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<div style="text-align: right"><b>We Could Call This a Disaster</b><br><br>
<i>Matter of</i><br>
1 November 2020</div>
<br><br><br><br><br><br><br>
Dear architects,<br>
<br><br>
It is time to <i>look closer</i>, closer than we have ever done before. Not only to look closer at our relationship with ourselves as humans, but also our relationship to the biosphere, to Earth, to time, to societies, to urbanity, to borders, to resources, to other living and non-living entities. It is time to examine and <i>reexamine</i> our current narratives and established worldviews. <br><br>
Because what we see further down the line is an uncertain future of a continuous succession of crises. A future where humanity’s project of universal colonization and reshaping of the planet establishes the Anthropocene – an era defined by humanity becoming <i>a geophysical force on a planetary scale</i>.<sup>1</sup> A geophysical force that has created conditions that put us in the state of emergency we are facing today. Every crisis or challenge, even the ones we can see looming in the near future, is either caused or intensified by human activity. <br><br>
However, if there is one thing this current pandemic has taught us, is that we are capable of immediate action, altering society as we know it. Nonetheless, all we hear is talk about getting back to <i>business as usual</i>. Why is that, when it is this exact business, of a neoliberal western worldview, which got us into these crises in the first place? Crises which are now feeding into one another; in other words, snowballing. Bill Gates calls this a ‘mutually exacerbating catastrophe.’<sup>2</sup> <br><br>
<i>We Could Call This a Disaster.</i><br><br>
Unfortunately, you are a part of these narratives, fellow architects. Regardless if you are aware of it or not, whether you agree with it or not, you have taken part in humankind becoming this geophysical force, because here you are, being just that. Each of you has all played a part in these worldviews leading to current conditions, allowing for this disaster. And as young architects writing this, as human beings, so have we. Yet we will be the ones left to deal with the fallout.<br><br>
We are the class of 2020, part of a generation shaped by multiple crises – we even graduated during one. And although we made it, it is not the first crisis to have shaped our lives. We are the generation that grew up in the shadow of 9/11 and the War on Terror, coming of age during the Global Financial Crisis. Now, as newly graduated architects, we find ourselves overwhelmed when looking into a future of multiple and interconnected crises – crises of collapsing ecological systems, of societal division, of geographic boundaries, of political leadership, and of neoliberal economic structures. And in the wake of these crises, when immediate action is needed, it is nowhere to be found.<br><br>
We cannot be the only ones feeling this sense of urgency when it is clear that action is needed. This is why we decided to write you a letter – we can simply no longer afford your inaction. As the Doomsday Clock is set to 100 seconds to midnight, we are entering the decisive decade. So, what is your plan of action, fellow architects?<br>
<br>
May we come with some suggestions? Let us reexamine our damaging Western and post-industrial narratives, and by doing so, move towards a <i>common</i> narrative – one which can produce a radically different future, with a reimagining of our discipline, our practice, and our profession. In this letter we will unfold three concepts that deal with this notion of the common – taking an offset in the word’s Latin origin, <i>communis</i>, which not only refers to something we have in common and that is ‘public’ or ‘shared by many’, but also derives from the Latin <i>munia</i>; ‘a duty’. Our hope is that these concepts will help us redefine our role from mere makers of space, to <i>custodians</i> <i>of space</i> – to take responsibility and care of all spaces, for all. Give it a read, and get back to us with your thoughts.<br><br>
Because we believe something has to change, and we cannot wait any longer. Consider this our <i>call for action</i>.<br>
<br>
<br><br>
<hr width="200px"><br>
<br><br>
<b><u>Everything We Have in Common</u></b><br>
<br>
As human beings, we have a tendency to categorise things: us versus them, male versus female, and human versus non-human (as in any organic or inorganic entity). It has been used to make sense of a complex world. But it has also created a detached reality – or, maybe more accurately, humans have become detached from the realities we created, yet reliant on the narratives upholding them. Narratives of inequalities, disparities, and xenophobia, and to a certain point we forgot what it means <i>to have in common</i>.<br>
<br>
We have become so occupied with reality, as in what is commonly associated with the human-constructed world, a reality merely defined but what hu(man)s are not: a woman, LGBTQ+, indigenous, animal, plant, mineral. This has unmistakably led to a lack of care and solidarity towards the<i> others</i>, which becomes excluded from the rights and entitlements of humanity. This narrative has defined our worldview, turning it into the dominant one.<sup>3</sup> By not thinking of others we tend to disregard what it means <i>to have in common</i>. And what solidarity requires, is to have something in common.<sup>4</sup><br>
<br>
<i>Everything We Have in Common</i> is the mindset of unconditional solidarity. It places us alongside our fellow humans, as well as any non-human entities. It is a mindset that takes a holistic approach to what it means to have in common, but not limited to only what creates meaning and value for humankind. A mindset that brings ethics and solidarity to the center of the stage.<br>
