IndyBANG Lecture Series

2009-07-22

Sanford Garner and Wil Marquez presented the lecture “un-architecture” at Adobo Grill on May 21, 2009 as guest speakers for the IndyBANG lecture series. Indy BANG stands for Indianapolis (Indy) Business and Arts Networking Get-togethers. The organization’s focus is to link business professionals with arts & culture professionals at the personal level through educational and promotional activities such as luncheons, salons, lectures, conferences, hands-on training programs, social networking, and tradeshows.

“un-architecture”

Architecture, with all its symbolism and iconography, has evolved over centuries by continuously exploring beyond what is currently practical.  Visionaries such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Buckminster Fuller, and even the creative team Hanna-Barbera (creators of The Jetsons), all rendered architectural futures beyond what we as a collective society could ever conceive. Their ideas, though polarizing, filled the minds of public spectators with innovative ideas and possibilities. As technology evolved, many of these visionaries focused on the relationship between humans and machines. They proposed the idea that the two might co-exist, which could ultimately enhance the human condition. These conceptual scenarios allow people to visualize a personal relationship with the machine (robots) and the role they would play in our everyday lifestyles (i.e. vehicles, architecture, and communication).

Today, architecture’s relationship with humans and machines has unfolded new scenarios and timelines that are integrating design ideas across several realms of industry. This development is considered by many as ‘un-architectural’. The industry’s apprehension of accepting this new reality — a culture where machines are driving the process, form, and performance of spaces—is because it has the potential to devalue the role of the architect. A2SX is working to understand these new relationships and has worked across disciplines with academia and industry to explore how new technologies are impacting our world.