Multiple Bodies — Concepts of Corporeality in Architecture

Lehrende: Dr. Ulrike Kuch,

In 1964 Marshall McLuhan published Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, one of the most important books of media theory. The term “extension of man” directs immediately to the human body. Looking at a prosthesis: Where does the body end and where begins something else? If you use a wheelchair, what do you think about Spanish steps? If you are a transsexual person, how do you perceive public spaces in different cities? Is a data body a “real” body or just an extension that is not linked materially to a “living” body?

With the help of six talks by scholars, designers, artists the seminar will shed a light on different concepts of the body in architecture and its impact on design methodologies.

Our goal will be that each of you develops an attitude that allows you to argue profoundly and convincingly about the relationship between body and architecture. Through the self-reliant and yet common discussion of the topics, participating students will learn to follow different approaches while not losing track. On a meta-level, the ability to read and understand philosophical, sociological and architecture-and-design theoretical texts, to bring thoughts into a transferable form and to dive deep into a certain topic is provided in the course.

Finally, at the end of the course, the students will be taught to transfer the collected knowledge into a scientific paper.

The project is accompanied by a Projekt and a Übung (field trip). Both courses provide students with further knowledge, in terms of inputs from experts in specific fields and and intense examination of the body in design discourses. Also from a content-related point of view we therefore recommend to sign up for the three courses.

We kindly ask interested students to apply by email until October 10, 2022. Please send a short notice with the course’s name, your name, student number, field of study and a very short sentence why you are interested in the course to Louis Oehler and Ulrike Kuch (louis.oehler[at]uni-weimar.de and ulrike.kuch[at]uni-weimar.de). To ensure equal chances for all students only applications via email can be considered (not via Bison!).

The course will be conducted by Ulrike Kuch and Louis Oehler.

The course is part of a trias of courses that form a "Projektmodul":

1. the Projekt Encasing Bodies — Critical Perspectives on the Body in Architecture (6 SWS/9 ECTS)
2. the Seminar Multiple Bodies — Concepts of Corporeality in Architecture (4 SWS/6 ECTS)
3. the Übung Bodies in Motion — Field Trip (2 SWS/3 ECTS)

You may select and combine the courses as needed, we recommend of course to choose the complete set. If you choose the Projekt, we highly recommend to choose the Seminar as well. Please contact your academic advisor to make sure that your combination of courses is recognised and prepare the learning agreement. You may find further information on the Bauhaus.Modul-webpage.

You should be interested in thinking outside the box and be keen on immersing in the topic of the body.

As the course is part of the "Bauhaus.Modules", students from all faculties are welcome!

Start: We will have our first meeting October 14, 2022, 1.30 pm.  

Zeit: freitags 13:30 Uhr
Ort: M7B R. 106