- Vozdushnyi zamok

Call for Papers

'Baukultur' (Architecture and Culture)
State of the Art in the Building Process / Civilization of the
Building Process
Urban Culture - Culture of Life

Conference 2003/1 on November 20-21, 2003.
Museum of 'Brandenburgische Kunstsammlungen Cottbus

Deadline 10. November 2003

organized by:
the journal , <http://www.cloud-cuckoo.net/>
Wolkenkuckucksheim -
Cloud-Cuckoo-Land - Vozdushnyi zamok',
the chair ,Theory of Architecture' of the Brandenburg University of
Technology (BTU) Cottbus,
the <http://www.semiotik.org/>
German Association for Semiotic
Studies
- Section ,Architecture, Urban Planning and Landscape Planning',
and the <http://www.irs-net.de/index.php>
Institute for Regional
Development and Structural Planning

During the last few months in Germany a large discussion on
'Baukultur' has evolved, and a national foundation is going to be
established. But what is 'Baukultur'? The term can literally be
translated as 'the culture of building'. But what does this mean?

As various publications have pointed out, the activities are mainly
about the negotiations for a behavior codex for all who are
professionally involved in the building process (private and public
clients, architects, urbanists, construction industry, developer).
The term generally means 'state of the art in the building process'
and 'civilization of the interactions in this process'. But the
activities since last year have also initiated a further campaign
for preservation, a concentration on prestigious buildings on
strategical and outstanding sites downtown, a demand for 'quality';
in which the term unfortunately remains vague, so that it is taken to
reconstruct traditional concepts of 'Kulturarbeiten' (Schultze-
Naumburg), to realize an elitist and exclusive understanding of
culture, and to use it to push through political aims in the areas of
art, discipline, status and government, and the substitution of an
intellectual 'leadership' by the government for the usual financial
support.

The concept of 'Baukultur' also remains vague because building
professionals are singling themselves out, and the 'usual suspects'
in Germany in the discussion on architecture (scholars of sociology,
theory and history of architecture, humanities, philosophy) except
for some few have been excluded until now.

It is further necessary to extend the field of discussion on
'Baukultur': it contains the building process and the building itself
at the moment but hardly the improvement of the quality of living,
the discussion of life within the architecture, and of urbanity, the
interests of the users and citizens are not covered.

That's why the conference will deal with questions on four
perspectives:

A theoretical architectural perspective:
Which concept of architecture is implied in the term 'Baukultur'? How
are the relations between art, function, practice, infrastructure,
materiality and virtuality in architecture? In which signs,
languages, codes, symbol systems can 'Baukultur' being realized, how
does 'Baukultur' develop a basis for communication?

A cultural perspective:
What is the understanding of culture if one speaks of 'Baukultur'?
What has 'Baukultur' to do with different urban cultures? What does
'respect for history', which is demanded in this discussion, mean?
Which history? Whose history?

An aesthetical and aesthetic perspective:
Which understanding of art and beauty is in the discussion on
'Baukultur' at stake? Are the modern art concepts of the 20th century
integrated? How can an up-to-date architectural and urban aesthetics
be formulated? How are architectural beauty and art and 'Baukultur'
differentiated?

A social and sociological perspective:
How can heterogeneous demands on the city and how can changing social
conditions being addressed by 'Baukultur'? How is the relation
between 'Baukultur' and democracy and 'Baukultur' and a human
habitat? What shall and can 'Baukultur' do to establish a living
culture?

Organization:
Chair 'Theory of Architecture', Brandenburg Technical University,
Cottbus (Eduard Fuehr),
German Society of Semiotics - Section 'Architecture, Urban Planning
and Landscape Planning' (Claus Dreyer / Susanne Hauser),
Institute for Regional Development and Structural Planning (Dieter
Keim)

If you like to take part in our conference, we ask you for enrolment
by November 10, 2003 (by the form via the Internet address or in the
attachment or simply via e-mail).

We would be glad to welcome you on our conference in Cottbus. And it
would be very kind of you to inform also interested colleagues and
students.

pp. Ehrengard Heinzig

Further information:
<http://www.theo.tu-cottbus.de/Wolke/eng/Conference/conference.htm>
http://www.theo.tu-cottbus.de/Wolke/eng/Conference/conference.htm.