ALTERNATE CURRENTS
A Symposium
School of Architecture, University of Sheffield
26 - 27 November 2007
http://www.shef.ac.uk/architecture/main/news/01.shtml
Over the past years, an increasing number of architectural practices
have emerged which promote different agendas, are founded on different
organizational principles and in their work are focusing on a critical
often politicized discussion of the built environment.
This shift in focus, which can also be seen in the emergence of new
types of critical publications and journals, has recently also become
the focus of attention for the professional bodies, and in particular
CABE and the RIBA. A report by the Royal Institute of British Architects
from 2005, for instance, calls for an urgent requirement to 'address
outdated professional norms and behaviour' and to acknowledge 'the
diversity of the architectural market'.
However, this report offers no suggestions as to how such an alternative
model of architectural practice may be structured, what 'alternative'
means in the context of architectural and building production, or how an
alternative model might contribute to the development of contemporary
and future architectural practice.
'Alternate Currents' proposes to start a discussion about margin and
centre, about process and product, and whether there is an intention to
change and shift the normative discipline. It is concerned with a
critique of normative pedagogic and critical procedures, whilst at the
same time trying to uncover the mechanisms of operation: to actually try
and show what the underlying ideologies are and to make them visible. It
aims to examine ways in which people have conducted architectural
practice beyond the normative, both historically and today.
It is the intention to publish a selection of the final
papers/presentations in the peer-reviewed e-journal field.
Forum organizers:
Prof. Peter Blundell Jones, Dr. Doina Petrescu, Dr. Tatjana Schneider,
Prof. Jeremy Till and Dr. Renata Tyszczuk.
This two day international symposium is the 9th such event on research
in the field of architecture to be organised by the Theory Forum at the
School of Architecture, University of Sheffield. The symposia are
intended to be discursive and to include work in progress; they are
relatively informal and do not have keynotes or conference dinners. They
are also attended by Masters students at Sheffield as part of their
theory course. This year's event is held in association with the newly
formed Research Cluster 'The Agency' and the AHRC funded research
project 'Alternative Architectural Praxis'.
There will be no charge for attendance at the symposium.
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