Second 'In Theory' season gathers
experts for Haiti, urban discussions

In Theory – Missing Haiti from TAMU College of Architecture on Vimeo.

Experts discussed Haiti's tragedy and its rebuilding as well as the growing phenomenon of contemporary, informal settlements and shantytowns during two second-season episodes of “In Theory", a talk show/webcast taped before at live audience at the Texas A&M College of Architecture.

Hosted by Peter Lang, associate professor of architecture, each “In Theory” episode features a panel of experts discussing topics relevant to modern architecture theory. The shows are broadcast live online via the TTVN communications network and archived online on the College of Architecture’s vimeo website.

The Feb. 18 episode, “Missing Haiti,” featured a diverse group of Texas A&M disaster relief and sustainable reconstruction experts discussing the earthquake relief effort on the beleaguered Caribbean island.

“Missing in the Haiti debate are many critical answers that could help explain why a country within close proximity to one of the richest nations in the world is barely able to survive day-to-day,” said Lang. “Hurricanes, floods, deforestation, extreme poverty and political instability have kept this small island country reeling from one disaster to another. Were it not for the solidarity of its many compatriots living abroad, Haiti would be close to unsustainable,” he said. “Neither the big nations nor big banks have ever been able to provide the kind of helping hand that would have brought this country the dignity it so badly deserves.”

Joining Lang for "Missing Haiti" Feb 18 were:

• Pliny Fisk, founder of the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems and associate professor in the departments of architecture and landscape architecture and urban planning;
• Carla Prater, faculty fellow with the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center and senior lecturer of urban planning;
• Walter Peacock, Hazard Reduction & Recovery Center director and professor of urban planning, and
• Cecilia Giusti, assistant professor of urban planning.

The video of "Missing Haiti" is also available at vimeo.com/9760770.

In March 4 “In Theory” webcast, “Raising Cities,” Lang and his guests explored the informal city phenomenon.

“Often portrayed as crime-ridden and destitute, informal cities — sprawling, climbing, extending, fast-track, inexpensive and often recycled living environments — represent the fluid front in urban culture and creative production,” said Lang. “If these places are in fact the incubators of new communities and new neighborhoods, why is it that such a significant phenomenon remains so misunderstood, so completely misconstrued?”

'In Theory - Raising Cities' from TAMU College of Architecture on Vimeo.

Joining Lang for the “Raising Cities” webcast were:

• Robert Mull, chairman of London Metropolitan University’s Architecture and Spatial Design department and a key force behind the school’s expanding studies and projects in the neglected areas of India and Korea;
• Nicholas Boyarsky, principal of Boyarsky/Murphy architects and a founder of Urban Flashes, an Asian-based research group developing projects on informal urban contexts;
• Glen Mills, head of the Texas A&M Department of Architecture and expert in South African shantytowns and low-income housing, and
• Colleen Murphy, assistant professor of philosophy at Texas A&M and a specialist in political reconciliation and the ethics of reconstruction in areas devastated by civil conflicts or natural disasters.

The video of "Raising Cities" is also available at vimeo.com/10015578

Previous episodes of "In Theory" can be viewed on the program website
or on the College of architecture's Vimeo website:

"Ugly Form" (Oct. 6, 2009), an interrogation into the question of otherness, the unknown, the uncanny with special guests Theodore George, philosophy; Joshua Bienko, visualization; and Gabriel Esquivel, architecture department.

"Awful Beauty"  (Oct. 6, 2009), examining the unnatural, the unthinkable, the place of sublime terror, with special guests Chuck Taylor, literature; Yauger Williams, visualization; Weiling He, architecture and Gabriela Campagnol, architecture.

"Tinker-Toy" (Nov. 10, 2009), asked if science and technology help to understand human nature, with special guests Kristi Sweet, philosophy; Philip Galanter, visualization; and Sarah Deyong, architecture. This episode also debuted the video feature with Josh Bienko’s short, "A Big Box Paradox, A big Box Parallax.”

"Dis-Played" (Dec. 3), which posed the question, "How do you look?" will soon be posted online with the other episodes. This fourth episode featured Daniel Humphrey, assistant professor, film studies and women's and gender studies; Antonio La-Pastina, associate professor of communications; and Stephen Caffey, assistant professor of architecture.

 

- Posted: Mar. 11, 2010 -

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