spring 2007
ARC 368R/388R:
Sweet sixteen: Seminar on Contemporary Chilean Architecture
Instructor: Patricio Mardones
Objectives
The seminar will introduce the students into the latest outcomes of contemporary Chilean architecture, focusing on architectural production from 1990 to present time.
A first objective will be studying a selection of built work. A list of 16 projects would cover especially the last 16 years production; it also would include some works from the '60s serving as a reference on previous development of Modern Movement in Chile, which definitely has been a significant influence to latest Chilean architectural practice.
Another task will be analyzing some relevant articles and essays on Chilean architectural production; many of them will be translated to English for the first time. These texts would present a vision on Chilean architecture theoretical dimension and also would relate its specific matters to a wider cultural context, both local and international.
Finally, the seminar aims to relate Chilean architecture to other contemporary architectural streams around the world, emphasizing possible links and connections to worldwide concerns avoiding picturesque, romantic readings.
Structure
The course is intended on a basis of two sessions a week, one hour and a half each.
Sessions will alternate on either professional or theoretical accents, focusing on lectures dedicated to a single project or readings of more general essays and texts. Sessions on built work will showcase a brief presentation of the corresponding architects and will display photos, drawings, published reviews and references on the project's cultural context, introducing the students to other relevant topics such as politics, art or economics related to the work featured. This first approach to recent works will consider not only design facts but the context in which the project was originated, helping to understand how architecture engages or reflects a broader social reality. Sessions on theory will focus on discussing a selection of articles and papers about Chilean architecture, mostly written by local critics and architects.
The students are expected to produce two papers during the semester. A first one would establish a critical relationship between specific Chilean work and its contemporary international context, having either a project or a text as a parallel reference: the aim is to understand latest architectural development as a network, comprising trends and movements from different countries. The second paper is intended to be an essay focusing on an article by a Chilean critic presented within the seminar.