156. Modernism, Utopia, and Living the Catastrophe with Anthony Vidler

Today, we are joined by Manu Sobti who is a senior lecturer at the University of Brisbane in Australia. We talk to Sobti today about his research on Pierre Jeanneret and Aditya Prakash, what he found, and the role of these two people in the making of modern India and modern architecture

Today, we are joined by Ijlal Muzzafar who is a professor at RISD and author of Modernism’s Magic Hat: Architecture and the Illusion of Development without Capital. The book is M’s thesis on how modernists in the post-war era invoked and worked with the concept of development to produce a re-imaging of development as a process of self-actualization without real sizeable investment of capital.

Today, we are joined by Jeffrey Fracé who is the chair of acting at the University of Washington. Fracé discusses his background of the arts through Shakespeare, improvisational theater, the different modalities of theater, and the difference between producing theater and producing architecture.

“Architecture and culture operate in a porous manner through the construction of ideas…Trotsky reading Henry George, who had an impact on Frank Lloyd Wright in the U.S. which then bounced back into Russia in the 1930s… so I’m interested in the worldwide circulation of ideas, and their patterns and themes of discourse. ” Jean Louis Cohen We are bringing back our conversation with Jean Louis Cohen, who led an international and multi-placed life deeply interested in the mutation transformation movement, ricochet reflection of architectural ideas of modernism globally. Discussing his work on the transurban, Jean Louis Cohen takes us on a tour of the history of ideas that have shaped, formed, and deformed the various cities that stitch together the seams of the world. This conversation continues the ongoing conversation centering the impact of Modernism on architecture and contemporary culture in the world today.

At age 90, Balkrishna Vithaldas (B.V.) Doshi's journey in architecture has spanned 70 years, starting from Indian independence in 1947, to the vicissitudes of postmodernism and globalization. Doshi's voice is a touchstone in global and Indian modernism. Conversation topics include his reflection on life and creativity, his 'favorite' projects, the legacy of Nehruvian modernization, and architectural pedagogy in India today.

As we kick off our new season on ArchitectureTalk, we are bringing back our conversation with Anthony Vidler: Modernism, Utopia, and Living the Catastrophe. Anthony Vidler (1941-October 19, 2023) was an architectural historian, role model, and friend who will be missed dearly.

Today we are joined by Gregg Colburn who co-wrote “Homelessness is a Housing Problem”. Colburn also shares with us his findings about causes of homelessness, his views on the situation, and some solutions that could remove the problem.

Today we are joined by SB Divya who wrote the science fiction novel Meru and helps us think about potential futures on Earth. Meru as we discuss in this episode is a future in which tech is developed based on imaginations of current technology and science and possibilities unknown but conceivable.

Today we are joined by Martien de Vletter who is the associate director of the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) and gathers archival material dedicated to rethinking, remembering, and preserving architectural thoughts and memories. Vletter also talks about decolonizing the archive and transforming it into something more diverse, inclusive, and multifaceted.

Today we are joined by Sumangala Damodaran who teaches in the Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies at the University of Washington, trained economist, dedicated her life to documenting and being a part of leftist oppositional protest movements. Today, Damodaran discusses her protest songs, her songs of sorrow, her singing, the research she has done to connect civilizations, and the diverse impact she has created internationally.