Upcoming Talk at UEL School of Architecture

03 November 2014

‘Architecture – rules and transgressions’ ‘From a state of order to a re-ordering of state’

On 6 November, 6.30pm at UEL School of Architecture, Steve McAdam and Afolabi Spence will discuss rules and their transgression in architectural work at this evening lecture and look forward to a lively discussion with all present.

The talk will look at shifting architectural representations of codes & rules that once dealt with unified ideas and which now confront heterogeneous conditions. How has architecture responded to this shift and why has this transgressive move come about? The talk examines ideas of ‘state’ and the steady shift of power, both emblematic and real, away from centralised planning agencies, top down control and architectural authority toward ‘bottom-up’ actions and citizen power – a shift from the authority of the state to the authority of apolitical groups and individuals.

The talk will look at large and small gestures of transgression in a number of ways, both apocalyptic and everyday, with reference to schools of thought and individual contributions drawn from the past two or three decades, during which this shift has been most pronounced. This will include references to some important historical pronouncements from a range of thinkers we consider important and will conclude with some examples of our own work.