"A Natural History of Logistics" and Other Studio Briefs: Problem Spaces for Planetary Design

TY - JOUR

T1 - "A Natural History of Logistics" and Other Studio Briefs

T2 - Problem Spaces for Planetary Design

AU - Parikka, Jussi

PY - 2023/7

Y1 - 2023/7

N2 - This article addresses the question of the planetary through three practices that relate to design and architectural pedagogy and research as well as the broader context of Anthropocene discussions. From Strelka Institute’s Terraforming program to the Terra Forma book by Aït-Touati, Arènes, and Grégoire and a discussion of Royal College of Art’s Architecture program’s studio “Something in the Air: Politics of the Atmosphere” the article focuses on framing of “problem spaces” (Celia Lury’s term) through studio briefs as well as experimental visualization and mapping. While discussing some methodological underpinnings of planetarity as such a problem space, the article mobilizes the neologism a natural history of logistics to analyse practices of scale in the critical design studio briefs and discourses at the centre of the article. The term is pitched as one temporary conceptual anchor for a specific relation to technological framing of a polyscalar Earth as it emerges in design discourses and practice-based approaches.

AB - This article addresses the question of the planetary through three practices that relate to design and architectural pedagogy and research as well as the broader context of Anthropocene discussions. From Strelka Institute’s Terraforming program to the Terra Forma book by Aït-Touati, Arènes, and Grégoire and a discussion of Royal College of Art’s Architecture program’s studio “Something in the Air: Politics of the Atmosphere” the article focuses on framing of “problem spaces” (Celia Lury’s term) through studio briefs as well as experimental visualization and mapping. While discussing some methodological underpinnings of planetarity as such a problem space, the article mobilizes the neologism a natural history of logistics to analyse practices of scale in the critical design studio briefs and discourses at the centre of the article. The term is pitched as one temporary conceptual anchor for a specific relation to technological framing of a polyscalar Earth as it emerges in design discourses and practice-based approaches.

KW - Elemental media

KW - speculative design

KW - Architecture

KW - Anthropocene

KW - Studio practice

KW - Artistic practice

U2 - 10.1215/17432197-10909672

DO - 10.1215/17432197-10909672

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1743-2197

VL - 19

SP - 177

EP - 199

JO - Cultural Politics

JF - Cultural Politics

IS - 2

ER -