The theme of this year’s Lecture Series comes out of an intersection of two important axes: one that is pedagogic and the second that is a speculative vision to the transformation of Architecture as a discipline. The former is a foster child of the latter.
At ARCHIDES, we can describe such a transformation as necessary evolution resulting from an increased marginalization of the role of the architect in the production of Architecture on one hand, and her particular influence in the society, on the other. This is made evident in endless international literature on this topic and the practice of architecture on the local level.
Through this transformation, Architecture (with the capital A) as a discipline and consequently as a praxis is redefining the way it creates, disseminates, and applies the knowledge within its domain of influence.
As per the words of the blogger on architecture Peter Raisbeck, proposing that knowledge is central to architectural production is a more complex model than simply saying that architects design buildings. This model of practice places ideas and knowledge, rather than the delivered object, at its center. Yes, this approach is quite different to seeing architecture as simply being about the design of physical buildings (as, unfortunately, too many people do).
Under the rubric of Architects as Knowledge Workers, we set our design studio as an environment where design processes are learned and reflected upon and this is where our public lecture series becomes a forum to better understand the way these are practiced not only by architects but also by creators of knowledge in different disciplines, be it cinema, urban installation, music, or art.
Lectures are free and open to the public. Except as noted, lectures are scheduled on Wednesdays at 6:30pm in the main hall, located at Fouad Chehab Boulevard, Tripoli, Lebanon.
| April 26, 2017 – 6:30pm |
Main Hall
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Itinerary
Akram Zaatari reflects on the creative bases of three of his films: Twenty-Eight Nights & a Poem, Beirut expoded views, and Letter to a Refusing Pilot.
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| April 12, 2017 – 6:30pm |
Main Hall
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Urban Stories
Nadim Karam's presentation titled "Urban Stories" introduced the thinking process behind his urban art interventions in different cities of the world, focusing on the conviction that cities are living organisms, and art can rouse these dreams by injecting energy into urban areas through cultural catalysts with the power to dig up community memories, tell stories, introduce absurdity or provoke questions.
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| March 29, 2017 – 6:30pm |
Main Hall
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Seeing – Affinities and the Act of Making
Silia Abou Arbid's presentation titled "Seeing"- affinities in the act of making" focused on Observation and Seeing in the conceptual dissection of phenomena and affects, and the constant dialectic between making | un-making, discernment and critical assessment in Learning by Making when delving into the rigors of abstraction, setting resolutions or defining tectonic invention for the creative process. The case studies shown covered her own professional work and the works of her students at the Foundation Year at LAU.
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| February 22, 2017 – 4:30pm |
Main Hall
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Beyond the Seen (2.0)
Karim Nader's presentation titled "Beyond the Scene(2.0)" tried to answer the question of "Where do ideas come from?" by presenting a cinematic, non-linear, non-chronological sequence of images and texts. Photographs from four built residences; the space of intimacy, personal struggle, family gathering, homeliness and its opposite, find themselves juxtaposed with ‘non-realistic’ images of a visionary proposal for the un-built Beirut Cineplex.
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| February 8, 2017 – 4:30pm |
Main Hall
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Designing the Essential: towards a responsible architecture
Maxim Julian’s presentation titled "Designing the Essential" focused on an architecture responsible and intelligent based only on the necessary need and culture of a certain society, showing a wide array of projects designed by his studio "Synopsis", by challenging the notion that architecture can't be anymore about building beautiful and functional volumes.
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| December 21, 2016 – 4:30pm |
Main Hall
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Embodiment
Marwan Basmaji's presentation highlighted various architectural experimentation by his studio " Basmaji and Bielinska Architects", in search of an Identity that act as the main narrative behind the architectural design, in an era where the architectural form is becoming the central mean, rather than a logical end.
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