Arch 442: UG4 / Winter 2009 / Taubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning / The

BACKSTAGES, SIDESHOWS & UNDERGROUNDS

The 2009 Wallenberg Competition Studios

INSTRUCTORS: Mireille Roddier (coordinator) The Detroit Unreal Estate Agency Britt Eversole Studio Title Nataly Gattegno Studio Title Jason Johnson SEED BANK Coleman Jordan Studio Title Steven Mankouche 1,200 Feet Below Detroit; the Other White City Tsz Yan Ng Studio Title Anca Trandafirescu Alternateaccess

OVERVIEW: The Wallenberg studios are named after the Michigan alumnus Raul Wallenberg and are conceived around a common theme to be explored collectively and individually, through diverse methods, agendas and interests of the faculty team. The studios are coordinated as a competition to be juried at the completion of the term by a panel of invited guest jurors.

As the final undergraduate studio, it is expected that students will develop individual design proposals within the parameters of the respective studio frameworks. The studios are intended to bridge the more prescriptive studios already taken with the type of interest-driven work one may expect to undertake at the graduate level. In this sense, a high value is placed upon the formulation and execution of personally determined ideas and their means of development and presentation.

Each of the eight studios will explore the theme of “Backstages, Sideshows & Undergrounds”. While responses will vary from one studio to the next, the aim is to create a framework for lively debate and exchange across all eight studios. Towards this ends, the semester will be structured around several events in which all of the studios will come together to share work and discuss ideas. Three guest speakers who will lecture on some aspect of the theme, as it pertains to their own work. The mid and final reviews will be coordinated in unison as well as the final exhibit to be presented at the end for the judging and awarding of the Wallenberg prizes and as a means for presenting the studio work to the school and visitors.

RAOUL WALLENBERG ’35: “One person can make a difference” The national Committee of the bestows one of several of this nation’s various Wallenberg Awards. The committee’s selection criteria list the annual honoree’s reflection of “Raoul Wallenberg’s humanitarian spirit, personal courage and nonviolent action in the face of enormous odds.”

The University of Michigan’s annually awarded Raoul Wallenberg Medal is given out yearly to individuals for outstanding humanitarian efforts. On October 29th of this year, Archbishop Desmond Tutu received the medal and gave the Wallenberg Lecture at the Hill Auditorium. The lecture can be viewed via iTunes at: http://deimos3.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/umich- public.1781520266

Throughout the world, lectures, medals, awards, parks, memorials, statues, stamps, streets, are named in honor of Raoul Wallenberg, commemorating his name and actions. All UG4 students currently enrolled in a Wallenberg studio should be knowledgeable about this remarkable man’s life. Research it, and reflect upon it. Raoul Wallenberg could have been one of you. In fact, he was. He graduated from our college in February of 1935, at age 22, with an architecture degree.

BACKSTAGES, SIDESHOWS & UNDERGROUNDS: The Raoul Wallenberg studios are annually organized around a critical theme that reflects some aspect of his humanitarianism. This year, the theme “Backstages, Sideshows and Undergrounds”, promotes the inventive and critical interrogation of spectacular processes, while questioning the legality and morality of alternative non- spectacular scripts. This theme emerges from the intersection of three converging paths, to be kept in mind:

I. The spectacle’s support system How do we explore the meaning of “resistance” in the context of architectural education? Is the main purpose of a resistance to annihilate the occupation, or, in this society of spectacles, does it begin with making it visible? Can architecture play a role in unmasking current ideologies? Are these ideologies imbedded in programming architecture / zoning the city, or are they equally present in forms? Can the incongruous juxtaposition of familiar programs lead to something entirely new? And when the meaning of forms is continuously being hijacked, where does the margin for subversion exist? The stage (the city, the country: that small and well illuminated zone referred to as the spectacle) isn’t the whole show. The audience represents its primary sponsor; the captivity of this audience, its primary cost. Stage and audience are subject to an exponentially growing interdependency. Is backstage the space hiding the puppeteers, or can it be a space whose lack of spotlight enables a certain freedom of action, or reception?

backstage |ˈbakˈstāj| adjective of, relating to, or situated in the area behind the stage in a theater : a backstage tour of the opera house. figurative kept from public scrutiny; secret : backstage deals.

II. Creative acts of legal navigation and subversive non-violent direct action In 1944, Raoul Wallenberg challenged the law to follow his conscience: -He bribed German, Hungarian and Russian officers and authorities; -He faked signatures and distributed thousands of fake Swedish passports to Hungarian and German , identifying them as Swedish citizens and protecting them from inevitable deportation to concentration camps; -He rented dozens of buildings throughout and disguised them as Swedish public institutions benefiting from diplomatic immunity. Transformed into safe-houses, these buildings hosted and protected thousands of Jewish lives. Wallenberg’s actions combined saved over a hundred thousand lives. Questions arise. Wallenberg used what could be termed deception, bluffs and lies. We’ll choose to call them Creative acts of Fiction: the telling of stories. Is story telling deceptive? Where do the impacts of fiction affect reality? When does reality hinder the possibility for fiction? When is a story a distraction from the reality of nightmares (Roberto Benigni’s 1997 film “Life is Beautiful”) and when is it a tactic of diversion?

sideshow |ˈsīdˈ sh ō| noun a small show or stall at an exhibition, fair, or circus. Figurative: a minor or diverting incident or issue, esp. one that distracts attention from something more important.

