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Icon Magazine's 50 manifestos

guppy
http://www.icon-magazine.co.uk/issues/050/manifestos/index.html

Which one's your favorite and why?

"In the context of a post 9-11 political equator that divides the world and the city between enclaves of mega wealth and sectors of poverty, urbanities of labour and surveillance, the formal and informal, our institutions of architecture have lost their socio-political relevance. Instead, the architecture avant-garde has become fully complicit with an international, neo-liberal project of privatisation and homogenisation, by camouflaging gentrification with a massive hyper aesthetic and formalist project.

New experimental practices of intervention in the collective territory will emerge only from zones of conflict. The radicalisation of the local in order to generate new readings of the global is transforming the neighborhood – not the city – into the urban laboratory of the 21st century.

The micro heterotopias emerging within small communities across the world, provoked by social emergency, are producing non-conforming spatial and economic contingencies that will incrementally pixelate the large with the small. These economic and political informalities generate a different idea of density and land use, a counter form of urban and economic development that thrives on social organisation, collaboration and exchange.

Contemporary art and architecture’s task is not only to reveal ignored socio-political territorial histories and inequalities within this polarised world, but also to generate new forms of sociability and activism."
- Teddy Cruz

 
Aug 16, 07 10:34 pm
vado retro

thanks. i needed another nonsensical postcolonial diatribe.

Aug 16, 07 10:40 pm  · 
 · 
Helsinki

Jesus christ.

mega wealth, surveillance, informal, hyper aesthetic, territory, micro heterotopias, ...

what a load of strange buzz-wordy nonsense.

If Cruz and Mau are the manifesto-makers worth talking about, I won't dare to read the rest 48.

---

In the manifesto above, there is a feeling of urgent need for action, while at the same time recognition of the tendency of social and economic (unothodox) self-organization that happens at points of collapse or rupture in a community. (The use of heterotopia to signify something oppositional or alternative in an otherwise homogenous environment is again wildly inappropriate, but what the hell, he didn't use "emergence" even once, which is a blessing)

Anyway, the last paragraph, the call for action, makes sense in the part of recognizing the importance of architect-historians in uniting spatial practices with power-operations, but the role of the architect-builder-designer does not become clear from mr.Cruz'z text. New forms of sociability and activism? come on.

Aug 17, 07 4:52 am  · 
 · 
a-f

Why not write your own manifesto? Just fill in the blanks:

Part 1, criticism of your colleagues:
In the context of A, our institutions of architecture have lost their relevance of B. Instead, the architecture avant-garde has become fully complicit with C.

Part 2, change is, in fact, inevitable:
New experimental practices of D will emerge only from E. The radicalisation of F to generate new readings of G is transforming the H into the urban laboratory of the 21st century.

Part 3, the bigger "socio-economical" picture:
The I emerging within J, are producing K. These economic and political L generate a different idea of M.

Part 4, the punchline:
Contemporary art and architecture’s task is not only to reveal N, but also to generate new forms of O.

Aug 17, 07 5:20 am  · 
 · 

it's almost exactly a year since metamechanic issued his manifesto challenge. the nice thing about meta's (when he announced the results) was that a-f's 'part 1' was not seen by meta as an integral part of a good manifesto; in fact, if there was a negative comment or criticism, meta tossed that one out. only positivity.

http://www.archinect.com/forum/threads.php?id=42691_0_42_0_C

Aug 17, 07 7:03 am  · 
 · 
vado retro

yes those manifestilos were as good as the ones featured in icon.

Daily affirmation/One Sentence Manifesto:

8/17/07- Build BIG buildings with holes in them.

Aug 17, 07 9:04 am  · 
 · 
a-f

Here's a quick attempt (and an ode):

In the context of rising sea levels, our institutions of architecture have lost their relevance of floatability. Instead, the architecture avant-garde has become fully complicit with the building industry.

New experimental practices of construction will emerge only from parametric modelling. The radicalisation of rapid prototyping to generate new readings of on-site housing demand is transforming the coastlines into the urban laboratory of the 21st century.

The new technologies emerging within the plywood industry, are producing houses at a third of the cost, four times as strong. These economic and political advantages generate a different idea of buildability.

Contemporary art and architecture’s task is not only to reveal the failure of earlier structural solutions, but also to generate new forms of 3D-H.

Aug 17, 07 9:07 am  · 
 · 
kyll

"The business model for architecture is singularly unsuccessful. One in a thousand architects can afford to enjoy the pleasures that they are capable of producing for others."

hmm...

Aug 17, 07 11:15 am  · 
 · 
simples

i like zaha's pretty pictures...very disappointing...

Aug 17, 07 2:16 pm  · 
 · 

a-f's manifesto template = genius

Is that original? You gotta permalink for it? I'd blog that shit in a second!

Aug 17, 07 2:48 pm  · 
 · 
a-f

Thanks 765, but it's really Cruz's manifesto above, with buzz-words removed. You should thank him!

Aug 17, 07 5:21 pm  · 
 · 

hah! That makes it about ten times better, I hadn't caught that. I wish archinect allowed direct links to posts ... maybe once we start the .net era ...

Genius!

Aug 17, 07 5:27 pm  · 
 · 

Who is Geoff Manuagh??!!






Aug 17, 07 6:09 pm  · 
 · 
vado retro

lb is the original "materiality girl"

Aug 17, 07 6:57 pm  · 
 · 
Smokety Mc Smoke Smoke
this profession is first and foremost a hedonistic practice in defiance to god

.... what?

Aug 17, 07 8:20 pm  · 
 · 
blogged!
Aug 18, 07 2:57 pm  · 
 · 

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