ENAC Seminar Series by Prof. P. V. Aureli
Event details
| Date | 05.11.2020 |
| Hour | 10:45 › 11:30 |
| Speaker | Prof. Pier Vittorio Aureli |
| Location |
Zoom
Online
|
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
10:45 – 11:30 – Prof. Pier Vittorio Aureli
Co-founder at Dogma, Head of PhD Program, Diploma Unit Master at Architectural Association, Lecturer in History and Theory at Yale School of Architecture
Talk title:
Burning Down the House - Theory and Criticism of Domestic Space
Abstract:
Domestic space is perhaps the most ubiquitous type of architectural space. Yet, in spite of its obviousness, this space remains one of the most opaque and problematic topics within our discipline. If we look at the history of our species – which is 300.000 years long – we realize that the ‘invention’ of the sedentary home is just 10.000 years old. This astonishing fact means that for the 90% of our history humans have been homeless – and recent archeological and anthropological research demonstrates that this was not a bad thing. Moreover, the process of sedentarization of our species has not yet been completed, since there are many cultures around the world that are resisting this form of life. Such resistance casts a very useful light on the history and theory of domestic space by showing that, behind its familiarity, domestic space has always been a space of domination and exploitation. After all, domestic comes from domus, a Latin word that gave rise to declensions such as dominus, dominion, etc. A domestic space is not just a ‘shelter’ to be inhabited, but a space formed around a vector of command that organizes dwellers within asymmetrical relationships in terms of gender and class. In my lecture I will argue that if we want to confront the most urgent problems of our planet, from the ecological crisis to social inequality, we have to start from domestic space, by challenging our canonical imagination of what the home is about. It is within the familiarity of domestic space that property, social exclusion, and gender discrimination have taken their most powerful and enduring forms. Therefore, to re-theorize domestic space does not mean to get rid of the home, but, rather, to open-up a space of imagination about a more just and equitable way of dwelling.
Short bio:
Pier Vittorio Aureli (Rome, 1973) is an architect and educator. Aureli teaches at the Architectural Association where he is Head of the PhD programme and Chair of the PhD Committee, lecturer in the History and Theory programme, and Unit Master in the Diploma School. Currently he is Charles Gwathmey Professor in Practice at the Yale School of Architecture. He has taught at the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and Columbia University in New York. Aureli is the author of several books including The Project of Autonomy: Politics and Architecture Within and Against Capitalism (2008), The Possibility of an Absolute Architecture (2011), and Ritual and Walls: The Architecture of Sacred Space (2016, with Maria Shéhérazade Giudici), The Room of One’s Own (2017, with Dogma) and Loveless: Minimum Dwelling and its Discontents (2019, with Dogma). Together with Martino Tattara, he is the co-founder of Dogma, an office for architecture based in Brussels. Since the beginning, Dogma has developed a specific interest in large-scale interventions and in urban research. Currently Dogma is working on a research by design trajectory that focuses on domestic space and its potential for transformation. Besides being an architect and educator, Aureli is also a painter. The first solo exhibition of his paintings has taken place at Betts Project gallery in London in 2018.
Co-founder at Dogma, Head of PhD Program, Diploma Unit Master at Architectural Association, Lecturer in History and Theory at Yale School of Architecture
Talk title:
Burning Down the House - Theory and Criticism of Domestic Space
Abstract:
Domestic space is perhaps the most ubiquitous type of architectural space. Yet, in spite of its obviousness, this space remains one of the most opaque and problematic topics within our discipline. If we look at the history of our species – which is 300.000 years long – we realize that the ‘invention’ of the sedentary home is just 10.000 years old. This astonishing fact means that for the 90% of our history humans have been homeless – and recent archeological and anthropological research demonstrates that this was not a bad thing. Moreover, the process of sedentarization of our species has not yet been completed, since there are many cultures around the world that are resisting this form of life. Such resistance casts a very useful light on the history and theory of domestic space by showing that, behind its familiarity, domestic space has always been a space of domination and exploitation. After all, domestic comes from domus, a Latin word that gave rise to declensions such as dominus, dominion, etc. A domestic space is not just a ‘shelter’ to be inhabited, but a space formed around a vector of command that organizes dwellers within asymmetrical relationships in terms of gender and class. In my lecture I will argue that if we want to confront the most urgent problems of our planet, from the ecological crisis to social inequality, we have to start from domestic space, by challenging our canonical imagination of what the home is about. It is within the familiarity of domestic space that property, social exclusion, and gender discrimination have taken their most powerful and enduring forms. Therefore, to re-theorize domestic space does not mean to get rid of the home, but, rather, to open-up a space of imagination about a more just and equitable way of dwelling.
Short bio:
Pier Vittorio Aureli (Rome, 1973) is an architect and educator. Aureli teaches at the Architectural Association where he is Head of the PhD programme and Chair of the PhD Committee, lecturer in the History and Theory programme, and Unit Master in the Diploma School. Currently he is Charles Gwathmey Professor in Practice at the Yale School of Architecture. He has taught at the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and Columbia University in New York. Aureli is the author of several books including The Project of Autonomy: Politics and Architecture Within and Against Capitalism (2008), The Possibility of an Absolute Architecture (2011), and Ritual and Walls: The Architecture of Sacred Space (2016, with Maria Shéhérazade Giudici), The Room of One’s Own (2017, with Dogma) and Loveless: Minimum Dwelling and its Discontents (2019, with Dogma). Together with Martino Tattara, he is the co-founder of Dogma, an office for architecture based in Brussels. Since the beginning, Dogma has developed a specific interest in large-scale interventions and in urban research. Currently Dogma is working on a research by design trajectory that focuses on domestic space and its potential for transformation. Besides being an architect and educator, Aureli is also a painter. The first solo exhibition of his paintings has taken place at Betts Project gallery in London in 2018.
Practical information
- General public
- Invitation required
- This event is internal
Organizer
- ENAC
Contact
- Joanna Jermini-Howard / Cristina Perez