Sensualizing, Interlinking, Anchoring – Research Collage as an Explorative Research Practice in the Anthropocene

Abstract

The Research Collage addresses the challenges of contemporary architectural practice. This implements the end of the environmental conditions of the geological epoch of the Holocene and the beginning of the Anthropocene. The aim is to investigate the multi-dimensional manifestations of architectural practice in place and time in the Anthropocene and thus to extend the scope of observation to processes beyond the architectural object. In order to overcome familiar thought patterns, the technical perspective of architectural production is complemented by the consideration of the aesthetic dimensions which is intrinsically tied to architecture. In addition to imparting tangible knowledge of architectural education, the research practice aims to create a framework in which students can transform knowledge in an exploratory way and thus develop their own approach to a new geological reality. The methodology developed operates at the interface of scientific research and the visual translation of knowledge. Three instruments are therefore implemented: The (1) media technique of collage uses architecture-specific representations to sensualise knowledge and enables the multi-dimensional linking of different places and times. The inherent (2) iterative design process of a collage stimulates associative relationships and facilitates a dialogue between the technical and the sensuous dimensions of architecture. The (3) Threads of Thought (Process, Locality, Temporality, Scale) provide a language framework to describe the multi-dimensional manifestations of architectural practice and anchor them in the Anthropocene. The resulting Research Collage is an epistemic artefact of the study of contemporary architectural practice and operates as a constant aesthetic echo of the scientific research.