Architecture has always been preoccupied with aesthetic ideals as the sole perimeter of judgement, relegating the discourses on ethics and solidarity to something of lesser importance and left up to the individual practitioner to define.<sup>5</sup> Without a defined common ethos, we have denied architecture of its political responsibility and implications in a larger societal context. What if this narrative was shifted and instead replaced with unconditional solidarity, going far beyond representation, aesthetics, and form?<br>
<br>
Let us reimagine what to have in common means, let us expand on its ontology, allowing it to become a mindset of unconditional solidarity and awareness. Within architecture, it would require us to be aware of the political responsibility the profession carries, and reimagine an ethics that devises solidarity, care, justice, democratic debate, as well as embracing non-human agents, through a transnational and inclusive manner.<sup>6</sup> By showing solidarity in our discipline, we will need to acknowledge the impacts of our actions, and that there are more things we have in common than set us apart. It would require us to become custodians of space – custodians that reimagine the reality we created, not only for humans but non-humans as well, expanding on our inclusion. In full, a mindset of <i>Every Thing We Have In Common</i> would go further than an aesthetic fulfillment, taking upon the role of a spatial custodian, showing unconditional solidarity. <br>
<br>
<br><br>
<b><u>The Global Common</u></b><br>
<br>
Now, when the dust of continuous colonization and reshaping of the planet have settled, we humans find ourselves on a specific planet, with a specific biosphere.<sup>7</sup> A biosphere of different commons we long forgot the Earth is made up of, that we all depend on, humans and non-humans alike. Commons that have been exploited and taken over by the geophysical force of humankind and created a domesticated planet. We have already altered so much without any consideration for so many living and non-living entities, and by doing so, pushed Earth into a new epoch, and to what seems to be a point of no return. <br>
<br>
Some might argue that the Anthropocene somehow has given us <i>carte blanche</i> to carry on with our transformation of Earth. “Let’s bring on the geoengineering and technical solutions in full scale, but from now on let’s do it consciously.” But making something conscious does not mean it becomes nice.<sup>8</sup> It is time to recognize our impact on a planetary scale and to reimagine what it means to live on this specific planet. Because we, as in humankind, have for too long acted like we are the only ones that matter, but now it is time for the narrative to shift towards a matter of coexisting.<br>
<br>
<i>The Global Common</i> is the framework for coexistence. It recognises the Earth as fragile and finite and reimagines what it means to be a force on a planetary scale, and the responsibilities that follow. A framework that considers larger ecological systems, acknowledges humans as a part of them, and takes non-humans into its matter of concern. A framework where we recognize the importance of Earth beyond borders, ownership, and monetary and human value, by considering a global common through the concept of coexisting.<br>
<br>
Architecture is profoundly intertwined with the idea that humankind is above nature, as well as the violence of modernity.<sup>9</sup> Architects have taken part in the exploitation of the common, the commodification of the biosphere, and the degradation of non-humans, through the construction and fabrication to expand <i>our</i> habitat and control. However, we are now, more than ever, aware of the damaging nature of this narrative and practice – yet we trivialize the impact of our involvement within these issues, waiting for them to be able to be solved by simple, technological solutions. We need to stop perceiving this as a crisis for humanity when it is in fact a crisis felt on a planetary scale.<br>
<br>
We should start to consider the planet as one global common, on which we all depend on to exist, and therefore acknowledge the importance of <i>coexistence</i>. It would require us to reexamine our work and start to think holistically, beyond the short-term thinking of our projects. Instead of isolating our projects to one specific site, scale and timeframe, reimagine them within the global common, by considering the resources we extract, the emission we emit, the biospheres we interact with, and the living and non-living entities affected. This would mean to start working within a framework of coexistence, where humans are a part of the biosphere together with non-humans, of thinking long-term beyond individual projects, and consider the projects’ impact on a planetary scale, not only within the site boundaries. As architects, we are trained to imagine something better than what was before, and by considering ourselves as part of <i>The Global Common</i>, we could start working towards coexistence on a planetary scale.<br>
<br>
<br><br>
<b><u>The Act of Commoning</u></b><br>
<br>
Agents of capital and political systems are so intertwined with the human worldview, that their interests of economic extraction and power have become the narrative to define it. Now, we have grown so accustomed to their exploitative practices and violent nature, that we do not even question them. These conditions are fueled by greed and short-term thinking, dividing the world into hierarchies of value and power – even turning space into a pawn to be exploited and governed.<sup>10</sup> This has long wrought havoc around the world, leaving no place and no one untouched.
