‘Experiments in Drawing Theory’ investigates the speculative power of drawing in developing an architectural position by analyzing three seminal architectural works: Giovanni Battista Piranesi’s Campo Marzio (1762), Aldo Rossi’s Città Analoga (1976-1981) and Peter Eisenman’s House designs. In this course, drawing is not only considered to be a technique or instrument for architectural design but also as an autonomous form of architectural knowledge as well as a concept of critical reflection and innovative thinking. The relationship between drawing and theory belongs to a long and well-established tradition, according to which drawing is seen as a significant instrument of representation, namely in its double function of constituting architectural knowledge and as an act of creative construction, capable of modifying the real and refocusing it within the dimension of theoretical and practical construction - often with a pronounced ideological content. More specifically, herein, it is advanced that the rigorous graphic investigation of these remarkable works can disclose the aspects of their theoretical value that cannot be grasped from simple observation. The act of redrawing the original work (in total or in part) was the first step to instigating this analysis and was regarded as the basic yet decisive procedure to understand how the content of the pictures has been progressively constructed by the respective authors. Each participant produced a graphic investigation of one plate of the three case studies. The ‘Campo Marzio’s group focused on the analysis of Piranesi’s compositional and formal procedures of the plan to formulate and develop research hypotheses on this widely celebrated work. The ‘Analogous City’ group investigates the external sources that influenced the work (meaning the architectural quotations) and the internal characteristics of the compositional procedure of the panel (questioning order, time, drawing techniques, etc.). The group that investigated Eisenman’s Houses (i.e. House I-IV, VI, X, 11a, House El Even Odd, Fin D’Ou T Hou S, Guardiola House, Music pavilion and Virtual House) focused on a step-by-step reconstruction design process of design and a critical subtraction operation proposal of the final design.

Tutors: 

Stefano Milani 

Negar Sanaan Bensi 

Marc Schoonderbeek

Participants:

Campo Marzio | Piranesi

Hidde van de Rhee, Vincent Mathez, Yann Lefebvre, Alan Dolieslager, Virginia Lazarou, Iulia Popescu , Bastian Schleier

La Città Analoga | Aldo Rossi

Anna Kokot, Dex Geerlings, Deying Chen, Siem Kos, Stephanie Wong, Xam Aden, Else Wintermans

House Design | Peter Eisenmann

Iris Licht Pradillo, Elin Lohe, Maxime Spapens, Wendy Wu, Lucas de Haas, Marilou van Dalen, Esra Ipe, Ye Ren, Myrto Klimi, Mats Ruppert, Mare Schut, Sora Kaito, Daan Doelman, Youp van der Weijde, Mimi Cepic

Exhibition:

Iulia Popescu, Stefano Milani, Negar Sanaan Bensi, Marc Schoonderbeek