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MATERIALITY AND CONSTRUCTION. FIVE POSITIONS IN CONTEMPORARY SWISS ARCHITECTURE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, Gund Hall, Piper Auditorium 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA Saturday, November 14th 2009, 10am – 6pm Open and free to the public to register, please send an email to swissarchsymposium@gsd.harvard.edu Co-Convenors Dr. Ole W. Fischer Elli Mosayebi Even within a global world there persist local forms of knowledge and practices that lead to differentiation, this may seem obvious. Yet what does this mean for the theory and practice of architecture? Like the fine arts, architecture shows a long record of supranational periodization. And with the prevalence of modern architecture the discipline became a true agent of Western culture on a global scale. On the other hand local agents including the networks of clients, as well as legal, technologic and economic factors, combined with the collaboration of builders and craftsmen, shape local specificities which are enhanced by the dominance of certain "ideas" or "topics", such as "construction" and "materiality" for contemporary Swiss architecture. Today with the dissolution of national boarders (within Western societies) and the emergence of a global market for architectural design we would like to re-address the ideological framework of the "National" challenging what terms such as "Swiss" or "American" mean with respect to (the discipline of) architecture and the built work? How are these preconceived notions of National differences related to architectural thinking? - From our observations there are alternative ways to pose an architectural "question" or "theme" that precede the actual design work and building production, something like an (implicit) idea of architectural action. In this case it would be possible to identify different "theories of practice" (similar to Le Corbusier's "l'art de produire"). As an example, the emphasis on construction, materiality and sensual effect differs from diagrammatic and parametric design methods. Both result in alternating concepts for teaching and research. In order to challenge this working hypothesis on various "theories of practice" and their relation to the contested terrain of the "National" we bring together practitioners and educators from Switzerland and the US to open a dialogue on parallels and differences of the production, reflection and education of architecture. Schedule Saturday, November 14, 2009 10:00 Welcome Mohsen Mostavafi, Dean Harvard GSD, Cambridge Pascal Marmier, Director and Consul, Consulate-swissnex Boston Opening remarks Ole W. Fischer, Harvard GSD, RISD, Elli Mosayebi, ETH Zürich 11:00 Marcel Meili, ETH Zürich: "Thinking Production" Respondent Mark Jarzombek, MIT, Cambridge Discussion 12:00 Inès Lamunière, EPF Lausanne: "Thick Space" Respondent Michael Meredith, Harvard GSD, Cambridge Discussion Lunch Break 14:00 Daniel Niggli, ETH Zürich "Both-and" Respondent Danieller Etzler, Harvard GSD, Cambridge Discussion 15:00 Dieter Dietz, EPF Lausanne: "Marking Space" Respondent Ingeborg Rocker, Harvard GSD, Cambridge Discussion Coffee Break 16:15 Harry Gugger, EPF Lausanne: "From Designer back to Planner / Producer. Expanding the Sphere of Influence" Respondent Hashim Sarkis, Harvard GSD, Cambridge Discussion 17:15 Conclusion Apéro offered by the Consulate-swissnex Boston Acknowledgements: Pro Helvetia, Swiss Arts Council Swissnex Boston, Consulate of Switzerland Harvard University, Graduate School of Design Harvard European Design Circle GSD Culture Club _______________________________________________________________________ H-ARTHIST Humanities-Net Discussion List for Art History E-Mail-Liste fuer Kunstgeschichte im H-Net Fragen an die Redaktion / Editorial Board Contact Address: hah-redaktion@h-net.msu.edu Beitraege bitte an / Submit contributions to: h-arthist@h-net.msu.edu Homepage: http://www.arthist.net _______________________________________________________________________
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