'Architecture depends - on what? On people, time, politics, ethics, mess: the real world. Architecture, Jeremy Till argues with conviction in this engaging, sometimes pugnacious book, cannot help itself; it is dependent for its very existence on things outside itself. Despite the claims of autonomy, purity, and control that architects like to make about their practice, architecture is buffeted by uncertainty and contingency. Circumstances invariably intervene to upset the architect's best-laid plans - at every stage in the process, from design through construction to occupancy. Architects, however, tend to deny this, fearing contingency and preferring to pursue perfection. With Architecture Depends, architect and critic Jeremy Till offers a proposal for rescuing architects from themselves: a way to bridge the gap between what architecture actually is and what architects want it to be. Mixing anecdote, design, social theory, and personal experience, Till's writing is always accessible, moving freely between high and low registers, much like his suggestions for architecture itself.' Review by RB Browne 2010 link

I have read a book which finally admits that we are dependant. We are dependant and fragile, architecture doesn't serve the highest order of aesthetics as we were all taught and how we dreamt, but merely a business. This book is also about the Zen - I think, a chance to relax the tension that the 'Art' part matters only to us among all the dirty lot. Accept it and ease the grief, politics, money and all the chaos is part of it.

Some other brilliant links to the author's research, and many more:
spatial agency
flexible housing
field journal

Alya has a brilliant article about her little cousin. Find it here!
open democracy net

image by Italian artist Loretta Cappanera

http://www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/mut_tour10.htm

Previous call for artists on the site of the Centre for Fine Print Research, UK
'On March 5th 2007, a car bomb was exploded on al-Mutanabbi Street in Baghdad. Al-Mutanabbi Street is in a mixed Shia-Sunni area. More than 30 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded. Al-Mutanabbi Street, the historic centre of Baghdad bookselling, holds bookstores and outdoor bookstalls, cafes, stationery shops, and even tea and tobacco shops. It has been the heart and soul of the Baghdad literary and intellectual community. The Al-Mutanabbi Street Broadside Project has completed its call to letterpress printers after reaching a goal of 130 broadsides from 130 individual printers. Now the Al-Mutanabbi Street Coalition is issuing a call to book artists to work on a project to “re-assemble” some of the “inventory” of the reading material that was lost in the car bombing of al-Mutanabbi Street. We are asking book artists to join our project and further enhance the work of the Coalition by honouring al-Mutanabbi Street, by creating work that holds both “memory and future,” exactly what was lost that day. '

Recent and upcoming exhibitions and events with auctions of the broadsides:

Northern Print
Newcastle upon Tyne, 14 October to 4 November 2010
www.northernprint.org.uk

UWE Bristol
Bower Ashton campus - 6th December 2010 - 6th January 2011

Inkspot Press
Brighton - mid-December 2010 - end of January 2011
www.inkspotpress.co.uk

as advertised on the site

egy csokorravaló új site
http://www.atrissi.com/wordpress/
http://fann3arabi.wordpress.com/
http://www.arteeast.org/
http://kootoob.blogspot.com/
http://www.fai.org.lb/Home.aspx
http://fai.cyberia.net.lb/
http://www.contemporarypractices.net/index.html
http://www.arabigraphy.com/index.html

the narcicyst

The Narcycist once posed the ultimate question of our era at the US border : ''Can't an Arab man just take a vacation?''

The Narcicyst- P.H.A.T.W.A. (Official Music Video) from The Narcicyst on Vimeo.

http://www.narcy.net/
http://www.myspace.com/euphrates

'shakomakonet: What inspires your writing?
Narcy: Man, truly, writing is second nature to me now, I'm inspired by the people around me, the struggle I see in their eyes and the search for a reason to why our people are in the position they are in now. I find inspiration in the brothers and sisters around me that are trying to change and grow out of the misery that surrounds them, as well as the light in the eyes of those I Love. My biggest inspiration has to be the daily existence of being.

shakomakonet: What do you want your art to do for the people in Iraq?
Narcy: I hope my art just opens eyes out West to who we are as a generation of displaced Arabs. I hope that it allows a dialogue to be developed. My ultimate goal is to fund Iraqis to come to University out West or something where we can allow our people to grow and regain the knowledge of our elders that has been stripped by the power hungry politicians from inside and outside our country.

