Magazine "Event" of the Moment

Archinect reports on the launch of VOLUME, a project by Archis, AMO (the research and design portion of the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, aka Rem Koolhaas's office), and CLAB (The Columbia Laboratory for Architectural Broadcasting).

A press conference (VE#1) will be held on Monday, February 28 at 6:30 at the Wood Auditorium in Avery Hall at Columbia, with Ole Bouman, Rem Koolhaas, and Mark Wigley, unveiling the project.

According to Archis' press release on this endeavor, VOLUME will exist because of the following arguable statement:
Architecture has reached three of its most respected limits:
- its definition as the art of making buildings
- its discourse through scripted printed media and static exhibitions
- its training as a matter of master and apprentice

further saying,
The pushing of these limits challenges the mandate and self conception of architecture. Architecture needs new modes of operation, converging the creation, the mediation and the appreciation of space.

and that VOLUME will be a
Global idea platform to voice architecture, anyway, anywhere, anytime...an engine for architectural practice, a test ground for world class architectural thinking. An instrument of cultural invention, and re-invention. It will be dedicated to experimentation and the production of new forms of architectural discourse.

I think what all this means is that this thing is going to be different. Not strictly a magazine, it's also a "platform," an "engine," and an "instrument." Regardless of all the jargon, it will be interesting to see what's up their collective sleeves. I'm of the opinion that the more architectural discourse the better (my favorite tagline is Loud Paper's "dedicated to increasing the volume of architectural discourse"), so VOLUME will be a welcome addition. If it lives up to its rhetorical hype is another thing... stay tuned.

Update 03.01: A couple pages at Archinect deal with the VE#1 Press Conference, including a discussion and GSAP student George Showman's coverage of the event.

Comments

  1. Rem wryly observed that wired magazine proclaims that the future is here every three to four months in Content.

    I think he is guilty of of proclaiming that 'architecture is over' or 'architecture is irrelevant' just as often...

    ReplyDelete

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