly became disillusioned with the rigid view of architecture as an engineering solution to superficially understood problems, rather than a human vision that shapes our personal and communal spaces. He eventually completed his studies at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, where in his works of media art, he created interactive media spaces by reinterpreting conventional technologies. According to Ádám, these works are not the result of technological innovation, but rather a different approach, a way of taking a different look at things we normally take for granted. The most exciting project participation in his architectural career was the creation of the Hungarian exhibition at the 2006 Venice Biennale of Architecture. In the project Re:orient – migrating architectures, the team of young artists had created interactive spaces by interconnecting cheap Chinese toys, demonstrating that it is possible to create a complex system from simple elements in which the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts. The exhibition resonated strongly with contemporary issues and was the subject of over a hundred articles worldwide, including leading papers. As a result, Ádám was invited to the Experimental Architecture section of the main exhibition of the next Venice Biennale of Architecture. In Ádám’s opinion, just like toys that seem redundant in themselves, we can only step outside our boundaries by collaborating, combining different disciplines. This approach was reflected in Kitchen Budapest, co-founded by Ádám – an open, experimental environment where innovative ideas were born from the encounter of different perspectives –, and Prezi, founded in 2009. Boasting over a hundred and sixty million users to date, the presentation software has become so successful because instead of constraints, it offers a free, non-linear structure, inspiring users to share their ideas more expressively, while making learning as well as work more enjoyable and creative. This open, curious approach is also evident in Ádám’s personal life: together with Anita, they are building a creative community together with their children, Antu and Lena, where each of them learn from, and are inspired by the other. Whether it is a global start-up, a family holiday home, a painting or mechanical wooden toys, instead of controlling them, they want to encourage them to actively shape the world with their own thoughts and ideas.