POLITICS OF FABRICATION II: 11.10

“Civil world is the free play of forms-of-life; it is the principle of their coexistence” Tiqqun, Introduction to civil world

Intense migration flows witnessed recently in big cities has been challenging the traditional understanding of the political organization of human living in the urban realm. The unprecedented clash of different forms-of-life due to these changing conditions has established not only a new relationship between inhabitation and the city, but also a redefinition of the key agents in political terms. Latest social unrest in Islamic countries has shown us that contemporary society concerns are not discussed in the traditional parliaments or councils anymore, but in the public spaces of the city itself.

Following this principle, Inter Unit 8 – Politics of fabrication II understands that the coexistence of diverse and conflicting forms-of-life in the contemporary city needs to be readdressed and reframed in the urban ground itself. This implies a new spatial and physical layout of enabling the presence and frictional interaction/negotiation of these forms-of-life of those who share the city. The location chosen is the city of Miami, the major entry point for Latin American immigrants in the United States. In particular, the focus of students work has been the Little Havana neighborhood, for years the epicentre of the political expression of the dominant Cuban immigrants and the most multicultural neighborhoods in the city at the present. In this area a pervading logic of city space privatization has lead to an increasing tension between individuals and groups with different cultural, social, ethnic and economical backgrounds inhabiting the neighborhood. Exploring this particular matter, students have thought about the importance of public space as the necessary space of encounter, interaction and negotiation between these different ways of living now present in the city, and recovering its political value in a contemporary Latin-American metropolis.

29.11.10

Unit Trip Miami

From the 3rd - 11th December

Friday 3rd December
7.00 - 7.30 am Heathrow
9.45 Flight London-Miami American Airlines BA 1526

Hotel Astor
956 Washington Av
Miami Beach, FL 33139

Saturday 11th December
13.00 Miami Airport
Flight Miami-London American Airlines BA1529 17.50

References for the unit trip work
Andreas Gursky
Stephen Shore
Eugene Atget

Readings on Miami
Heike Alberts, “The Multiple Transformations of Miami,” in Smith, Heather and Owen Furuseth, eds. Latinos in the New South: Transformations of Place, Ashgate, 2006, 135-151.
Thomas D. Boswell and James R. Curtis, The Cuban-American Experience: Culture, Images, and Perspectives. Totawa, New Jersey: Rowman and Allanheld, 1983.
David Rieff, The Exile: Cuba in the Heart of Miami. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1993.
Alejandro Portes and Alex Stepick, City on the Edge: The Transformation of Miami. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993.
Maria Cristina Garcia, Havana USA: Cuban Exiles and Cuban Americans in South Florida, 1959-1994. Berkeley: University of California Press.
http://www.archivosdearquitecturantillana.com/revista/32/aaa32.html

26.11.10

Presentation_Visit_Trip

Next Thursday 2th December schedule,
11.00 Tate Modern
1.00pm Unit trip talk - Unit Space
2.00pm Presentation about Material Organizations

25.11.10

W8_Material Organizations

This third stage will provide an initial level of knowledge about material
organizations to build the different political arguments for the end of the term. A
research catalogue for the unit members will be assembled by a collection of
drawings, pictures and models understanding Latin-American traditions on building
constructions and latest material experimentations.

References
Vaparaiso School, Ciudad Abierta, Chile
Ricardo Porro, Garati, Gottardi, National Schools of Arts, Havana, Cuba
José Cruz Ovalle
Eladio Dieste
Max Borges
Felix Candela
Miguel Fisac

Ricardo Porro, Garati, Gottardi, National Schools of Arts, Havana, Cuba

24.11.10

General Review

Next Friday 26th November we will have tutorials in the unit space with a small break at 12.00 for a talk about the next brief. Please be on time not to have delays in tutorials that will affect the meeting.
10.00 Anthony
10.30 Adora
11.00 Elora
11.30 Eliska
12.00 Talk Material Organizations
2.00 Dimitri
2.30 Yiming
3.00 Joshua
3.30 Francesca
4.00 Fatemeh
4.30 Vidhya
5.00 Yonatan
5.30 Lara

