My contribution to the collection of fantastic photographs by Lisa Barnard of the former Tory Party Headquarters. The book, Chateau Despair, is an extraordinary document of the tawdry environment that Margaret Thatcher and her cohorts conducted their business in. Though I say it myself, I like my writing here, spurred by Lisa's great work. Buy the book!
A project with Helen Storey of the London College of Fashion and Tony Ryan of the University of Sheffield, arising out of their Free Radicals project. At heart a really good idea of diversifying the way that research is chosen, procured and delivered, allowing others beyond the academic circle to become involved in the processes and ideas of research. A report generously funded by the Wellcome Foundation sets out the stall. Now looking for ways of effecting it.
Spatial Ethics
Sticky opening (I was reading Kant at the time) but better later on issues of time in architecture.
The Expanding Field: Architecture Beyond the Object.
My response as to why giving the official government website 2013 Design of the Year was not so cool.
Architecture Depends. Flight was delayed. I was an hour late, but it was a Friday evening and they had got out the wine. A great gig.
A short think piece on the 2011 Occupation movement and its relevance to architecture.
Ten Theses on Scarcity
Umeå School of Architecture, as part of their 'Making Architecture Politically" lecture series. A new lecture. Quite bossy but clear about the issues. Video is here. Starts about 50mins in with a very generous introduction from Roemer Van Toorn (whose writing is always worthwhile).
Entropic Research
Rather a miserabilist piece, but gets in that fantastic Seneca quote: ?Those were happy times before the days of architects.?
First thoughts on spatial agency, better developed in the book.
Unpicking the differences between scarcity and austerity, the implications for the built environment. Good twitter feedback. Translated into French courtesy of the great journal Criticat. Pdf of translation here.
Short and a bit inconsequential riposte to Markus Miessen’s Nightmare of Participation.
Originally commissioned by the RIBA, a piece on what might or might not constitute architectural research. Big in Spain.
Citizen Expert//Expert Citizen. A lecture in the short lived but brilliant Really Free School, when a group of activists took over a grand building in Bloomsbury and ran a 'free school', very different in formulation Michael Gove's libertarian version.