Investigative, with Déborah López and Hadin Charbel
Dec 30, 2024
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In this conversation, Déborah López, an architect and associate professor, and Hadin Charbel, co-founder of Pareid, delve into art's role in confronting climate change. They share their innovative projects, merging architecture with ecological themes to engage audiences in environmental narratives. The duo discusses the significance of speculative design, the complexities of Arctic research, and the importance of integrating indigenous knowledge. Their insights into interactive storytelling and climate fiction pave the way for hopeful futures in architecture and sustainability.
The podcast highlights how emerging digital technologies challenge personal identity and relationships within a data-driven world, raising ethical concerns.
Déborah López and Hadin Charbel illustrate the integration of architectural and artistic practices, enabling innovative designs that address societal and environmental narratives.
The use of narrative in their projects facilitates engagement with ecological issues, promoting collaborative discussions on climate migration and sustainability in vulnerable regions.
Deep dives
Exploring the Impact of Data on Society
The podcast emphasizes the significance of living in a world dominated by data, notably through the lens of emerging digital human technologies such as chatbots, AI-generated images, and holograms. This exploration highlights how these innovations impact personal identity and relationships, challenging traditional perceptions of existence in a digitally-enhanced reality. The discussion raises concerns about the ethical implications of such technologies, especially as they intersect with issues of privacy, agency, and authenticity. By understanding these connections, the importance of critically evaluating our relationship with technology becomes increasingly clear.
The Intersection of Architecture and Art
The conversation delves into the relationship between architecture and artistic practice, illustrating how architectural training can be complemented by an artistic approach. Both speakers share their experiences blending these disciplines by exploring topics that transcend conventional architecture, such as material flows and ecological concerns. They discuss how their dual education provides a unique perspective in their work, allowing them to confront broader societal issues. This integrated practice enables them to create designs that not only fulfill functional needs but also address critical environmental and cultural narratives.
Narrative-Based Approaches to Environmental Design
The speakers detail their use of narrative as a tool to approach ecological issues, shifting focus from traditional architectural methods to more exploratory avenues. They share their experience with projects that incorporate storytelling elements, allowing them to address complex environmental themes such as climate migration and ecological rights. Through this method, they articulate how engaging narratives can reveal the interconnectedness of societal challenges while provoking thoughts about potential futures. This approach encourages collaborative discussions around environmental stewardship and the consequences of human actions in specific contexts.
Temporary Structures with Lasting Impact
A project discussed involves creating immersive temporary structures that emphasize environmental consciousness and resource efficiency. The design process reflects a commitment to minimizing waste, using readily available materials, and employing non-invasive methods for installation. An example includes an organ-like structure built in Madrid, where materials were temporarily suspended from the ceiling, demonstrating creativity in resource utilization. This approach not only showcases architectural innovation but also urges the audience to reconsider the lifecycle and responsibilities tied to built environments.
Speculative Futures and Climate Consciousness
Collaborative efforts with students lead to projects focused on speculative futures, particularly in vulnerable regions such as the Arctic. The speakers describe their work in Svalbard, where they explored the complex ecological and geopolitical implications of climate change. By encouraging a speculative mindset, they foster critical thinking about future scenarios, allowing students to project various outcomes depending on environmental actions. This educational method not only enhances students' understanding of climate issues but also empowers them to envision proactive solutions to pressing challenges.
Such a delight speaking with Déborah López and Hadin Charbel, incredible artists-architects-scholars as investigators of future possibilities in light of climate change rapidly changing arctic (and other) landscapes. We discuss a range of art projects, from large installations to projections to speculative fiction, and how these modes and conditions can help us think and feel about alternate endings -- in our teaching and in our day to day embodied, lived realities. Recorded Dec 12, 2024. Released Dec 30, 2024.
