Videos inspired by participants‘ tables of contents (particularly Jean-Pierre‘s and Carmela‘s).

Book of Books

We have received a ‘table of contents’ for the book publication of the research project ‘JUST ARCHITECTURE?’ from everyone involved. Thank you all for contributing to this!

These ‘tables of contents’ are the bases for the production of the book. As you may suspect, we are not going to choose one of these ‘tables’ as the model for the entire book. Rather we would like to make evident what has happened in this first step of the book production: the distinct gesture every contributor has made towards the others by combining one‘s singular position with the plurality of ‘JUST ARCHITECTURE?’

Every ‘table of contents’ for this reason contains the entirety of ‘JUST ARCHITECTURE?’ and therefore reproduces or projects in itself one possibility of its formalization as a book. If we take one ‘table’ as the model for the entire book, or if we synthesize a new ‘table’ out of your proposals, then we will inevitably destroy the dialogic power contained in each of the ‘tables’ as they are now. The ‘tables’ just added in a row form much more than just an addition: they form a kaleidoscopic set of semi-transparent mutually mirroring entities.

The particular charm however is that the structure of the book, if we just add one ‘table of contents’ after the next, is identical to the non-reflected structure of an average scientific publication. We do not have to recur to fancy looking inventions in order to state originality. The originality is rather contained within the conventions of appearance.

Transposed from research to architecture this observation suggests that the difference of an architecture as emergent, dialogic reality resides not in a different structural appearance but within the responsiveness of the related elements themselves.

For this reason the difficult task we are calling you to fulfil is the transformation of your own table of content into an article. The only way to make evident what we have achieved at this point is to conceive of the publication as a book of books.

We encourage you to structure your article as close as possible along the ‘table of contents’ you have created, although you are naturally free to adjust it. Our hope is that you find a way to generate a space in which to expound your own research as an element reflected by and interconnected with the other elements of research as well as ‘JUST ARCHITECTURE?’ as a whole.

The book in this form of a set of variations on the same topic will have a nature comparable to a user guide, in which the same description is repeated in several languages. Each contributor will get a section for her / his / their ‘language’ to talk about ‘JUST ARCHITECTURE?’ It is therefore sound to work with a set of framing conditions equal to all of the contributors: approximately 5’000 words per contributor; line drawings, graphics, tables, photographs, all b/w and the colour red (the one used in the S AM).

Submission of articles due by the end of August 2013; followed by the possibility to read all articles and to respond to them within one’s own article, peer review, corrections, lay-out, proof, print, and presentation.

Download tables of contents here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------





The second encounter at the Swiss Architecture Museum S AM in Basel was driven by commitment. Besides the participants from the first event in Lucerne we had Tim Gough from Kingston University in London and Martin Beutler from Firma für soziale Plastik in Berne invited to give a keynote lecture and to discuss the work. Since we had decided to present the work of the participants through installations, the first day was dedicated to building these installations in groups of two participants. The second day the participants presented their projects within the respective installations. Obviously, being immersed in an environment of a research work rather than presenting this work ex cathedra is a completely different situation. The installation is more like a ‘home’ where the other participants are being received as guests. The spatial situation changes from presentation to presentation because it is always specific. Continuity and simultaneity can be realized and conveyed easily and effectively. Moreover, the presentation of two participants at a time and the material presence of their work in the space made engaged exchange possible and productive.

These presentations were interchanged with the building of yet another model during the second day: the model of a ‘book’. Similarly to the model of the space we intended to again produce a physical reality in the present that would help connecting ourselves to a possible future, a further step in the process of JUST ARCHITECTURE? The concept of the ‘book’ served as a prototypical conference outcome parallel to a building resulting from an architectural competition. The specific form of such a ‘book’ as the publication outcome of a different kind of conference would consequently represent what the building outcome of a different kind of architectural competition could be.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



S AM

Dear researchers

Next step of Just Architecture? is the actual conference at S AM Swiss Architecture Museum in Basel from October 18th to 20th 2012 with the title: COMPETITION is/as ARCHITECTURE.

As a response to the mock up conference at sic! Raum für Kunst in Lucerne we call for the dialogic development of your explorative research projects by pairing up and collaborating with another project and researcher.

Each group will have one space of the S AM as home-base, but can expand into the other spaces. Each group will design and stage their contribution individually but in close communication with the others.

Again we ask you to formulate your explorative research project(s) in a video, and more specifically, to define and demonstrate your notion of "dialog".

Moreover, we intend to continue exploring the possibilities of a dynamic and open competition process by taking on additional participants on board. Each group should bring in two additional participants who will substantially contribute to the conference. The form of their participation (giving a paper, performance, etc.) is up to the group.

In analogy to the common building of the model of the S AM, which we did in Lucerne in order to explore and project the three days of the final conference in Basel, this time we will build the model of a final publication: the book.

The rough conference program is as follows:
DAY 1 (Thursday, Oct 18) Building up during the day and speeches (keynotes) in the evening.
DAY 2 (Friday, Oct 19) Conference interchanging presentations, discussions and building of the book.
DAY 3 (Saturday, Oct 20) Conclusive conversation.

Download program for Basel here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


All quotes in these videos refer to the respective originals on the responses page.

sic!

Next step of Just Architecture? is the mock-up conference at sic! Raum für Kunst in Lucerne on August 23rd and 24th 2012.

As a response to your proposals we call for the development of your explorative research projects by responding to the other projects and possibly collaborating with the other researchers. We would encourage engagement with potentially conflicting positions in order to generate surprising outcomes.

Again we ask you to formulate your explorative research project(s) in a video. You will get additional time to expound your research.

Moreover, we intend to explore the possibilities of a dynamic and open competition process by taking on additional participants on board as external “jurors by design”.

The attached provisional program proposes an encounter with personal positions of the participants and presentations of the next steps of their projects, followed by the common building of the model of the next venue, the Swiss Architecture Museum, S AM. Inside this model we shall explore and project the three days of the final conference in Basel.

Being present at both sic! and S AM is an intrinsic necessity of Just Architecture?. Those unable to travel twice we encourage to engage in a critical reflection on creative modes of participation (participation through delegation, virtual participation, etc.) as part of their sustainable research strategy.


Download ground floor plan of sic! and S AM here.

Download program for Lucerne here.

Information on travelling, hotel, locations