Beautiful, awful eyed by panelists at
Oct. 29 'In Theory' talk show event

Panelists will examine the topic “Awful/Beauty,” a reflection on the sublime and the otherworldly, during the noon, Oct. 29 webcast of "In Theory," a talk show-formatted discussion recorded in front of a live audience in the Langford Architecture Center’s Wright Gallery.

"Awful/Beauty" is the second installment of the “In Theory” webcast series moderated by Peter Lang, associate professor of architecture. The series features topical "hot topic" discussions by an expert panel presented in the familiar talk-show format, a pop alternative to traditional scholarly debate forums.

“Our formula is very simple," said Lang. "We will invite some of the most thoughtful and provocative people to gather for open-ended discussions.”

The live webcast of “Awful/Beauty” can be viewed through TTVN, The Texas A&M University System’s wide area data and interactive communications network, at http://ttvn2.tamu.edu/home.

Lang's guests on the Oct. 21 episode are Gabriela Campagnol and Weiling He, assistant professors of architecture, Chuck Taylor, senior lecturer in the Department of English, and Yauger Williams, assistant professor of visualization.

Campagnol’s recent architectural interests include industrial heritage and adaptive reuse of industrial buildings. She is interested in the transformation of dead, degraded structures into something else — or finding beauty in old buildings. An architect since 1999, she earned a Ph.D. in architecture and urban planning from the University of Sao Paulo.

Weiling He studies design theory with particular focuses on translations across different forms of arts, diagramming and visual thinking. She teaches design studios, visual communication, and will lead a seminar course on diagramming during the spring '10 semester. She received a Ph.D. in architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2005.

Chuck Taylor discusses the nature of beauty in his book of essays, "Only a Poet." His most recent book of poetry is "Li-Po Laughing at the Lonely Moon" (Pecan Grove Press).

He has published two novels, including "Fogg in High School." He teaches beat literature, American nature writing and creative writing in the English department at Texas A&M, where he has worked for 20 years.

He has also worked as an animal lab assistant, morgue assistant, maintenance man, laundry worker, roofer and bookstore owner.

Yauger Williams catalyzes art, design, and technology among cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural networks. His research explores aesthetic spatial scales and temporal speeds of situations with the sky, sea, and land at the limits of sensation.

He teaches conceptual multimedia synthesis of written, aural, and visual languages for interpretation, communication, and expression of virtual/natural extraordinary experiences. Williams earned a Master of Fine Art degree from the University of California-Berkeley in 2000.

The first "In Theory," webcast, "Ugly/Form," can be viewed online here.

An overview of the inaugural episode is available on the College of Architecture's online newsletter, "archone" at
http://archone.tamu.edu/college

Though broadcast dates are pending, future episodes on the “In Theory” agenda include:

• Tinker/Toy — game theory, A.I., robotics, virtual worlds and software versus hackers; what next? Slated for Nov. 10 with Sara Deyong (architecture), Philip Galanter (visualization) and Kristi Sweet (philosophy).
• Human/Nature — ecosystems to evidence based systems versus systems failure; what gets precedence?
• Outer/Space — spatial politics, gated communities, fortified border zones, enclaves and barriers versus open cities, cosmopolitanism and hospitality; how close are we to being excluded?
• State/Craft — empires, nation-states and multi-nationals versus home grown, grass roots and local; free resources? Zero-mile economy? How close are we to surviving?

- Posted: Oct. 27, 2009 -