Issue#04: Choices and Strategies of Spatial Imagination
Architecture is by definition an act of spatial imagination, this wondrous capacity to envision possible futures for the built environment and the necessary techniques to bring these futures to life. It takes spatial imagination to visualize new constructions taking shape, evolving in time, and partaking of the cultural expression of a place or era. It takes spatial imagination to foresee how architecture can meaningfully contribute to people’s lives, providing a sense of belonging, space for their needs and dreams. Nonetheless, spatial imagination is oftentimes hard to trigger or difficult to control. Imaginative and innovative ideas often emerge unexpectedly, when seemingly unconnected or contradictory words, images and thoughts are brought together.
With spatial imagination being an intrinsic aspect of architecture and design – but also the element of many other fields like literature or the arts – this issue of Writingplace focuses on concepts, elements and theoretical underpinnings from strands of knowledge outside architecture, that can propel choices and strategies of spatial imagination. With this focus in mind the journal wishes to shed light on three modes of transpositions between architecture and other creative acts, arguing that spatial imagination may be sparked productively by elements inherent in other disciplines.
A dissection of Conceptual Transpositions could demonstrate how systems of ideas related to spatial imagination have been developed and employed by various disciplines and might infuse architectural creative thinking with new insights.
A close look at Contextual Transpositions could highlight how given physical and cultural contexts (cities, places, buildings) can be evoked, interpreted or represented in literary and/or artistic works, thus triggering anew spatial imaginative possibilities.
A focus on Disciplinary Transpositions could illuminate how instruments and methods that travel among fields of knowledge can participate fruitfully in architectural and spatial discourse.
This issues of Writingplace calls for papers that elaborate on and exemplify one or more of these sites of transpositions, or discuss topics that blur the boundaries among them, suggesting creative and inspiring overlaps.
Submission: Full paper of 3.000 – 3.500 words (including endnotes) Short bio (200 words)
Deadline: January 15th, 2020
Please note that all submissions are subject to a peer-review process. For authors guidelines and the submission procedure please check:
https://journals.open.tudelft.nl/index.php/writingplace/about/submissions
Editors of this issue: Klaske Havik, Angeliki Sioli, Rajesh Heynickx
In collaboration with the FWO Scientific Research Network ‘Texts ≈ Buildings: Dissecting Transpositions in Architectural Knowledge (1880-1980)’, based at the KU Leuven.
