History and Theory in Architecture IX: 1990s Theories that Inspired Architecture

Abstract

This course examines a variety of theories – lightness, whiteness, the diagram, public fear, feminism – from other disciplines that entered the architectural debate in the 1990s and have since inspired architects to produce different architectural designs.

Objective

Upon completion of the course, the students will have: (1) recognised the multidisciplinary character of architectural discourse, and the potential for architectural design to interrogate theories from other disciplines (2) acquired in-depth knowledge of a number of theories from other disciplines that have been crucial in shaping current architectural discourse (3) cultivated an understanding that theories are subject to interpretation and reinterpretation over time (4) developed the ability to identify, analyse and interpret positions taken within architectural discussions and architects’ contributions to other disciplines, and acquired the skills to position themselves vis-a-vis theories that have been developed outside the realm of architecture

Content

This course will take some of the most provocative thematic issues of the 26 editions of the journal ANY: Architecture New York (1993–2000) as a starting point for discussing non-architectural theories that inspired architects. In 1990, the architects Peter Eisenman, Arata Isozaki, and Ignasi de Solà-Morales, along with the editor Cynthia Davidson, founded the non-profit Anyone Corporation with the goal of stimulating theoretical discourse through cross-disciplinary discussion. The Anyone Corporation began with a series of ten cross-cultural and multidisciplinary conferences, The Any Conferences (1991–2000), which provided a unique forum for architects in the 1990s to discuss architecture from interdisciplinary perspectives while physically spending three days together, fostering constructive feedback. ANY: Architecture New York was a journal launched in 1993 to widen the impact of The Any Conferences and incorporate more young voices around architectural themes discussed by people from outside the field of architecture. As such, the ANY magazine was a critical part of the entire Anyone Project; an activating force that aimed to expand and build on the annual conferences with something that occurred ‘in-between’ the yearly conferences. This course seeks to make architectural students aware of the interdisciplinary character of architecture and ask what we can learn from discussing architecture from multiple disciplinary viewpoints by tackling ANY magazine’s forward-looking themes such as feminism, virtual space, public fear, the mechanical in the electronic era, lightness, and whiteness, topics all highly relevant today. We will examine various cultural and disciplinary perspectives that have been taken on these theories, as well as the fact that they were not immutable but rather developed over time as a result of various interpretations and (mis)translations. More broadly, the goal of this course is to help close the gap between currently available architectural histories – which are primarily centred on architects – and the complex, multidisciplinary reality of the built environment.

Resources