052-0572-23L  Architectural Wor(l)ds within the Undercommons

SemesterSpring Semester 2023
LecturersE. Silvrants-Barclay, K. Jurczok-de Klerk
Periodicityyearly recurring course
Language of instructionEnglish


AbstractAccompanied by Moten & Harney’s book 'The Undercommons' and its 'fugitive' lexicon, we engage with uses, bodies and subjectivities forced to find and make space in the cracks of the mainstream built environment. What spatial lessons do these undercommons offer as architectures of multiplicity? Through readings, case studies and lectures we construct a spatial lexicon of and for the Undercommons.
Objective- Students come to terms with the conceptual framework and vocabulary of the Undercommons and are able to develop a spatial understanding of it.
- Students engage critically with the socio-political codes embedded in the methods and semantics used to observe, represent, speak about and eventually design space.
- Students reflect on the agency of architecture and the position of the architect in relation to the Undercommons and 'undercommoning' spatial practices.
- Students articulate their views and exchange in group sessions.
ContentWorking from and within the social poesis of life in the Undercommons, Fred Moten and Stefano Harney elaborate an array of concepts as ‘words making worlds’: study, debt, surround, planning, shipped, fugitivity, undercommons. They point to the ongoingness and ever-presence of self-organised arrangements that operate outside institutional logics with an intentionality to survive, and find joy. Against a backdrop of dominant norms – embedded in culture, standards, objects, buildings – these undercommons are often excluded, overlooked or relegated to the ‘other’. Through a radical shift of perspective – where being included is no longer the goal, but refusing to take part and to act on your own terms takes centre stage – Moten & Harney consider these undercommons as forms of intelligence and togetherness that serve as a blueprint for being in this world otherwise. During this course we will ask: how to understand these undercommons in spatial terms? What kind of spatial intelligence do they hold or point at? Through case studies and encounters with spatial practices we make their spatial solutions, ‘beyond’ typologies or methods for space-making seen, and through this, we reflect on ourselves as spatial practitioners. Departing from Moten & Harney’s fugitive vocabulary we look at spaces otherwise: spaces creating worlds driven by a desire to live, dwell, survive and dream, anchored on multiple bodies, experiences and ontologies. Through this we engage with questions on authorship, togetherness, difference and the ‘other’ in spatial practice today.
Prerequisites / NoticeRecommended for masters students/students with sufficient base knowledge on theory, and a strong interest in critical intersectional theory. Students will be guided but should be comfortable with working independently during the course.
CompetenciesCompetencies
Subject-specific CompetenciesConcepts and Theoriesassessed
Techniques and Technologiesfostered
Method-specific CompetenciesAnalytical Competenciesassessed
Decision-makingfostered
Media and Digital Technologiesfostered
Problem-solvingassessed
Project Managementfostered
Social CompetenciesCommunicationassessed
Cooperation and Teamworkassessed
Customer Orientationassessed
Leadership and Responsibilityassessed
Self-presentation and Social Influence assessed
Sensitivity to Diversityassessed
Negotiationassessed
Personal CompetenciesAdaptability and Flexibilityassessed
Creative Thinkingassessed
Critical Thinkingassessed
Integrity and Work Ethicsassessed
Self-awareness and Self-reflection assessed
Self-direction and Self-management assessed