THE/02
OPEN STUDIO:
PALIMPSEST AND SPARAGMOS
Justin Mallia
Studio Description
A palimpsest is a manuscript or piece of writing material on which later writing has been superimposed on effaced earlier writing. Sparagmos is an act of rending, tearing apart, or mangling, pulling to pieces and reassembling.
This is an open studio for students to propose an individual, self-initiated design thesis and associated architectural outcome. The studio broadly poses the palimpsest and sparagmos as analogies for approaching the multilayered consideration of place, memory and experience in architecture, including the relationship of the body and architecture, both conceptually and experientially.
Each student will be required to generate a design question, select a place and create a brief for their project, which will then be theoretically explored to achieve a tangible architectural outcome.
It is encouraged that students should bring their own knowledge and experience of place and culture to the studio, and accordingly there are no predetermined requirements for the themes, scale or type of projects that will form the architectural outcomes.
Studio Outcomes
Given the open format of the studio, students require a strong focus and initiative from the beginning of the semester. Initial steps will determine the critical foundations and parameters upon which each project will be developed. While encouraging careful consideration and conceptual design thought, the studio will require thought to be realised into action starting from week one. This will be facilitated through a series of preliminary exercises that will accumulate towards the final design outcome. As the semester progresses, students will be supported in a combination of aspects related to their individual projects as well as group engagement on aspects that are common across projects.
The final outcomes of the studio will involve each student delivering a detailed architectural project resolved and communicated at the level of quality and complexity required for the Masters of Architecture Design Thesis course.
Studio Leaders
Justin Mallia is a practicing architect based in Australia and Italy. The practice has been internationally awarded and published with built projects of diverse scope and scale, and is involved with theoretical works, PhD research, teaching and writing.
Readings & References
Readings and references will be advised in response to students’ individual projects
Schedule:
Monday 9:00am-3:00pm in MSD 138
Off-Site Activities: