Tonight we had the pleasure of hosting Aaron Betsky, among other things one of the members of the IAAC Scientific Committee, as the final lecture of the 2014 Fall Lecture Series.
In his Lecture entitled The Architecture of Hunting and Gathering, Mr Betsky discussed architecture today as being about gathering together what already exists. He believes that it is not about the making of abstract and rigid objects placed on the ground. It is not about making first great plans, then turning them into objects, and then imprisoning people within those artifacts. It is about seeing and knowing the world all around you, using the skills specific to architecture to reveal the possibilities inherent in what already exists. Architecture is collage, urbanism is tactical. This lecture will look at how we can use techniques ranging from collage to Photoshop, and from DIY insertions to the reuse of existing buildings, materials, and even designs, to create a physical environment that is more sustainable, socially just, and beautiful. Examples drawn from both architecture and the arts will show the many possibilities of such an approach. The lecture will also show how installation work, dating from the 2008 Venice Architecture Biennale to the proposed 2015 Shenzhen Biennale, exhibits some of the best properties of an architecture of hunting and gathering.