A quick update

There have been new materials entered into the “resources” page related to ecology, settlement patterns and a personally influential text re-reading history. My updates have been fairly sparse as my studies are seriously draining my time, however there has also been a further explanation of the Garden Cities seminar under “Projects” as well as an introduction to what may become my thesis and summer research, pertaining to the (im)Material.

My current projects that have not made it onto the blog include a case study of Vauban in Friesburg and an investigation into the Marx-Engels-Forum in Berlin. While the roles and influences of art practice have received relatively sparse coverage on the blog, the dynamic qualities of German art during the Cold War will begin to explore the relationship between art and the urban environment, specifically related to state sanctioned art and the reproduction of nationalism through monumentality and its subversion by the avant garde.

Past Utopia

Some time has lapsed since the creation of material_semiotic and any form of significant update to the blog has been absent. As Fall courses have now started the semester’s projects have become clear and you will begin to notice updates under the “projects” page.

“What would a 21st century utopia look like?”

Addressing this rather difficult prompt from one of my current professors will be a preoccupation of mine for the entirety of this semester. This stems from a course fixated on studying the “garden cities” of yesterday, suburbia, new urbanism and the role of utopia in informing urban design.

Alongside a historical case study I am in the conceptual planning phases for what a 21st century utopia may look like. For the moment my preoccupation remains on establishing certain ideals that may manifest themselves with utopian urbanism while also exploring the issues these ideals must accommodate. These will be further explored in posts specifically addressing these ideals and issues.

Currently I am researching Jackson Heights, Queens, and this will be the first significant post in “projects.” Some may be unconcerned with notions of utopian communities but their persistence in the social fantasy and physical realization throughout the globe prove to be of interest for reasons I hope to elaborate. Jackson Heights is dubbed by some as the “first garden city” in America.

-Following the historical case study of Jackson Heights will be a contemporary case study acting to establish possible ideals for Utopia.

-The course will terminate with my own production of an urban design meant to address the issue of utopia in the 21st century. While I largely remain undecided on what this will come to look like, my goal is to record the development of this design through my research presented on material_semiotic.

welcome

“Technology is not neutral. We’re inside of what we make, and it’s inside of us. We’re living in a world of connections — and it matters which ones get made and unmade.”
Donna Haraway

In starting this blog my hope is to create a resource for others who are interested in exploring the relationships between constructions (read loosely) and their impact. Whether these projects be physically realized, theoretical concerns or fleeting art practices is not so much the matter as is the reception of such ideas and projects.

My academic background has been a steady mixture of studio art, critical theory, design and urban studies. material_semiotic lacks any strict discipline in the sense of only concerning architecture, art practices, infrastructure, etc. Rather it is an attempt to approach these related practices as both an outsider and practitioner- the products of such an attempt retaining the formal goal with varying content.