A conference on Philosophy of Architecture will be held at the University of Genova on 18-19 November 2024. Throughout the history of philosophy, architecture has not received as much attention as other art forms. Even in contemporary aesthetics architecture is less discussed compared with pictures, fiction, or music. This conference seeks to change that. The organisers invite architects, historians of architecture, and philosophers to discuss the main theoretical and aesthetic issues concerning architecture.
Research questions for papers may include but are not limited to:
- What defines architecture as an art form?
- What are architectural objects, and how are they different from other artifacts?
- What kinds of things are architectural works? Are they best understood as physical objects, as structures of space, or as something else entirely?
- Why are some buildings considered forms of art while others are not?
- Should we identify the work of architecture with the concrete building or with the abstract plan?
- What principles govern the design of works of architecture?
- Are there unique architectural properties, as suggested by the traditional trio of structural integrity (firmitas), beauty, and utility?
- What’s the appropriate experience for a work of architecture? What role do perceptual experiences play in our appreciation of architecture? What role do non-perceptual experiences, such as agentive phenomenology, cognitive phenomenology, or mental imagery, play in our appreciation of architecture?
- What’s the aesthetic relevance of the relationship between the work of architecture and the environment that surrounds it?
- How digital technologies may change the practice of architecture?
- Is the traditional form vs function program still alive? How do function and utility shape the meaning and value of architectural works?
- How does architecture fit within the broader system of the arts?
The conference is paired with a twin conference on the “Atmospheres of Places, Objects and Events” to be held in the same venue on 20-21 November.
Invited Speakers:
Remei Capdevila-Werning (Harvard University)
Mario Carpo (Bartlett, University College London/University of Applied Arts, Vienna)
Saul Fisher (Mercy University)
Robert Hopkins (New York University)
Call for Abstracts:
Please submit proposals by writing to: pea@unige.it Submissions should be done as PDF files prepared for blind review. Please submit abstracts between 500 and 1000 words (references excluded) together with a title and 3 keywords. The deadline for receipt is June 30, 2024. Speakers will be notified of decisions by July 31, 2024.
There will be no conference fees. It will be possible to apply for bursaries.