International Conference: Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture, ETH Zurich, in cooperation with the Institute of Art History, University of Zurich and the Center History of Knowledge. Supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation.

Concept and Organization: Dr. Andri Gerber, Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture, ETH Zurich, Prof. Dr. Martino Stierli, Institute of Art History, University of Zurich

Against the background of a general revision and critical reflection of the history of architecture in its relation to theory and criticism, this conference aims at opening up a space of discussion on the contemporary nature and condition of architectural history. We propose to do so by referring to the legacy of Italian historian and theoretician Manfredo Tafuri (1935–1994), who may be seen as one of the most influential thinkers of the relationship between the history and theory of architecture of the contemporary period.

Architecture is a shifting and elusive object whose nature remains difficult to define. It relates not only to buildings and projects, but also to written and oral sources, and is deeply embedded in social, economical and political contexts. For this reason, architectural history seems to be predestinated to be interdisciplinary and calls for a multitude of historical narratives. Furthermore, the relatively weak disciplinary condition of architectural history leans on a long tradition of partial and subjective histories that have often been written by architects themselves. This leads to the question whether an "objective" history of architecture is possible, and to what extent architectural history is fundamentally linked to changing architectural trends. But while both "general" history and the history of art have performed a critical reframing of their claim for objectivity and have underscored the implicit theory and ideology beyond every form of historical narrative, architectural history, by contrast, has widely escaped such a critical reframing. And while in particular art history has reflected upon the history of theories that framed its discourse – the history of style, iconology, phenomenology, to name but a few –, this kind of reflection seems to be yet missing for the history of architecture.

The work of Manfredo Tafuri is an interesting starting point for such a reflection on the nature of the history of architecture. Tafuri's position was mainly based on a questioning of what he called "operational critique", which was put in the service of a particular architectural tendency. By contrast, he defined his own critical take as progetto storico, as a performative and self-reflexive questioning of the history of architecture. His work was strongly influenced by historical materialism, thus highlighting the socio-economic and political conditions in which architecture is embedded. We propose to understand Tafuri as a critical agent, for questioning both his own theory of history and the nature of architectural history today. We propose to do so in reference to cultural models underlying our current position, in particular the resurgence of Marxism and historical materialism in contemporary architecture. By undertaking a critical reevaluation of Tafuri's legacy from a contemporary perspective, we not only aim to point at the inherent aporias in the Italian historian's thinking, but also want to contribute towards a theoretical framing of the discipline of architectural history.

PROGRAM

Friday 6.3.2015 - 13:00-18:00

  • 13:00-13:30   Vittorio Magnago Lampugnani and Philip Ursprung (gta Institute, ETH Zürich): Welcome
  • 13:30-14:00   Andri Gerber (gta Institute, ETH Zürich): Introduction
  • 14:00-14:30   Luka Skansi (University in Rijeka, Croatia): Manfredo Tafuri and Italian contemporary architecture. The Roman years(1959-68)
  • 14:30-15:00   Coffee Break
  • 15:00-15:30   Rikke Lyngsø Christensen (The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts): Renaissance Representations and their remnants: Wölfflin, Wittkower, Tafuri
  • 15:30-16:00   Timothy Hyde (Massachusetts Institute of Technology): Catastrophic Architectural Histories
  • 16:00-16:30   Coffee Break
  • 16:30-17:10   Keynote: Andrew Leach (Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia): Crisis upon Crisis: Tafuri on Mannerism
  • 17:10-18:00   Discussion   

Chair: Anne Kockelhorn, Philip Ursprung (gta Institute, ETH Zürich)

Saturday 7.3.2015 - 10:00-16:00

  • 10:00-10:30   Andri Gerber (gta Institute ETH Zürich): Recapitulation
  • 10:30-11:10   Keynote: Michael Osman (UCLA Los Angeles): Tafuri's America
  • 11:10-11:40   André Bideau (Accademia di Architettura, Mendrisio): Base and superstructure versus the symbolic economy?
  • 11:40-13:00   Lunch break
  • 13:00-13:30   Irina Davidovici (gta Institute, ETH Zürich): "Contradictions of operative reality": Notes for a revised history of housing
  • 13:30-14:00   Torsten Lange (gta Institute, ETH Zürich): Other historical projects: Manfredo Tafuri and the historiography of the socialist city in Central and Eastern Europe
  • 14:00-14:20   Coffee Break
  • 14:20-15:00   Keynote: Victor Buchli (University College London): Utopian Ruins and Social life
  • 15:00-16:00  Final Discussion

Chair: Johannes Binotto (University Zürich), Andri Gerber, Karl Kegler, Ákos Moravánszky (gta Institute, ETH Zürich)