ARC 327R / ARC 386M Seminar
Wed 6:00 – 9:00pm, WMB 5.102
Open to all SOA and non-SOA students
Kyriakos Kyriakou: kyriakos.kyriakou@austin.utexas.edu
An·thro·po·cene /ˈanTHrəpəˌsēn/ The current geological age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment.
In 1970, Henri Lefebvre, in his book La révolution urbaine, proposed a radical hypothesis that “society has been completely urbanized.” Today, we can confirm that his hypothesis has been verified. The forces of capitalist extraction, production, and exploitation of the countryside have essentially expanded urban networks into the hinterland. In the age of the Anthropocene, we can speak about a planetary urban condition in which the city and its opposite are connected. How different is an extraction field in the Permian Basin from the infinite suburbia of Houston? This seminar will explore the places we do not see—the “backstage” of our everyday urban life—and make a brave attempt to understand, measure, and represent them. Drawing will become an essential tool in this exploration, serving as a medium to survey, abstract, and criticize.
Architecture has limited power against urbanization, but architectural representation can be powerful in revealing what is out there. Students will identify a site of interest, ideally one they can visit, and produce an analysis through research and drawing. As a final deliverable, students will produce one large-format drawing and a brief narrative of their critical understanding of the selected site. Weekly discussions on students’ work will be interwoven with readings and lectures.
