Page 10 - JCAU-5-2

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Gestures for interdependence: Designing the unfelt

scenographic, and installation), I discovered that a providing a personal way of meaning-making. In general,
dramaturgical approach to the development of spatial the methods used in the PhD study concern (i) cocreation
experience was at the core of many of my professional through collective scoring and prototyping, (ii) diffraction
intra-actions. Spatial dramaturgy is both the intra-field I as reflection through reading-writing, and (iii) drawing as
move through and a set of methodologies I work with. The an epistemic space.
exploration of performative processes in relation to or with To revisit the etymological roots of the word
spatial design informed my attitude as a designer in “how to “dramaturgy”, we have to go back to Old Greece. The
do things with space” performatively . Spatial dramaturgy meaning of the word dramatourgia lies in the combination
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allowed me to queer my own position and identity from the of the words drama (meaning a composition presenting in
image of the heroic architect infused by modernity from dialogue a course of human action or the description of a story
somebody that is future-oriented, forgetting the now, to converted into the action of a play) and-ourgia (meaning
somebody that is now-oriented and sensitive to both past a working activity). Dramaturgy refers to “the work that
and future. In several artistic projects, I started taking up needs to be done on the composition and development
the role of spatial dramaturg, moving nomadically between of dialogical human actions and stories”. Alberto Perez-
different roles and esthetic frameworks and regimes. Gomez refers to the role of the architect in Greek drama
The work that I’ve been doing as part of the TAAT as “the one who leads others into action” , shifting the role
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collective (since 2012) focused on the development of from a modernity-infused “master builder” toward what
performative installations — the earlier work was mostly Carlo Ratti calls an “architect-curator” : somebody that
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wood — that have been evolving into growing architectures regulates relationships between top-down and bottom-up
since 2020. The practice has been the backbone of my agents in a design process.
doing-thinking-being as a spatial dramaturg. Notions of Through collaborations with artists from different fields, a
theatricality and performance in regard to an ontological shift in my personal understanding of the role of the architect
spatial design were always at the core of TAAT’s thinking or spatial designer took place and opened up a multitude
and prototyping processes, indicating a deep relation of possible attitudes and roles that I decided to explore. As
between performance and architecture but also opening these development processes were always prototypes and
up the role of the architect/designer as somebody who dialogue-based, they foregrounded spatial experience as the
facilitates choreography, generates spatial aesthetic main directive for collective decision-making. This resulted
experience, “holds the space” and guides others through the in a radical hands-on approach enabling bodies, objects,
processes of personal transformation maybe even offering materials, and spaces to work and act together. The spatial
a sense of existential safety . During my year at a.pass in dramaturgical question we try to answer is then: How can
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Brussels, I once described TAAT as follows: “[…] TAAT we, as spatial dramaturgs, create new polyphonic and post-
is the institution I work through and pass through myself. anthropocentric narratives through spatial design? If spatial
An institution that is the same as the architecture that it design relies on the extraction of unseen and unheard
produces. A vehicle, a temporary construction, through bodies, how can we, as designers and artists, make space for
which Others can wander. And at the same time, a portable these bodies to take part again in the formation of spatial
and shareable structure. A tender institution, maybe.” experience? If these bodies are unfelt, how do we displace
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Consequently, spatial dramaturgy encompasses both ourselves to learn from them? How do we help them to
making and holding space. It functions as both an intra- perform on us, or to design us?
disciplinary field and methodology, serving as a collective
practice that combines doing-thinking-being while also 2.3. Gestures for interdependence: Embodying
relationality
14 In reference to JL Austin’s How to Do Things with Words, 1955.
15 Performativity to be understood through movement and In the problem setting, we introduced the notion of
gesture instead of a technical quality (cr. the performance of “gestures for interdependence” as design tools and attitudes
a solar panel), see also the work of Judith Butler. that can improve our awareness of our interdependence
16 In reference to the daidala in greek drama, see with unheard bodies/entities and unseen places/sites.
Perez-Gomez A., Built upon love, 2018, The MIT Press, In what follows, we will share how to understand these
Cambridge (USA). gestures and how they can be read as innovative attitudes
17 a.pass, advanced performance and scenography studies,
Brussels (BE); see https://apass.be/. 19 See Perez-Gomez A., http://www.architecturenorway.no/
18 Todoni D., Donoso E., Louwerens P., Van Den Brande K., questions/histories/perez-gomez-performance/, 2012.
a.pass Cycle II: What your research did to me, 2021, a.pass, 20 Ratti C., Open Source Architecture, 2016, Thames and
Brussels (BE). Hudson, London (UK).

Volume 5 Issue 2 (2023) 4 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.0358