Urban and architectural utopias since the turn of the nineteenth century proves that "Praxis" is a purposeful act, in other words, it requires a certain degree of focused expectations for the sole purpose of securing long-term objectives. Second, contrary to the notion of "mediocrity", praxis calls for a creative act and sets forth the active participation of social agents as a must. Third, the primary factor in such processes is "reasoning" and the capacity to "reason". As such, our primary question should then revolve around if a new political praxis is now possible within the verge of the twenty-first century; and in which capacity architecture can be socially responsible?
Bio-Statement:
Guven Arif Sargin is Professor of Architecture at the Department of Architecture, Middle East Technical University (METU). Specialized on Urban and Environmental History and Theory (University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1990-1996) he currently teaches architectural and urban design and courses on “Politics and Space” and “Critical Urban Theories”. Sargin has been the recipient of METU Academic Excellence Award (2000 to 20011) and Mustafa Parlar Foundation Academic Excellence Award (2004). Among other extensive publications he is the editor of Nature as Space: (re)Understanding of Nature and Natural Environments (2000); Şevki Vanlı: Ideas and Designs (2001); Public Faces of Ankara: Theses on the Spatio-politics of the Capital City (2002); Hybrid Spaces (2004); and the author of The Environmental History of Turkish Modernism (forthcoming).
No comments:
Post a Comment