CfP: Globalized Regionalism: the inheritance of colonial infrastructure. Lisbon, 16-18 January 2019
Chaired by Dr Eliana Sousa Santos and Susanne Bauer
International Congress “Colonial and Postcolonial Landscapes: Architecture, Cities, Infrastructures”, Lisbon, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
Issues, such as cultural engagement, authenticity, morality and politics are still connected to today’s regional architecture. A globalized aesthetic today poses the question where regionalism in architecture ends and globalization starts. Throughout history, vernacular building styles, elements and aesthetics that can often be classified as regional, have emerged in different countries as cultural mementos of a rehabilitated region. Furthermore, in recent years, under the banner of social engagement in architecture, to detach oneself from the issues of colonialism, multiplicities of projects explore the advantages of local techniques and/or materials, blend them with ‘international’ aesthetics and import them into different cultural contexts. The aesthetic of a modern architecture today is thereby recreated using artisan and handmade products. In turn, modern elements of an ‘international’ aesthetic combined with local materiality are transferred in a mode of post-colonial development into exotic locations. The work of contemporary practices such as those of Solano Benítez, Bijoy Jain and Anna Heringer blend traditional low-tech building techniques with globally accepted aesthetics. With exponential globalization we witness the effect of a post-colonial infrastructure as a universal aesthetic is being created that can be exchanged throughout different countries and continents. This session aims to discuss issues connected to the aesthetics of architectural regionalism and its relationship to colonial infrastructures. We are interested to examine what historical developments have shaped regional architecture today and which might have overcome colonial infrastructures. Papers might also explore the question of regional or vernacular architecture and globalization and address the boundaries of regionalism.
More information about the congress is available here.
Abstracts submission deadline: 30 June 2018.
Abstracts can be submitted via the following link https://www.colonialandpostcoloniallandscapes.com/