'On the Duty and Power of Architectural Criticism' - online conference

"On the Duty and Power of Architectural Criticism" is an online conference organized by Professor Wilfried Wang taking place October 9-10 and October 16-17, 2021.

Should architectural criticism be enlightening? Should it help in the creation of a better built environment? Is there a factual basis to it? Does it have a duty to present evidence in the evaluation of a building? Or should it take on what architects say about their designs?

In the context of a flat internet, should architectural criticism be able to define best practices? Does it wield the power over who is in and who is out?

Architectural criticism, like all human endeavors, is at a crucial juncture. While serious architecture struggles for recognition, much so-called architectural criticism is merely a poorly paid, decorative legitimation for hyperbolic practice. Incisive architectural criticism is rare, while the definition of criticism itself has become opaque.

This conference seeks papers that define the purposes and methods of architectural criticism. What should the ethical basis be of architectural criticism? Can it be objective in the context of paid content? Should it outline ideal practices? Or what should it do?

Details

All sessions will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Central time via Zoom

Join Zoom Meeting: https://utexas.zoom.us/j/99569235856

Meeting ID: 995 6923 5856 

Conference Format

The online format of the two-day conference will allow active debate between the audience and lecturers. Presentations will be concentrated to allow for ample discussion time. Besides the four keynotes, there will be a maximum of 16 short papers. The entire conference will be recorded and placed on Youtube. The conference language will be English. Registration for free audience places (max. 300) will open July 2 via icac2021contributions@gmail.com

Conference program

Saturday, 9. October
Session 1: Origins and Approaches
Session chairs Ana Tostões and Robert McCarter

Frampton, Kenneth 

Keynote lecture

Tsiambaos, Kostas 

A critique of building construction: tactics of "resistance" in Pikionis' Acropolis Works
Voet, Caroline 

Paradigms of design and deep readings. The creative emancipation of critical building analysis
Low, Kevin 

The dominant paradigm we call design
van Gerrewey, Christoph 

Truth Content: SANAA's Rolex Learning Center

Sunday, 10. October
Session 2: High Culture in Conflict
Session chairs Louise Noelle Gras and Elias Constantopoulos

Zheng Shiling 

Keynote Lecture

Comas, Carlos Eduardo & Almeida, Marcos 

Niemeyer Do(o)med: Remembrances of Planes past
Hartung, Martin 

The New MoMA – Architectural Criticism 1979 – 2019
Costa Cabral, Cláudia 

On Lina Bo Bardi's Iconography: Three drawings
Zafer, Seda 

Imported Starchitect in a Local Market

Saturday, 16. October
Session 3: Criticism and its Effects
Session chairs Hélène Jannière and Wilfried Wang

Verde Zein, Ruth

Keynote lecture

Galjer, Jasna 

Architectural Criticism in the Space for the Unexpected
Petrakos, K. 

Aphaeresis and Urban Policies
Jørgensen, Morten Birk 

Verdicts on the Viking Ship Hall
Chaves, Carolina 

Architectural Criticism on Post-WW II Collective Housing: Complicit in an Historical Prejudice?

Sunday, 17. October
Session 4: Explicit Criticism
Session chairs Şengül Öymen Gür and Fernando Diez

Tumubweinee, Philippa 

Keynote lecture

Widder, Lynette 

"The lightest parliament in the world": Hans Schwippert's Bundeshaus
Staub, Alexandra 

Whose Architecture? Whose Criticism? Bank of America Tower/2226 Office
Ciarkowski, B. 

The lost battle for memory: Why does architectural criticism in Poland remain silent?
Erkarslan, Özlem Erdoğdu; Altınışık, Burak & Kepekçioğlu, Batu 

The New Istanbul Museum of Painting and & Sculpture: Multiperspectival Criticism in  Contemporary Turkish Architecture

https://soa.utexas.edu/icac2021