SCImatic Design – auf der Aussiecon 2010
SCImatic Design
Analysing the Architectural Utopia
Uwe Unterberger, 2010
INTRO:
This paper is an extension of an interdisciplinary research project I have been working on that draws on theories and viewpoints of technology as well as the humanities, interrogating and elaborating on questions of current architecture and its relation to dynamics of knowledge and the contemporary knowledge society.
In the genre of science fiction, architecture is a secondary but interesting factor, which has not been explored in much detail, yet. It is high time to examine this background within the framework of the theory of architecture as well as in my specific case also from a perspective of the philosophy of science.
Engaging into the research area of SCImatic Design started by analyzing how knowledge, cybernetics 2nd order and the theory of self-organizing systems changes our perception of architecture in the knowledge society[1] and it still finds itself in the phase of general positioning. This paper contains two parts: First of all, the definition of terms and a fundamental categorization of Science Fiction Architecture and, secondly, a short depiction of the relevance and functionality of SCImatic Design.
In this work I especially focus on the filmic and visual representations from the 80ies onwards.
Architecture poses for the recipient mainly optical, spatial aesthetics, which justifies an analysis of exclusively filmic and visual representations. With the following I also try to lay a structural starting point for the further development of a meta-theory of architecture transgressing the different subgenres of science fiction – which I will term “SCImatic Design”.
CATEGORIES:
As philosophers are, we cannot help but defining and categorizing things. The difficulty in the classification and also in the analysis of science fiction architecture lies in the fact that we neither possess an entire basis nor the possibility to explore a certain kind of design from other perspectives and angles. Thus, conclusions have to be drawn on the theoretical foundations that exist.
So, first of all I would like to start with a definition what science fiction architecture is, and more importantly what it is not. I roughly define the architectural utopia as: Every kind of architecture used and imagined in the genre of science fiction – and expressed, interpreted and/or shown in movies and pictures. This excludes for example futuristic architecture – which is merely a visionary outlook from the present, generating prototypes which are more or less ahead of their times – and which can, for instance, be seen in these images of visionary projects from Zaha Hadid[2] Architects and M.A.D. Architects[3].
Furthermore, it also excludes surrealistic or surreal architecture – which has more an artistic quality and is often designed in an amorphous or biomorphic way – as you can see in these pictures of Verner Panton’s Furniture and the Panton Chair from the year 1968[4].
Based on this assumption I would like to try to identify common strands of science fiction architecture as they predominantly exist – of course looking through the glasses of the theory of architecture and philosophy of science. As mentioned at the beginning we do not possess a complete picture here, or a constant line regarding content, which we could supply to a careful analysis. Rather one has to be content with fragments – knowing very well that one is partially completing the fiction through analysis and categorization. The leading principles, which have to be the basis for an analysis of Science Fiction Architecture, would be:
- Acceptance of incompleteness. A claim to completeness has to be abandoned. The difficulty lies within working only with fragments – the challenge within accepting it.
- Interpretation of the visible. Through the restriction of the researched area to filmic and visual representations, particular attention is paid to “what you can see“.
- Considering the social circumstances and technological conditions. In principle, direct and indirect relations between the constructed surroundings and the dominant social dynamics seem to influence the science fiction architecture way more than architecture in reality. The reason could ground in the simultaneous invention of the social dynamics and the constructed surroundings in the same process of creation by the author or director.
End of introduction.
