Results
November 01, 2011

Design and Politics: Learning to Provoke

ANCB / AEDES Berlin; October 21st 2011, 4.00pm - 6.00pm

Learning to Provoke is the second of seven podium discussions in the 2011 series 'Design and Politics: The Next Phase', initiated by ANCB in collaboration with Henk Ovink, Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment and in cooperation with the Dutch Embassy in Berlin. It questions the responsibilities, skills and agendas necessary for an urban architecture practice that is effective in tackling the challenges facing our cities in their ongoing urbanisation.

Henk Ovink is convinced that 'standard' urban planning approaches are no longer effective. He argues for a more politically engaged, pro-active and provocative alternative, whose primary objective is to 'give meaning to the challenges and their development in our cities' and which can be achieved through 'political design'; design that innovates through confronting these challenges, their factors, their various actors and their local situations. The following architects, politicians and innovators will challenge this argument for 'political design' though statements, propositions and debate:

Ute Meta Bauer Associate Professor & Director, Visual Arts Program, MIT Cambridge
Christopher Dell Theoretician and Musician, Institute for Improvisation Technology, Berlin
Theo Deutinger TD Architects, Rotterdam
Wouter Vanstiphout Professor Design and Politics, TU Delft

This podium discussion will explore what provocation can mean:

In its actual form of provoking urban developments, bottom up, on the ground in our cities.
In its more theoretical form, in which we can be reflective upon 'provoking' as means.
As a way of politics of planning, currently degraded by governments and their partners.
In its educational meaning and the way architecture, planning and design schools deal with this in education, research and collaborations.

In a closed session with invited peers, the podium discussion will be continued and directed towards the formulation of an agenda for designers, politicians and schools; an agenda that will touch upon the first practices and examples worldwide and will try to stretch this approach towards an methodological as well as practical approach to be tested within the 5th International Architecture Biennale ' Making City'.

Invited Peers
Ulrich Beckefeld Office for Subversive Architecture, London, Paris, Berlin and Vienna
Dietmar Leyk Leyk Wollenberg Architects, Berlin; Professor Urban Design Berlage Institute, Rotterdam
Tom Kaden Kaden & Klingbeil Architects, Berlin
Lars Lerup Professor & Former Dean, Rice University, Houston
Jürgen Patzak-Poor BAR Architects; Team 11, Berlin

The podium discussion will be in English. Admission is free. Please register at reply@aedes-network-campus.de before June 17th 2011