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TO INTERFERE, THE CURATED BOOKSHELF
Of the recent student interventions around the school, none has specifically managed to interfere with the library. This is about to change with the introduction of the ‘curated bookshelf.’ The motivation for these shelves comes from a disappointment with this year’s History and Theory Studies, in which history seems endlessly to be rewritten through the same continental philosophers, the same modes, aliases and references. Lazy bibliographies slavishly dictate the study of a discourse that lacks any plausible credibility. As students of architecture we need to understand that there is a wealth of discourse on contemporary conditions, but there is a tendency to read these texts with no understanding of their position as they appear in space. In a way every current text about capitalism, politics or the economy is deeply rooted in space, and we need to understand the potential of these texts for us to to operate in this space. Design comes with the possibility to intersect different spectres of the organisation of life, and the way we communicate, produce and design a book – even if it now seems on the brink of disappearance – plays a relevant part. Each bookshelf curator will choose between four and nine books and write an accompanying five pages to explain the selection. If the texts he or she likes are not explicitly architectural they will be reedited freely by inserting images within the book. The only thing required is to establish a
Still from ‘Caché,’written and directed by Michael Haneke.
connection between a particular contemporary discourse and contemporary space. When the allotted one month time period for each shelf comes to a close, its contents will be documented to form a compiled body of architectural knowledge at the end.
All current students are welcome to make suggestions for future curated shelves; please email studentshelf@gmail.com to find out more.
Luigi Alberto Cippini, a fifth year student in Diploma Unit 4, announces a new student-led initiative in the school library to start in 2013.