International Conference

Thinking the Contemporary Landscape - Positions & Oppositions

20-22 June 2013
Herrenhausen Palace, Hanover, Germany

Landscape finds its roots in the Old Dutch word Landskip, which
designates a stretch of cultivated land. Similarly, paysage in French
stems from the Latin word pagus, meaning peasant, which designates an
extent of land made by that same person. In other words landscape is the
belaboured making of humans, and has nothing to do with the ideal of an
untouched wilderness. This plain definition of the word can help frame a
potential for discussion with respect to a long standing tradition of
form-giving on the land. It is essentially by questioning and bringing
symbolic expressions of nature back into focus that landscape will
resolve the inherent contradiction of its being, namely that of offering
the promise of a wilderness where there is none. In contrast: great
spatial disparity and dispersion prevail in today's landscape; this can
be attributed to the multitude of actors and factors shaping the land.

The conference is looking for a critical debate about the contemporary
intelligence of landscape at a time of relentless conceptual oscillation
and uncertainty. Outstanding thinkers and practitioners will share their
thoughts and convictions, to help shed light on a multitude of issues,
on one of the most ill-defined concepts of our age – call it landscape
if you will. Lectures and discussions will gravitate around the
following three main topics: Science and Memory, Power and Terrain,
Method and Design.


Program

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Young researchers thinking the contemporary landscape
Moderation: Anette Freytag (ETH Zurich) and Dora Imhof (ETH Zurich)

9:00-11:00
Poster presentations by 10 selected young researchers

Jury: Georges Descombes (Atelier Descombes Rampini, Geneva), Sonja
Duempelmann (Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge), Anette
Freytag (ETH Zurich), Bianca Maria Rinaldi (Università degli Studi di
Camerino), Antje Stokman (Universität Stuttgart), Christian Werthmann
(Leibniz Universität Hannover)

11:15-11:30
Wilhelm Krull (Volkswagen Foundation, Hanover), Christophe Girot (ETH
Zurich)
Welcome Address and Official Opening

Science and Memory
Moderation: Albert Kirchengast (ETH Zurich)

11:30-12:00
Vittoria Di Palma (University of Southern California, Los Angeles)
"In the Mood for Landscape"

12:00-12:45
Comments by and discussion with Barry Bergdoll (Columbia University, New
York) and Christophe Girot (ETH Zurich)

[Lunch Break]


Positions and Oppositions in Landscape Architecture
Moderation: Bianca Maria Rinaldi (Università degli Studi di Camerino)

14:00-14:25
Georges Descombes (Atelier Descombes Rampini, Geneva)
"Superpositions"

14:25-14:50
Anette Freytag (ETH Zurich)
"Dieter Kienast and the Heritage of the Topological and Phenomenological
Dimension of Landscape Architecture"

14:50-15:45
Comments by and discussion with Dorothée Imbert (Sam Fox School of
Design, St. Louis)

[Coffee break, with exhibition of selected posters and audience vote]

16:30-16:55
Adriaan Geuze (West 8, Rotterdam)
"Engineer meets Poet"

16:55-17:20
Kristina Hill (University of California, Berkeley)
"Nexus: Intelligence, Memory, Strategy"

17:20-18:15
Comments by and discussion with Sonja Duempelmann (Harvard Graduate
School of Design)

19:30-20:30
Evening Address
Kathryn Gustafson (Gustafson Porter, London & Gustafson Guthrie Nichol,
Seattle)
"Landscape Artchitecture, Landscape Artchitecture, Landscape
Artchitexture"

Welcome address: Joachim Wolschke-Bulmahn (Leibniz Universität Hannover)

Introduction: Christophe Girot (ETH Zurich)


Friday, June 21, 2013

Power and Terrain
Moderation: Martin Prominski (Leibniz Universität Hannover)

09:30-10:10
David Leatherbarrow (Penn Design, Philadelphia)
"Not Anywhere, Not Only Here"

10:10-10:50
Saskia Sassen (Columbia University, New York)
"The Global Street: Where the Powerless Get to Make History"

[Coffee break, with exhibition of selected posters and audience vote]

11:20-12:15
Comments by and discussion with Alessandra Ponte (Université de
Montréal)

[Lunch break]


Positions and Oppositions in Landscape Architecture
Moderation: Antje Stokman (Universität Stuttgart)

14:00-14:25
Hille von Seggern (Leibniz Universität Hannover)
"The Power of a Landscape Perspective"

14:25-14:50
Kongjian Yu (Turenscape, Beijing)
"Lost and Found: Peasant and His Land"

14:50-15:45
Comments by and discussion with Jörg Rekittke (National University of
Singapore)

[Coffee break, with exhibition of selected posters and audience vote]

16:15-16:40
Charles Waldheim (Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cambridge)
"Landscape as Digital Media: Notes toward a Digital Landscape 3.0"

16:40-16:55
Kathryn Gustafson (Gustafson Porter, London & Gustafson Guthrie Nichol,
Seattle)
"Landscape Artchitecture, Landscape Architecture, Landscape
Artchitexture (II)"

17:00-18:00
Comments by and discussion with Michael Jakob (HEPIA, Geneva)

18:00
Wilhelm Krull (Volkswagen Foundation, Hanover), Christophe Girot (ETH
Zurich)
Announcement of the "Young researchers thinking the contemporary
landscape" awardees voted by the audience and the jury.
Certificate award.

19:00
Festive Dinner for speakers and young researchers
Science Slams by the three "Young researchers thinking the contemporary
landscape" awardees


Saturday, June 22, 2013

Method and Design
Moderation: Stanislaus Fung (University of New South Wales, Sydney)

09:30-10:10
James Corner (Penn Design, Philadelphia)
"The Thick and the Thin of It"

10:10-10:50
Christophe Girot (ETH Zurich)
"Topology"

[Coffee break]

11:15-12:15
Comments by and discussion with Sébastien Marot (École d’architecture de
la ville et des territoires, Marne-la-Vallée)

12:15-12:45
Wilhelm Krull (Volkswagen Foundation, Hanover), Christophe Girot (ETH
Zurich)
Final Remarks and Farewell

13:00 End of conference & Lunch


Concept and Organisation:
ETH Zurich, Institute of Landscape Architecture: Christophe Girot,
Anette Freytag/Dora Imhof (project lead), Albert Kirchengast, Suzanne
Krizenecky, Dunja Richter
Volkswagen Foundation, Hanover, Germany: Wilhelm Krull, Anorthe Kremers,
Cornelia Soetbeer

Registration: landscapevolkswagenstiftung.de (restricted number of
places, no participation fees)

www.girot.arch.ethz.ch
www.facebook.com/LandscapeArchitectureETHZurich

www.volkswagenstiftung.de