From 28 June to 6 July, the exhibition ‘At odds: Indices of possible architecture’ is on display at the BK Expo. The exhibition presents the results of this years’ student work of the chair of Public Building.
The core of the exhibition is formed by selected projects, with themes ranging from the study of spaces of accumulation in Genoa, the challenges posed by the relational triplet ‘Ground/Things/Representation’ in Strasbourg, and the emergence of border conditions in Yerevan. Additionally, an exploration of trans-disciplinary relationships will be on display, ranging from the relation between fashion, architecture, and artistic disciplines in Milan, to bottom-up urban development in Gothenburg, framing architecture in a socio-political context.
There seems to be a general tendency to reduce architecture to a providing role, as the ultimate instrument to solve 'spatial problems' (whether technical, environmental, or social). The displayed material tries to stand 'at odds' to these developments by emphasising the importance of architecture and architectural formulation in and by itself. This critical stance embedded in the overall aims and results, however, should not be confused with a plea for autonomy. The emphasis on autonomy is not only pointless, but in fact not even desirable. Rather, the exhibition showcases the attempt to indicate a range of possibilities the profound discipline of architecture still entails.
The work is geared towards the intensification of the inherent problematic of architecture. It is an exploration of the borders and territories of architecture as a discipline, and of architectural constructs. The exhibition shows how students produce exquisite architectural material, and introduce trajectories in architecture that are slightly off the beaten tracks, but still remain very much grounded in the profound core of the architecture discipline.
The 'At odds' exhibition is curated by Marc Schoonderbeek.
