This seminar is looking at the relationship between architecture, embodiment and spatio-political definitions of utopia. It is also an exploration of architecture’s agency between social reality and creative fiction assuming that possible futures have been imagined before in various ways. By revisiting past architectural utopias  through altered viewpoints, it seeks to help envisioning affirmative places of inclusiveness.

“The question of Utopia would seem to be a crucial test of what is left of our capacity to imagine change.” (Jameson, 1991)

A wide range of texts (covering various topics from the fields of Architecture and Gender Studies) and visual representations will serve as the basis for developing new sketches and other fragments (textual and visual). 

These will serve as a growing collection of (concept) tools to become aware of one's own bias with the ultimate aim to challenge the (still) common “view from above” approach in (architectural) design by grounded perspectives. (Haraway, 1988)

Following the recommendation of Elisabeth Grosz this seminar sets out to look at architectural utopias „in relation to process, event, experience, the unexpected and unforeseeable, the momentary and fragmentary, the preprogrammed yet still possible“.

The course is under continuous assessment (at least 80% presence at tutorial sessions is required to pass).
- active participation in text discussion(s)
- architectural project analysis + presentation(s)
- final individual "position" paper (max. 500 words) combined with visualisation(s)
Additional details will be provided via a course syllabus in the Kick-Off Meeting.

ATTENTION: This course is taught by Maja Ozvaldic (LV-Nr. S03655) and Daniela Kröhnert (LV-Nr. S03654) and students need to register for both courses via the base to be admitted.

This course is specifically addressed to students with a background in Architecture.
Students should be able to work independently on a high level between the sessions.
max. 16 participants (priority is given to students of architecture)

Presence at the first meeting is mandatory for participation.