# Beyond no.1 Scenarios and Speculations

"Architecture is a fiction... Some of the most powerful pieces of architecture does not exist in buildings. We inhabit them through stories whether they are myths, fiction or poetry... Fictionnal architecture moves us beyond buildings in time and space, as well as in the possibilities non built building can offer. It shows use a wider range of possibilities and evokes spaces impossible (for now) to inhabit."

Aaron Betsky, The Alpha and the Omega

Pedro Gadanho has sent me a sample of a new bookazine's first issue that he edited. It is called Beyond. Short stories on the post-contemporary No.1 Scenarios and Speculations and thanks to its very interesting authors it explores how fictitious cities are influencing real cities and the other way around. It is also a stylish exercise which tries to design architecture by writing.

Authors are Bruce Sterling, Lara Schrijver, Kobas Laksa, Shumon Basar, Wes Jones, Superstudio, Aaron Betsky, Pedro Gadanho

Shortstories are written by Gilles Delalex (Studio Muoto), Michelle Provoost (Crimson), Knut Birkholz, Srdjan Jovanovic Weiss, Boris Jensen, Silvia Banchini and Luis Falcon, Antonio Scarpati

# Verner Panton's way of sitting

Verner Panton or a genius hyperactive designer without complex neither weariness...

see also this former post

# Upcomming lectures in beton salon :

Here you will find the lecture program of Betonsalon, a pretty recent architecture spot in Paris.

I encourage you to see most of this lecture made by people thinking, drawing and building today's Parisian architecture and more ! (if you are around Paris of course) !

Some of those lecturers are people that we already wrote about like Yona Friedman, Tobias Putrih or François Roche ...

Thanks Eugénie for the link !

# Lecture of Francois Roche in Paris

Francois Roche will be giving a lecture called Bio®ebo(o)t "Une architecture des humeurs" for Betonsalon in Paris on June 3rd (19h30). This lecture is a freeze frame of the research that R&Sie is currently working on by Francois Jouve, Marc Fornes and Stephan Henrich which would be exhibited in Le Laboratoire (Paris) in january 2010.

# Kevin Warwick is a cyborg

Kevin Warwick is a British scientist and expert in cybernetics. He teaches at the University of Reading (England) and is known for his self experiments on interfaces between computers and human brain. (I personally read about him in Zizek's Organs without bodies).
Here is a wikipedia article quoting of his experiments:

The first stage of this research, which began on 1998-08-24, involved a simple RFID transmitter being implanted beneath Warwick's skin, and used to control doors, lights, heaters, and other computer-controlled devices based on his proximity. The main purpose of this experiment was said to be to test the limits of what the body would accept, and how easy it would be to receive a meaningful signal from the chip.

The second stage involved a more complex neural interface which was designed and built especially for the experiment by Dr. Mark Gasson and his team at the University of Reading. This device was implanted on 2002-03-14, and interfaced directly into Warwick's nervous system. The electrode array inserted contained 100 electrodes, of which 25 could be accessed at any one time, whereas the median nerve which it monitored carries many times that number of signals. The experiment proved successful, and the signal produced was detailed enough that a robot arm developed by Warwick's colleague, Dr Peter Kyberd, was able to mimic the actions of Warwick's own arm^[26].

By means of the implant, Warwick's nervous system was connected onto the internet in Columbia University, New York. From there he was able to control the robot arm in the University of Reading and to obtain feedback from sensors in the finger tips. He also successfully connected ultrasonic sensors on a baseball cap and experienced a form of extra sensory input.

# Aristide Antonas' Crane Rooms

Lovely project by Aristide Antonas who proposed some kind of ivory towers where you can probably turn hermit at least for one night.

You can read a more developed article on archdaily

# MVRDV's Grand Paris = Paris plus petit

The only project gathering left, centre and right political wings in France is the project of Grand Paris (Grand both means Great and Big). Two months ago, ten architecture teams provide more or less interesting ideas to join Paris and its suburbs into one big diverse city. This study was not a competition and it was quite amazing to observe architects' speeches when they did have to struggle with competitivity. Let us hope that the motivation and amilty that politicians are supporting right now will carry on during the process of this story.
Here is MVRDV's proposal which plays on assuring that Grand Paris is Paris plus petit (smaller) and thus concentrating on density to make Paris a "post-Kyoto City".

# Decolonizing Architecture

From Gaza (last post) to the West Bank, from Foucault's disciplinary society to Virilio's control society, here is an occasion for your gray matter to work against Israeli State's way of using architecture as a weapon. (French and Dutch readers you can read this interview)
Decolonizing Architecture is a collective directed by architects Sandi Hilalm Alessandro Petti and Eyal Weizman (see former posts 1,2 and 3). This collective is organizing research groups to come up with ideas using architecture as a resistance.
This issue actually question the political aspect and the violence each architecture carries not only in the middle east but everywhere else in the world.

Here is a short text, proposing to artists, architects and designers to participate to this think tank:

The project Decolonizing Architecture, directed by architects Sandi Hilal, Alessandro Petti and Eyal Weizman and located in Bethlehem/Palestine, is dealing with a complicated architectural problem: How to deal with the future remnants of Israeli colonial Architecture – colonies and military camps – at a time these would be unplugged from the architectural political power of Israel’s regime of occupation. Architecture is used as an “arena of speculation” about possible futures for Palestine, but the project assumes as well that a viable approach to this issue is beyond the professional language of architecture and planning and incorporates varied cultural and political perspectives.

We are seeking architects, designers and artists to join us for a period of intense work of between two and eight weeks. Those joining us would be received in a live-work residency and would benefit from various cultural and political engagements in Palestine.

If you are interested to join us please send your one page CV and work samples to Alessandro Petti (info [at] decolonizing [dot] ps) noting when and for how long you wish to come to Palestine.

*The project provides a residency – studio and living space – in a comfortable house in Beit Sahur/Bethlehem, the travel expenses as well as some daily living expenses would have to be covered by the volunteering architects/designers/artists.

# Closed Zone

This little animation movie was commissioned by Israeli NGO Gisha and designed by Yoni Goodman who was Waltz with Bachir's animation director (see former post). It shows how Gaza strip is the Closed Zone whatever the boundary is Israel, Egypt or the see, and the direct consequences of this terrible blocus which serve more the people who actually earn power from the war than those who are ready to negociate...

# CRAZY MUMBAI /// Dobiwalla

After Bombay dabawallas (see former post) who provide part of the city's lunch, here are dobiwallas who wash part of the city's clothes in a huge laundry situated in Malaxmi.

# Another brick in Rio's wall

French newspaper Le Monde publishes a portfolio about the wall, Rio de Janeiro's municipality is currently building to stop the spreading of favelas on the forest. This wall will be 15km long and will include thirteen different favelas. This tackles the problem of ecology becoming the new preoccupation of the rich and a new way of legitimation for not helping the poor...

see also this previous article about this topic

# Skullcraker and Swarm by Labdora (Peter Macapia)

Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art will host tomorrow evening the opening of an exhibition with two Peter Macapia's installations, Skullcracker and Swarm.