III. Resistance vs Occupation How much can the definitions of the term "resistance" encompass? Raoul Wallenberg was what is still today termed 'a hero of the resistance'. Resistance however is a term whose connotations have been rapidly changing. Questions addressing classical and contemporary, social and political notions of "resistance" are encouraged — right about now. What falls under different tactics of resistance? The most overt? The minimal gesture? If the dominant order so clearly reinforces an artificially manufactured reality, one that benefits only a selected few, then what are the methods and tactics necessary to operate in the margins? When breaking rules is the only viable option, how do we practice from within? Resistances only exist dualistically with defined Occupations. How much can the definitions of the term "occupation" encompass? Resistances have, in the past, also existed dualistically with defined Collaborations. During times of urgency, neutral stances are considered collaborative with dominant forces.

Underground |ˈəndərˈground| adverb beneath the surface of the ground : miners working underground. Figurative: in or into secrecy or hiding, esp. as a result of carrying out subversive political activities : many were forced to go underground by the government.

TRAPS: Backstage does not aspire to become stage. (Unless stage takes on backstage's obligations.)

TAGS: resistance, surplus, spectacle, social sustainability, Detroit, anarchitecture, TAZ, play, public space, ecosophy (3 ecologies), industrialization, post-capitalism, public space again, urban farming, urbicide, situated resistances, revolutions.

COORDINATED SCHEDULE: TH 01.08 3:30 – 6pm: Wallenberg Studio Presentations & Lottery A + A Auditorium 2104

T 01.13 First day of Studio T 01.13 Wallenberg Studio Lecture #1: Laura Kurgan

TH 01.22 X1: Coordinated Review TH 01.22 Wallenberg Studio Lecture #2: Marie Sester

T 02.17 Studio Cross-Check (Instructors), 12:30 pm, A+A 2104

SA 02.21 Spring Break Begins M 03.02 Classes Resume

T 03.10 UG4 MID REVIEWS (Coordinated & Revolving Critics) TH 03.12 UG4 MID REVIEWS (Coordinated & Revolving Critics)

TH 03.26 Studio Cross-Check (Students), 12:30 pm, A+A 2104

TH 04.23 UG4 FINAL REVIEWS (Coordinated & Revolving Critics) F 04.24 UG4 FINAL REVIEWS (Coordinated & Revolving Critics) F 04.24 6pm: Wallenberg Finalists Announced SU 04.26 Midnight: Wallenberg Exhibition Set-Up Deadline

M 04.27 > Su 05.03 WALLENBERG FINALISTS’ EXHIBITION

TH 04.30 4:00pm: Wallenberg Studio jurors’ public panel discussion, followed by competition results announcement. 5:30pm: TCAUP Year End Celebration

SA 05.02 University of Michigan Commencement SU 05.03 Taubman College Commencement

WALLENBERG STUDIO LECTURES: Attendance is required of all UG4 students. Lectures will take place at 6:30pm in the A + A Auditorium 2104, at the end of studio days.

T 01.13 Laura Kurgan LOOK | Laura Kurgan Design http://www.l00k.org

TH 01.22 Marie Sester http://www.sester.net

T 02.10 Nicola Delon & Julien Choppin Encore Heureux http://encoreheureux.org

OTHER RELATED LECTURES: TBA Julie Bargmann D.I.R.T. http://www.dirtstudio.com

TBA Christian Ernsten & Joost Janmaat Partizan Publik http://www.partizanpublik.nl RAOUL WALLENBERG COMPETITION STUDIO

Raoul Wallenberg graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in architecture in 1935. In honor of his memory, the Raoul Wallenberg Endowment was established by the Benard Maas Foundation (David Engelbert, Director). In addition to gifts and matching gifts from the foundation, alumni also made donations to acknowledge the incredible courage of Wallenberg.

The Raoul Wallenberg Scholarship is awarded through a competition studio which is held annually for undergraduates in their final year of study in the Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning at the University of Michigan. Invited critics address topics related to the studio work and an end-of-year jury reviews the work and award prizes now totaling more than $30,000 to students. Awards, funded by the Raoul Wallenberg Endowment are offered in the form of a stipend for international travel to a country of the student's choosing. In establishing these travel awards, it was hoped that students would engage in the culture of the country they visited, exploring architecture and culture, and getting acquainted with the people. It is expected that students return with a broadened understanding of the world and an appreciation and feeling for the people encountered.