shakomakonet: Does the fact that most people outside the so-called West aren't into hiphop present an unsurmountable obstacle for you?
Narcy: Not at all, I think the curiousity is sparked by what you don't know. I've converted a good about of 'khalas' (aunts) and '3amus' (uncles) to the hip-hop at my shows. They roll up and be like WHERE CAN I get A CD...hahah. If I can make my 'khaloo' (uncle) dance to hip-hop, I can make just about anyone love this culture...hahaha. TRUST ME.'
http://www.shakomako.net/narcy.html

Bernard Khoury

Japanese restaurant, Beirut
"The Yabani project was built to house a Japanese restaurant and bar on a 285 s.q.m site located at the edge of the Damascus road on the former demarcation line that separated East and West Beirut. The traces of shelling of the recent wars are highly visible on many of the adjacent buildings that are still squatted by refugees." says Bernard Khoury/DW5 on Yabani.



IB3 building - residential building
"Our design mission was developed around the shell and core principle which consists of designing the structure of the edifice, its facades and the common areas, leaving all the inhabitable surfaces to be partitioned and finished by the architects of the future owners of each residence." says Bernard Khoury/DW5 on IB3 Building.








http://www.bernardkhoury.com/
http://www.metropolismag.com/story/20070725/the-discreet-charm-of-bernard-khoury
http://www.architecture-page.com/go/people/profiles/bernard-khoury-dw5

Bernard Khoury (born 1968)

• Bachelors In Fine Arts 1990 R.I.S.D
• Bachelors In Architecture 1991 R.I.S.D
• Masters In Architectural Studies 1993 - Harvard

Bernard Khoury studied architecture at the Rhode Island school of Design (B.F.A 1990 / B.Arch 1991). He received a Masters in Architectural studies from Harvard University (M.Arch 1993). In 2001, he was awarded by the municipality of Rome the honorable mention of the Borromini prize given to architects under 40 years of age. In 2004, he was awarded the Architecture + Award. He has lectured and exhibited his work in prestigious academic institutions in Europe and the U.S including a solo show of his work given by the International Forum for Contemporary Architecture at the Aedes gallery in Berlin (2003). His work has been extensively published by the professional press. Khoury started an independent practice in 1993. Over the past 10 years, his office has developed an international reputation and a significant diverse portfolio of projects both locally and abroad.

Philosophy

DW5 is a Design production facility for developers, architects, planners and designers providing the necessary resources to support the successful development of design projects. The workshop is an open platform for a growing number of collaborators.

The company is based in Beirut, Lebanon and has developed an international reputation among professionals by successfully assisting designers and architects on various high profile missions locally and abroad.

DW5 is located in a 700 square meters industrial loft in the Quarantaine sector, Beirut, Lebanon. The Studio is essentially one large open space free of subdivisions equally shared by all architects.

Our teams engage in assisting the production of various scale projects, from early planning phase to construction supervision. A wide range of supporting skills underpins the work of the practice, including model making, CAD drawing and visualization, and in-house audio-visual, photographic and printing systems.

The main drive of the practice is design excellence and precision, achieved through close collaboration with clients, designers and specialists - from structural and environmental engineers to cost consultants. Management of cost and time is an important priority to us which has resulted in delivering award winning projects challenged by demanding budget and schedules.

Background

• Founded: 1993
• Offices: 1
• Design team: 12

Key projects

• BO18 , Beirut, Lebanon, 1998, Music Club
• Centrale, Beirut Lebanon, 2001, Restaurant
• Yabani, Beirut Lebanon, 2002, Restaurant
• BLC Bank, Chtaura Lebanon, 2004, Commercial
• Black Box, Beirut Lebanon, 2005, Restaurant
• IB3 Building, Beirut Lebanon, 2006, Residential
• Evolving Scars, 1991, Experimental
• BCD-05, Beirut Lebanon, 2004, Entertainment
• Andalous, Kuwait, 2006 Commercial
• Santa Cesarea, Italy, 2007, Vacation Village