CCSA Talk

CCSA Talks: An Assemblage of ANY Oppositions: A Quest for Autonomy and Criticality in Late 20th-Century Architectural Theory

Ehsan Kakhani

An Assemblage of ANY Oppositions: A Quest for Autonomy and Criticality in Late 20th-Century Architectural Theory

Ehsan Kakhani’s talk focuses on the critical period of architectural theory spanning from the late 1960s to the end of the 20th century. During this period, many architects and theorists made efforts to acknowledge the critical capabilities of architecture. The discussion of architecture’s criticality brought up the previously raised issue of autonomy in architecture. Three periodicals—Oppositions, Assemblage, and Any—led the discussion of these two concepts. This talk will examine the different interpretations of two concepts presented in three publications as well as the debates that have arisen regarding their relationship. To gain a better understanding of the post-critical period, it may be helpful to have a comprehension of the history of autonomy and criticality in architectural theory during the latter part of the 20th century.

Bio:
Ehsan Kakhani is a PhD candidate in architecture at Shahid Beheshti University. He is an architect (2014) and a Master of Architectural History (2017) graduate. He is currently finishing a doctoral thesis on the history of autonomy and criticality in architectural theory in American journals of the late 20th century. In 2022, as a recipient of an excellence scholarship from Shahid Beheshti University, he was a visiting researcher in the department of Architecture and Built Environment at Lund University.

This CCSA Talk takes place via Google Meets and will be later available on the CCSA YouTube-Channel.

In order to get the link to attend this session, please contact ortiz@kunst.uni-frankfurt.de