THEME COORDINATOR WALLENBERG LECTURERS 2008 2058, Present Futures Mankouche Felicity D. Scott, Giovana Borasi, 2007 Architecture & Deceit Mitnick Joshua Clover, Diane Ghirardo, Mark Wigley 2006 Nature & Artifice Psarra/Comazzi Andrew Blauvelt, Matthew Coolidge, Florian Beigel 2005 Material Resistance Unverzagt Frank Fantauzzi, Sophie Handler/muf, Eyal Weizman 2004 Feedback Wilkins Keller Easterling, H. Jongerius, J. Maeda 2003 Instructions for Construction Daubmann J. Glymph, J. Van Leishout, M. Steinberg 2002 (Sustainability) Borum Manuel DeLanda, L. Hutton, Michelle Addington 2001 Re-entertaining Detroit Canfora R. Somol, Sarah Whiting, Preston S. Cohen 2000 (Pittsburg) Levit Mark Linder, Monica Ponce de Leon, Reinhold Martin 1999 Wheel Estates Kleinman George Wagner, Stanley Saitowitz 1998 (Woodward Avenue) Levit/Borum Lars Lerup, Stan Allen, W. Whittimore 1997 Face/Landscape Young Peter Waldman, L. Gill, Michael Speaks

RECIPIENTS 2008 Hattie Stroud1, Enesh Eastlick1, Sarah Faruki2, Brooklyn Posler3, Nicole Allen3, Rajeev Arapalli3, Peter Shaw3, Donna Marion3, Leonardo Caion-Demaestri3, Andrew McIntyreh, Grant Jefferiesh, Monica Musialowskih, Karl Schmeckh, Jamie Galimbertih 2007 Alex Jackson1, Jason Minor1, James Munk2, Brittany Guercio3, Zain Abusier3, Alan Ulrich3, Lauren Hepner3 2006 Travis Williams1, Keenan May1, Jake Gay1, Mary Messersmith1, Elyse Aguello2, Elizabeth Miller2, Micah Rutenberg2, Kasey Vliet2, Kew Lew2, Sahar Moin2, Matthew Carlton2, Brandon Vince2, Gabe Keway2 2005 Katie Wirtz1, Sheena Garcia2, Sarah Kausek3, Helen3, Silver Studioh 2004 Isaiah King1, Patricia Gruit2, Giancarlo Valle2, Yu Wan3, Fallon James3, Katie Mitchell3 2003 Kristine Youngblood1, Lindsay Wai1, Adam Fure1, Brooke Karius1, Wes Del Preteh, Amanda Christiansonh, Ben Litrellh 2002 Dan Adams1, Marie Law2, Kristine Dean2, Jaron Lubin, Andrea Righi 2001 Richard Broene1, Alan Locke1, Christopher Johnston2, Evan Mathison2, Todd Afflerbaughh, Glenda Amayoh, Wei Huh, Simeon Malehh 2000 Lina Lee, Jonathan Dickson 1999 Adam Clous 1998 Michael Lee 1997 Joseph Rom 1996 Jo Polowczuk 1995 Matthew Johnson 1994 Charles Yoo 1993 Eric Romano 1992 Dallas Felder 1991 Paul Warner 1990 Elizabeth Govan 1989 Matthew Petrie 1988 John DeGraaf RAOUL WALLENBERG LECTURERS – TAUBMAN COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE & UP

The Raoul Wallenberg Lecture was initiated in 1971 by Sol King, a former classmate of Wallenberg’s. An endowment was established in 1976 for an annual lecture to be offered in Raoul’s honor on the theme of architecture as a humane social art. The following distinguished architects and historians have been invited to present the Wallenberg Lecture to the Taubman College:

2008 William McKibben 2007 Dan Solomon 2006 Hal Foster 2005 Donlyn Lyndon 2004 Saskia Sassen 2003 Anthony Vidler 2001 Rafael Moneo 2000 Michael Benedikt 1999 Kenneth Frampton 1998 Richard Sennett 1997 Michael Sorkin 1996 Vincent Scully 1995 Daniel Libeskind 1994 Jorge Silvetti 1993 James Ingo Freed 1992 Denise Scott Brown 1991 Joseph Esherick 1990 Elizabeth Hollander 1989 J. Max Bond, Jr. 1988 Spiro Kostof 1987 Joseph Rykwert 1985 Grady Clay 1984 Charles Correa 1983 Edmund Bacon 1981 Carl Levin 1979 James Marston Fitch 1978 Jacob B. Bakema 1976 Rudolf Arnheim 1975 Reyner Banham 1973 Eric Larabee 1972 Sir Nikolaus Pevsner RAOUL WALLENBERG LECTURERS - UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

The University of Michigan Raoul Wallenberg Medal and Lecture is sponsored by the Wallenberg Endowment, the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies, and the University of Michigan Hillel. The Wallenberg Medal is the work and gift of John Rush, Professor of Art and Design. The medal features the portrait of Raoul Wallenberg and is inscribed with the motto, “One person can make a difference.”

2008 Archbishop Desmond Tutu 2007 Sompop Jantraka 2006 Sister Luise Radlmeier 2005 Paul Rusesabagina 2004 Heinz Drussel 2003 Bill Basch 2002 Kailash Satyarthi 2001 Marcel Marceau 2000 Nina Lagergren 2000 The Honorable John Lewis 1996 Marion Pritchard 1995 Ambassador Per Anger 1994 His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet 1994 Miep Giles 1992 Helen Suzman 1991 Jan Karski 1990 Elie Wiesel