While books, journals, and lectures form the core of most architectural historians’ repertoire today, Test Sites: Experiments in the History of Space gathers leading scholars and critics to investigate what lies outside these dominant modes of architectural and urban history.

On October 12, 2013 at the California College of the Arts, San Francisco campus, alternate practices of spatial history will be explored, such as reconstructions, counterfactual histories, new media, critical conservation, and even destruction. Speakers will present specific projects as examples or ‘test sites’ for experimental historical practice from 10 AM to 5 PM at the Timken Auditorium, among which are  Lucia Allais, Amy Balkin, Keller Easterling, Nicholas de Monchaux, Jorge Otero-Pailos, Marcos Sánchez and Mark Wasiuta. For more information on the program please click here.

Beyond mere novelty, the symposium asks how such alternate practices might enable architectural historians to explore overlooked terrains and populations, address wider audiences, and play a more central role in urban life. The conference aims to reposition contemporary architectural and urban history as a critical, dynamic, and expanding field. In conjunction with the symposium, the Masters of Advanced Architectural Design in Design Theory and Critical Practices is staging the exhibition An Olfactory Archive: 1738-1969 in the Nave on CCA’s San Francisco campus. From October 8-13, 2013 the works of artists, architects, historians, and architects who have preserved or reconstructed lost or existing spaces with scents will be on display.

All events are free and open to the public. Visit testsitessymposium.org for more information.