Bio-cultural architectures: Land, politics and multispecism
MSD at HOME and AA Visiting Schools Melbourne presents: Stefan LAXNESS & Pablo DESOTO
Stefan Laxness and Pablo DeSoto present their multifaceted exploration of the spatial politics of ecology and environmental restoration. Their practices sit at the intersection between architecture, radical cartography, media art and the environmental humanities to explore political ecology, more-than-human worlds, and multi-species entanglements.
Stefan Laxness:
Stefan Laxness is a London based architectural researcher, artist and former project leader at the Forensic Architecture (FA). At FA he led numerous projects, including the Ayotzinapa Case, developed methodologies for analysing airstrikes in the Middle East and modelling sites of human rights abuse from witness testimony. Stefan is the co-founder of Pantopia.xyz an online educational platform for spatial thinkers. His creative practice explores the consequences and opportunities brought about by the climate crisis regarding how we inhabit and engage with our built environment. Recently he has focused on environmental restoration as a collective process of resistance. His work has been exhibited internationally (Werkleitz, 2021; Ars Electronica, 2020; LABoral, 2020; Antarctic Pavilion, 2017). Stefan teaches at the Architectural Association in London, where he is a studio master of Diploma 9. and has previously worked in architectural practices in London and Paris. He holds an AA Diploma from the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London.
Pablo DeSoto:
Pablo DeSoto is an experimental architect and multidisciplinary artist with long-term experience in working with diverse communities across geographical and disciplinary borders. He holds a Master's Degree in Architecture from the Royal
Institute of Technology of Stockholm and a Ph.D. in Communication & Culture from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. In the early 2000s, he was a co-founder of hackitectura.net, a group of architects, computer specialists, and activists, who
pioneered a wide range of experimental projects on emancipatory uses of hardware, software, and the internet on public space and territory. His research uses fieldwork, radical cartography, and critical epistemologies to produce spatial knowledge and investigate the urgent political and environmental conditions of our time. He has been awarded NTNU ARTEC AiR, BCN Hangar/Tokyo Wonder Site artist in residence, LAB_Cyberspaces, UBA Elinor Ostrom, among others. He is the editor of three books and coauthor of the Critical Cartography of the Straits of Gibraltar. He is currently Visiting Professor at the Federal University of Paraíba Postgraduate Department of Architecture & Urbanism, Brazil. His website: http://pablodesoto.org.
Presentation and Q+A
Date: Wednesday, 7 July 2021
Time: 18:15 - 19:30 AEST* Melbourne (UTC +10)
Venue: Online - ABP Zoom Webinar
Event link: Once you have registered for the event, you will be sent the event link 2 days before the event and then again 2 hours before the event begins
* London: Wednesday, 7 July 2021, 09:15 - 10:30; BST
* Singapore: Wednesday, 7 July 2021, 16:15 - 17:30; SGT
* Dubai: Wednesday, 7 July 2021, 12:15 - 13:30; GST
* New York: Wednesday, 7 July 2021, 04:15 - 05:30; EDT
* Los Angeles: Wednesday, 7 July 2021, 01:15 - 02:30; PDT
*Rio de Janeiro: Wednesday, 7 July 2021, 05:15 - 06:30; BRT
AA Visiting School Public Lecture Series:
- Forensic architecture - Tuesday 6th July
- 90 tons, 656 hours, 51 elements and 20 people - Thursday 8th July
- EMBODIMENT, ALIVENESS AND AGENCY: ZOMBIES, CYBORGS AND CHIMERAS - Monday 12th July
- Unnatural Disaster - Tuesday 13th July
- AI Sampling: On Plasticity and Form - Wednesday 14th July
Image annotation: Bio-Cult Arch Lecture_01b