Students take over ‘In Theory’ talk show;
other episodes eye fabrication, curating

Graduate architecture students at Texas A&M discussed their futures, the future of their field, and architecture and social engagement during "4play 2 4forecast," a first-ever "In Theory" talk show featuring student panelists.

The discussion wrapped up another successful season of "In Theory," a continuing series hosted by Peter Lang, associate professor of architecture, which ordinarily features a panel of experts discussing topics relevant to modern architecture theory.
                                                               
For the Nov. 22 student-led show, Texas A&M Master of Architecture students were joined in a lively "give-and-take" discussion in the Preston Geren Audtorium by Marta Cavatorta, a graduate architecture student from London Metropolitan University.

The free-ranging conversation was illustrated on the fly with imagery from topically related websites beamed onto the auditorium’s giant screen.

“kraftwerk”

On Oct. 25, “In Theory” panelists discussed the virtues and pitfalls of digital fabrication in ”kraftwerk." Joining Lang as distinguished guests were:

• Jasmine Benyamin, assistant professor of architecture;
• Gabriel Esquivel, assistant professor of architecture;
• John Hartmann, co-founder of Freecell, a Brooklyn-based design and fabrication studio, and
• Dharmech Patel, an award-wining Austin-based furniture designer and fabricator.

“Wild Things”

The fall 2010 “In Theory” series began Oct. 11 with "Wild Things," shining a spotlight on the pervasiveness of museums in modern culture.
                                     
Playing off the notion that "the museum is the message" — a spin on “the medium is the message” phrase coined by communications theorist Marshall McLuhan — Lang’s distinguished guests examined the extent to which a museum embeds itself in the message and influences how the message is perceived.

Lang's “Wild Things” guests were:

• Joshua Bienko, assistant professor of visualization, multimedia artist;
• Deborah Cowman, director of the Brazos Museum of Natural History and assistant research scientist at the Institute for Science, Technology and Public Policy;
• James Dart, principal of DArchitects;
• Antonio La Pastina, associate professor of communications, and
• Ward Wells, interim head of the Department of Architecture.

A highlight of the Oct. 11 show was a screening of Bienko’s new music videos honoring contemporary artists TehChing Hsieh and LeWitt, Sol. The work was recently selected as a finalist in an international creative video contest co-sponsored by the Guggenheim Museum. See related story:
http://archone.tamu.edu/college/news

- Posted: Dec. 1, 2010 -

Contact:   Phillip Rollfing, prollfing@archone.tamu.edu or 979.458.0442.