 |
| Jorge Molder |
Infecting History
On the Theory of the History of Modern Architecture
With the 21st century's digital paradigm shift, architecture theory has lost its critical stance. Today’s architecture practice is left with little theoretical guidance and seems to be rather disoriented. It was, however, not always like this. Until the 1990s many of the creative impulses for the reconceptualization of architecture were owed to the critical theoretical discourse in the wake of the linguistic turn of the 1960s. It must be noted, though, that today neither a lack of critical stance nor the absence of visionary power can solely be held responsible, but rather a deficit in the concept of theory itself.
Possibly by putting too much emphasis on its immanent temporality, generative and algorithmic design seems to have lost its sense of the role that history plays for the theoretical basis of architecture. Because the virtual world lends itself to easy simulation and reconstruction, architects seem to be seduced into naively believing the postmodern paradigm of the end of history.
Whatever the reasons may be, the fact is that architecture today lacks a true understanding of the paradoxical role that history plays, especially for innovative design practice. In order to establish itself as a driving force for the reconceptualization of architecture, innovative design must be driven by the will to change the past as much as the future. As the history of theory shows, innovative design is only truly innovative insofar as it is able to infect history with the seeds of its own practice.
With the 21st century's digital paradigm shift, architecture theory has lost its critical stance. Today’s architecture practice is left with little theoretical guidance and seems to be rather disoriented. It was, however, not always like this. Until the 1990s many of the creative impulses for the reconceptualization of architecture were owed to the critical theoretical discourse in the wake of the linguistic turn of the 1960s. It must be noted, though, that today neither a lack of critical stance nor the absence of visionary power can solely be held responsible, but rather a deficit in the concept of theory itself.
Possibly by putting too much emphasis on its immanent temporality, generative and algorithmic design seems to have lost its sense of the role that history plays for the theoretical basis of architecture. Because the virtual world lends itself to easy simulation and reconstruction, architects seem to be seduced into naively believing the postmodern paradigm of the end of history.
Whatever the reasons may be, the fact is that architecture today lacks a true understanding of the paradoxical role that history plays, especially for innovative design practice. In order to establish itself as a driving force for the reconceptualization of architecture, innovative design must be driven by the will to change the past as much as the future. As the history of theory shows, innovative design is only truly innovative insofar as it is able to infect history with the seeds of its own practice.
Jörg Gleiter
Data: 15 de Outubro, às 19h no auditório do Goethe Institut em Lisboa
A entrada é livre e sujeita à lotação da sala.
Nesse mesmo dia realizar-se-á no Instituto de História da Arte na Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa seminário com o título: On the spatialization of Memory. A master class decorrerá às 11h na sala 1.05 do edificio de I&D da FCSH, na Av. de Berna, 26, Lisboa.
Resumo: The seminar will explore how memory is formed and how it is represented in public spaces. Since the mid-1980s Germany has witnessed a change in the conception of memorials against the crimes of National Socialism. In contrast to previous concepts the new memorials renounce to any kind of pathos irrespective of whether generated by a technique of mimetic imagery or geometrical abstraction. While earlier memorials were recognized as works of art through their exposed position in public space, the new memorials pursue an opposing strategy of dissimulation in everyday life, at times even culminating in their complete disappearance.
Este seminário/master class está reservada aos Investigadores do IHA. Mediante a disponibilidade de lugares, poderão ser admitidos outros participantes. As inscrições deverão ser feitas para:
spacetalkartearquitectura@gmail.com
Sobre o conferencista: Jörg Gleiter é arquitecto e professor de Teoria da Aqruitectura no Instituto de Arquitectura da Universidade Técnica de Berlin. Das suas publicações podem destacar-se: Urgeschichte der Moderne. Zur Theorie der Geschichte der Moderne (2012) Design as Symptom. Things, Signs and Their Effect (2012), The Reality of the Imaginary. Architecture and the Digital Image (2007), Der philosophische Flaneur. Nietzsche und die Architektur (2009), entre outros.