21.11.10

Total Theatre Walter Gropius

http://vimeo.com/4184843

20.11.10

Versailles Restaurant

Please check some information about our site,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Versailles_Restaurant
http://havanajournal.com/cuban_americans/entry/versailles-cuban-restaurant-on-calle-ocho-for-cuban-fare-and-politics/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A283033

Tutorials

Monday 22nd December we will have tutorials on Inter Unit 8 space as follows,
10.30 Francesca
11.00 Eliska
11.30 Adora
12.00 Fatemeh
2.00 Yiming
2.30 Dimitri
3.00 Anthony
3.30 Lara
4.30 Yonatan
5.00 Elora
5.30 Joshua
6.00 Vidhya

15.11.10

Pin-up Spatial Systems

Next Friday 19th of November we will have our Pin-up in 33 Ground Floor Back. Please start pinning up your drawings and placing your models. The pin-up will start at 11.00am.

14.11.10

Tutorials Spatial Systems

Next Monday 15th November we will have tutorials in the following order,
10.00 Francesca
10.30 Vidhya
11.00 Yonatan
11.30 Fatemeh
12.00 Dimitri
12.30 Lara
2.00 Eliska
2.30 Adora
3.00 Yiming
3.30 Anthony
4.00 Elora
4.30 Joshua

12.11.10

Unit Dinner

Dinner at Navarro´s.
(c) Dimitri Chaava

11.11.10

W7_Spatial systems

A non contextual second stage will investigate different examples of associative spaces in cities, carefully differentiating terms such as community and association in relation to the construction of contemporary politics. Afterwards these examples will be analyzed in terms of Privacy/publicity, Permeability and Mobility.

Suggested References
Bernard Tschumi, Manhattan transcripts, London: Academy Editions, 1994.
Rem Koolhaas, S, M, L, XL, New York: Monacelli Press, 1995

Readings
Zygmunt Bauman Community: Seeking Safety in an Insecure World, Cambridge: Polity, 2001

Saishunkan Seiyaku Women's Dormitory - 1990 to 1991 - Kumamoto, Japan

10.11.10

1111 Lincoln Road _Herzog and DeMeuron building

http://1111lincolnroad.com/

Carnaval Calle Ocho

9.11.10

6.11.10

TS3 1st Meeting

Next Thursday 11th November we will have our 1st TS3 meeting with Wolfgang Frese and the TS staff at 5pm in Intermediate bookable space in 36 BS rear. All 3rd year Students should come– attendance is compulsory. In this meeting we will start to discuss about the TS3 Design Projects in more detail, working towards the delivery of your project proposal and an opportunity to see examples of successful projects from previous years.

Please be there on time.

Tutorials

Next week tutorials will be as follows,

Monday 8th Nov
12.00 Eliska
12.30 Yonatan

1.00 Yiming

Wednesday 10th Nov
2.30 Anthony
3.00 Elora
3.30 Joshua
4.00 Adora

5.00 Vidhya
5.30 Fatemeh
6.00 Lara
6.30 Dimitri

Thursday 11th Nov

4.30 Francesca

W6_Exploring the Site

The week will start with a collection of information about: the specific site of Cafe Versailles (S), Calle Ocho (M), Little Havana (L),Miami (XL). After students should be able to critic the role of the building and its residual open space in relation to the whole Miami. First workshops will be useful to construct new ideas for this controversial “political” space.

Suggested Readings
Erik Swyngedouw, “The zero-ground of politics: musings on the post-political city”, in New Geographies no. 1, pp. 52-61
Bruno Latour, "Introduction", Reassembling the social, An Introduction to Actor-Network Theory, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
http://www.bruno-latour.fr/articles/article/96-DINGPOLITIK2.html
Hannah Arendt, “The Public and the Private Realm”, in The Human Condition, Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1998, pp.22-78

Versailles Restaurant, August 2006

Lecture Daniel Ayat

On Monday 8th November Daniel Ayat will lecture in 36 Rear Ground Presentation room at 10.30.The lecture "Acting in Public" will deal with construction in the public space that will help you as reference for your designs. Please be on time there.

EXYZT

3.11.10

Pin-up Urban Cultures

Next Saturday 6th November we will have the Pin-up in 36 Rear Ground Presentation Room from 10.30am to 5pm. Please pin up your drawings fast to start sharply at 10.45am.