Conflict Zone: Berlin, from 1945 Onwards
May 24 - June 27, 2011
A five-week long Design Build Workshop and Study Abroad organized by INDA (International Program in Design and Architecture) Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, and PROGRAM, Berlin.
Introduction
This five-week long summer study abroad program is open to second year students, fulfilling INDA's required Design Build class during the summer semester. Participating students will be based in Berlin for five weeks making regular excursions in Berlin and surrounds.
Studio Outline: "Conflict Zone: Berlin, from 1945 Onwards"
Berlin is a city that is rife with conflicts from the scars on the surfaces of its museums and monuments to the voids it bears in the heart of its urban landscape. Historically, Berlin, has been witness and host to some of the most significant socio-political conflicts in the modern world. The architectures of the social and political movements are continually questioned as new regimes emerge. For example, a Palladian planned Nazi bunker has been transformed from a space that shelters citizens from attacks, to a storehouse for fresh fruits, a space for hosting raves, and currently a private collection of contemporary art.
Today, contemporary Berlin is actively rebuilding and reframing its identity, both through economic policy, architectonic revisions, and cultural initiatives. Despite the seemingly surfeiting development in the city, Berlin is bankrupt and supported by its neighboring states. In this case the proposed resolution of (economic) conflicts has shifted away from tactical warfare and towards stimulating artistic initiative and creative capital. Art, as a medium often used to pronounce conflicts, becomes the principle venue for promoting tension: regulating society by challenging accepted fundamentals and equilibria.
The course will investigate the varying manifestations of conflict in Berlin. How do art and architecture participate in framing/representing/staging these conditions? Students and professors will work together toward formulating a hypothesis of architectural conflict which will result in a physical test of the hypothesis - a primary experience.
INDA Instructors: Yarinda Bunnag and Will Patera
PROGRAM instructor: Carson Chan