Flowing Waters, Animal Kingdoms, Children and the City, Indigenous Cultures and how Architecture Practice is Transforming

Isla Paulino, a community located in the main entry channel to the port of La Plata, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. From the book Mil cuencas. Image: from Google Maps.

Welcome to a conversation between architects Mauricio Corbalán and Tor Lindstrand on the uncertain agenda of architectural practice, methodologies and how to form critical positions. What if we are to use other perspectives in the process of shaping urban environments?

Through examples of research and projects, Mauricio Corbalan and Tor Lindstrand will discuss these concerns and the future of what may be referred to as “alternative architecture”. The examples include work with two books by Mauricio Corbalan, Sandra not human person, about an orangutan case in Buenos Aires, a documentation of the research on the first animal granted non human rights in Argentina and its consequences on urban politics and design methodologies; and Mil cuencas, about describing the interlacing of life support systems in watersheds; and two projects by Tor Lindstrand, a two year residency project at Warlayirti Artists Aboriginal Cooperation in the Great Sandy Desert, Western Australia where a report on the impact of western architecture and planning tradition on nomadic culture has been developed; and an on-going research into the history of the so called “adventure playgrounds” and the link between contemporary urban planning methodologies, such as place-making, and the evolution of playgrounds.

Flowing Waters, Animal Kingdoms, Children and the City, Indigenous Cultures and how Architecture Practice is Transforming is part of the public program for Iaspis Open Studios in Stockholm.

Tree House Gubbängen. Photo: Tor Lindstrand.

Mauricio Corbalán is an Buenos Aires based architect. With Pio Torroja he’s the co-founder of M7red, an independent urban research organization focused on formatting complex scenarios by building up strategical associations with activists, grassroots communities and experts from several domains. M7red has worked and collaborated with Jeanne van Heeswijk, raumlabor-berlin, Estudio Teddy Cruz, Tomas Saraceno and Forensic Architecture. Their latest project, is a laboratory for spatial analysis and territorial insights at the MTE, a labor union for excluded workers in Argentina.

Tor Lindstrand is a Stockholm based architect and Senior Lecturer at Konstfack, Unversity College of Arts, Crafts and Design. In 2004 he co-founded International Festival, a practice working on context specific projects spanning from buildings, publications, films, installations, public interventions and situations. In 2010 he initiated Economy together with art director Jessica Watson-Galbraith. Within the research project Space, Power and Ideology he did research on the recent history of alternative practices in the field of architecture and design.