<br>
<br>
Now we find ourselves in complex and interconnected economic, political, geographical, and societal systems, which are impossible to question because we cannot fully understand them.<sup>11</sup> Systems that some would argue are rigged to begin with, because only a few are benefiting from them, and have now created a future where we are in the hands of these few. Perhaps it is timely, if not urgent, to untangle this relationship, so the future can be in the hands of the ones depending on it, humans and non-humans alike – creating agencies that are more just and equitable.<br>
<br>
<i>The Act of Commoning</i> is to provide for new agencies. Agencies that reimagines the distribution of power and how it is exercised, with the aim to include those who are today excluded. It reconsiders how our current economic system is distributing wealth and opportunity. It challenges and questions current acts of governing and legal systems, and those who perform them.<br>
<br>
For too long, we architects have been uncomfortable to even acknowledge the influence of power and profit agendas on our work.<sup>12</sup> As we are reliant on economic and political capital for our professional output to leave the drawing boards, we have simply been far too happy to play along with this relationship, getting further entangled in agendas beyond what is best for the common good. This leaves our profession serving the few with capital and power, rather than the many without it – abandoning our role as spatial custodians.<br>
<br>
To counter this, architects should start to challenge the ones providing the capital for our projects, especially when their economic interests and agendas become exploitative. The only way to provide agency is to be critical of the ones in power and their governing of space, to become a custodian of space. As custodians performing <i>Acts of Commoning</i>, you are also actively seeking to design beyond greed and short-term thinking: you’re working for the common good. It would require questioning legislation and ownership, but also promote alternatives, by providing agencies to the ones lacking them. For such possibilities to appear, aim to create a platform so more voices can be heard, included, and empowered. Acknowledge that you are not omniscient, although by performing an <i>Act of Commoning</i> you can learn, grow, and develop in a new role as spatial custodian.<br>
<br>
<br><br>
<hr width="200px">
<br>
<br><br>
We could call this a disaster, but it doesn't have to be.<br>
<br>
Every crisis allows for new possibilities, with new ways of moving forward. We might have missed the opportunity in the past to rethink and reimagine for an alternative common narrative, but now, when we're entering the decisive decade, where even more is at stake, a demand of actively reimaging a non-anthropocentric future is way overdue. The same goes for architectures: they are defined by the periods which gave rise to them.<sup>13</sup> When the generations to come, look back on this present-day period, will they see a time defined by our damaging <i>business as usual</i> behaviour and mindset, or that the urgency of escalating societal, ecological, economical, and political crises led us to action? With these final words, we are allowing ourselves to ask <i>you</i>: <br>
<br>
Dear architects, what comes after this disaster?<br>
<br><br><br>
Yours sincerely,<br>
<i>Lovisa Volmarsson and Simen Sorthe<br>– on behalf of Matter of<br></i>
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<div style="font-size: 0.8rem; line-height: 1.3em; color: black;">Illustrations by <a href="https://cargocollective.com/serinakitazono" target="_blank">Serina Kitazono</a>.<br><br>
The project is realized in the frames of the <a href="http://biennial.ge" target="_blank">Tbilisi Architecture Biennial 2020</a> with the support of the <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/node_en" target="_blank">Creative Europe programme</a> of the European Union.
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<br>
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Works cited:
<sup></sup>
<br>
<sup>1</sup> Morton, T (2016) <i>Dark Ecology</i>, page 21<br>
<sup>2</sup> Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (2020) <i>2020 Goalkeepers Report</i><br>
<sup>3</sup> Braidotti, R (2020) ‘Coexisting’ in <i>Connectedness</i>, page 119<br>
<sup>4</sup> Morton, T (2017) <i>Humankind</i>, pages 12-13<br>
<sup>5</sup> Fisher, T (2018) <i>The Architecture of Ethics</i><br>
<sup>6</sup> Braidotti, R (2020) ‘Coexisting’ in <i>Connectedness</i>, page 120<br>
<sup>7</sup> Morton, T (2016) <i>Dark Ecology</i>, page 10<br>
<sup>8</sup> Morton, T (2016) <i>Dark Ecology</i>, page 21<br>
<sup>9</sup> Krasny, E (2020) ‘Architecture’ in <i>Connectedness</i>, page 54<br>
<sup>10</sup> Stavrides, S (2016) <i>Common Space</i><br>
<sup>11</sup> Krogh, M (2020) ‘Con-nect-ed-ness: An Introduction’ in <i>Connectedness</i>, page 14<br>
<sup>12</sup> Schneider, T (2020) ‘Agency’ in <i>Connectedness</i>, page 37<br>
<sup>13</sup> Krasny, E (2020) ‘Architecture’ in <i>Connectedness</i>, page 53
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<div class="tab2020"><div style="text-align: center"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;">© Matter of 2021</span></div></div></div>
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