Auditorium A2 | Maison de la paix, Geneva
Architects, designers, performing artists and social scientists reflect today on the material infrastructures that empower the public, allowing them to voice their desires and exchange opinions in local, national or transnational arenas and contexts. This panel will highlight three types of projects related to the construction of publics and diplomatic fora, starting with the new ephemeral public space in construction by the EPFL school of architecture and its students in the vicinity of the Place des nations. Then, it will move onto performances based on simulations of environmental diplomacy proposed by the Rimini Protokoll. The panel will end with forthcoming interdisciplinary experiments at the frontier of international relations and design studies.
Introduction:
Discussion:
Daniel Zamarbide is an architect recognised both in Switzerland and internationally for his experience in the design and construction of research-oriented architecture. After 15 years as founder and partner of group8architects, he now concentrates his transdisciplinary work in various contexts with a strong link to cultural and artistic programmes. He is co-director of the ALICE laboratory and Superstudio at EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) and was a Professor at HEAD between 2008 and 2021. Founder of BUREAU in 2012 (Switzerland-Portugal), his research lies at the intersections of architecture, scenography, design, landscape architecture, and publishing.
Stefan Kaegi co-produces works with Helgard Haug and Daniel Wetzel, under the label “Rimini Protokoll”. Using research, public auditions and conceptual processes, they give voice to ‘experts' who are not necessarily trained actors. Recent works include the multiplayer-video-piece “Situation Rooms”, “100% São Paulo with 100 local citizens on stage” and the “World Climate Conference”, a simulation of the UN conference for 650 spectators in Schauspielhaus Hamburg. . Recent works also include “Uncanny Valley“, a monologue for a humanoid robot, and “Société en Chantier“, an immersive performance about public construction projects.
Anna Leander is Professor of International Relations at the Geneva Graduate Institute and at the Institute of International Relations - PUC, Rio de Janeiro. She has researched and published widely on issues related to the politics of commercial security, including its material-aesthetic dimensions. With Jonathan Austin, Anna recently published "Designing- With/In World Politics. Manifestos for an International Political Design";. She is currently starting her work on the project The Future of Humanitarian Design.
The discussion will be moderated by Grégoire Mallard, Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology and Director of Research at the Geneva Graduate Institute.
Please note that this event can be joined online or in-person, and will be recorded and made available on the Institute's YouTube channel.
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