DÁ FALA

The aim of this congress is to extend the debate on the repercussions of the decisions aken by the colonial states in the area of territorial infrastructures – in particular through the disciplines of architecture and urbanism – in post-independence development models and the formation of new countries with a colonial past.

The infrastructure of the colonial territories obeyed the logic of economic exploitation territorial domain and commercial dynamics among others that left deep marks in the built landscape. The rationales applied to the decisions behind the construction of infrastructures varied according to the historical period, the political model of colonial administration and the international conjuncture.

This congress seeks to bring to the knowledge of scientific community the dynamics of occupation of colonial territory, especially related to the war effort, and that involve not only agents related to architecture and urbanism but to the military, and its repercussions in the same territories as independent countries.

It is hoped to address issues such as how colonial infrastructure, in this case housing production during armed conflict, has conditioned the current development models of the new countries or what options taken by colonial administrations have been abandoned or otherwise strengthened after independence.

More information.

Wed 29 June, 6pm

Iwalewa-Haus, University of Bayreuth, Germany

Presentation by Alexander Opper (University of Johannesburg & Notion Architects)

Hotel Yeoville is a participatory public art project. The exhibition leg of the project was preceded by an intense research phase, begun in 2007 and headed by artist Terry Kurgan, the project’s founder. Between 2009 and 2010 the hotelyeoville.co.za website was developed and transformed into a physical exhibition space. The public launch of the exhibition took place in May 2010. This presentation will focus on the specific role of Notion Architects, as designers and collaborators on the exhibition phase of the project.