Non-Professional Practice
"I've never worked for a living. I consider working for a living slightly imbecilic from an economic point of view. I hope some day we'll be able to live without being obliged to work." Marcel Duchamp
The course aims to study unconventional modes of creative practices and their underlying implications. In a rapidly changing world that is facing unprecedented challenges, the hyperspecialization of the professional can backfire in its rigidity and the implied limitation, while also becoming a powerful tool of discrimination. We will investigate collectively why it is important to look outside of the current framework of architectural practice, identify new possibilities and establish the role of design itself in this conversation.
Topics that are brought up to debate with guest lecturers from various fields include the chance of changing times, the importance of production of culture, the permeability of disciplinary boundaries, the role of language and communication, the banality of kickstarting something, the urgency of (mis)use and interpretation, the Hacker and the Expert, the undercommons, the irrelevance of authorship, the beauty of failure and the social being as a practice.
The class is based on a workshop format, centered on research, analysis and guest lecturers and requires above all your presence and participation in the dialogue.
Course structure:
The seminar has two parallel tracks: one conversational and one based on group work. The conversational part will take place every Wednesday between 12-2pm EST and will require your attendance. Weekly guests from various professional fields will share with us the stories of their own practices, from failures to highs, from philosophical to practical. Students will have to introduce the guest as well as create a poster at the end of the semester that encapsulates the lessons from class.
The parallel track is based on group work and is to be scheduled in coordination with each group. We will collectively identify issues and interests with regards to practice, articulate them into assignments and investigate them, with the end goal to debunked them and develop a set of tools or language to address them. The workload and ability to reasonable address it will be an integral part of the way we define the assignment.
The main requirement for the class is desire to be there. The seminar is relying on each individual in creating a collective, and assume responsibility in shaping the seminar through participating – by being there and by using your voice. It’s it mandatory to attend the first two seminars in order to stay enrolled.
For further information, please refer to: nonprofessional.org
?Note: the instructor will offer live course presentations on 01/19-01/21. To access the detailed schedule and Zoom links, please visit the Live Course Presentations Website. If you need assistance, please contact Estefanía Ibáñez.