Close Reading: a space tragedy
An Analysis / Interpretation on Katherine Hayles, ‘How We Read’, ADE Bulletin 150 (2010), pp. 62-79 Close Reading in our brave new world seems to be, indeed, an act of bravery—rarely practiced and disfavored by contemporary multimedia. Technology has stripped reading of its old contemplative value, scattering it across illuminated fields of tabs and battering … Read more
Bridging comfort, affecting the environment
McKenzie Wark, during the chapter “Adventures in Third Nature” of the book “New Geographies #9” uses her own family vacation as a sociological observation study to address the distantiation between humanity and nature. Everything built that shapes the natural environment and promotes comfort for mankind is part of the so-called “second nature”, like the own … Read more
Ecological Intelligence 1. Trimester 2024/25
In our seminar with Michael Salka and Mariano Gomez Luque, we explored the meaning of ecology and the multifaceted challenges of sustainability, materiality and humanity’s relationship with the planet. Over eight weeks, we delved into two distinct but deeply connected approaches to build with ecological thinking and addressing climate change as well as envisioning a … Read more
Science Fiction in the Present
Micro-Essay by Georgia Hoyer “When we contemplate ruins, Christopher Woodward writes, we contemplate our own future.”(Canavan, p. 11) Benjamin Bratton’s “Planetary Sapience” and Gerry Canavan’s “If This Goes On” intersect in their exploration of humanity’s precarious relationship with the planet, emphasizing the power of imagination and speculative thinking to confront ecological and technological crises. Both … Read more
Rethinking the Skin
Carbon Based Design | Designing Circularity in the Built Environment Introduction The intensive five-day program centered on measuring the carbon footprint and investigating novel solutions for the upcoming IAAC building. The goal was to submit a solution that would reduce the carbon deposited in the building materials by 40 percent. To make things easier in the … Read more
Redefining the Urban
MICRO-ESSAY BY REUBEN DIAMOND “ A new conceptual lexicon must be created for identifying the wide variety of urbanisation processes that are currently reshaping the urban world” (“Planetary Urbanization,” Brenner, N., & Schmid, C., p. 13) BOUNDARIES DISSOLVED As planetary urbanization reconfigures social, economic, and spatial relations, the traditional frameworks of urban studies encounter profound … Read more
Digital Culture(s): A cultural blindspot of solutionism
In an era of accelerating change, digital cultures weave together a mosaic of materiality, temporality, and social impact, redefining the very essence of culture itself. The interplay between these dimensions raises compelling questions about the way we live, create, and envision futures. From solutionism in the face of a polycrisis to the extractivist underpinnings of … Read more
Exploring Digital Futures: Embracing Complexity and Imagination
In a world marked by interconnected crises and technological change, understanding Digital Cultures helps us navigate how we engage with technology and address pressing global challenges. This exploration underscores the critical role of narratives, metaphors, and values in shaping our responses to an uncertain future. The Context of Polycrisis Our journey began by examining the … Read more
Data Conscious Environment
This blog post is a reflection of the course and lectures given by Andres Colmenares. The course is an intersection of data/digital driven world and realization of the impacts due to it. It gives you an environment, social and cultural consciousness of using the data which emphasizes on knowing the power and importance of the … Read more
Poly-Exploration with Digital Cultures
The course of Digital Cultures, tutored by Andres Colmenares, took an investigative approach on the relations between the present and the future through the lens of art, journalism, urbanism, technology, human networks and global market. Course was structured in a “non-linear” way, what makes our tutor’s pride, yet consistent in terms of narrating through scale … Read more
Post-Technological Perspectives on Society, Digital Technologies, and Culture
The course “Digital Cultures” emphasized a critical perspective on technology and associated dynamics by focusing on humanity and tech-related consciousness rather than technology itself. This post-technological approach reorients the discussion to the interrelationships between society, digital technologies, and culture(s), stressing relationality—an understanding that nothing exists in isolation. This essay addresses key aspects of these themes … Read more
Designing Futures: Exploring Digital Cultures in a Climate Emergency
This course examined the interplay of ecological, cultural, and digital transformations amidst a climate emergency, emphasizing the need to prioritize cultural over economic value. It explored how language shapes perceptions of technology, the hidden environmental costs of digital infrastructures, and the biases embedded in AI systems. Addressing the prevalence of misinformation, it highlighted the role … Read more
Research: Thermal Transmittance
Introduction – Hypothesis How can we optimize the geometry of different sections of a 3D-printed wall to adapt to varying levels of solar radiation and insulation requirements, while also reducing material usage and printing time? By deforming the infill patterns of 3D-printed earth walls, it is possible to optimize the thermal transmittance of the walls, … Read more
Unmasking Digital Culture: Rethinking Progress, Equity, and Sustainability
Accumulation: A Mirage of Progress Imagine a minimalist workspace—a pristine desk, a single laptop, a small plant to complete the tableau. It’s serene, efficient, and modern. Yet, behind this simplicity lies a sprawling network of data centers consuming vast amounts of energy, hidden from view. This duality invites a deeper reflection: is our pursuit of … Read more
Intervening Carbon
Carbon Based Design | Designing Circularity in the Built Environment SITE EXISITING WAREHOUSE POINT CLOUD MODEL Material Flow Analysis PROPOSAL
