April 01, 2005
At most, these issues are paid lip-service with vague proclamations. Seldom are these proclamations connected to a sound analysis of the power structures determining architecture’s fading role but also its explosive potential.
The consequence is an architecture that is either a subservient instrument for political strategies or the self-appointed therapist of its tormented self. An architecture that has become pointless in its actions, lost in its awareness.
Meanwhile, the world turns. We think it’s time to turn too. The architect’s professional dedication to a naivety about the ruses of power is no longer the guarantee of even a marginal cultural role. If the astounding care with which our best designers can detail the way a strip of glass kisses a slab of stone were applied to thinking about the geometries of power, new roles would emerge, new risks that need to be taken.
On September 23rd and 25th, VOLUME organized two events in New York and Los Angeles focusing on Power and Architecture. VOLUME, demanding architecture to go beyond itself, is determined to explore the complex intersections of power and architecture, pushing them into new territories. This exploration, which might be the very heart of the VOLUME project, will be a major undertaking. VE-III and VE-IV were just the opening salvos in a very long campaign. Preliminary findings will appear soon. Stay tuned. Join the effort to break through…
_VOLUME