A 4×4 for a though ride: Landscape Architecture in the Anthropocene
In his 1-lectures landscape architect Dirk Sijmons wants to link the observation of living in the Anthropocene to the design world. He will try to do so by presenting a research matrix: What would happen if we crossbreed four philosophical views one can have of this Age of Mankind (Denialism, Ecomodernism, Posthumanism and New Anthropocentrism) with four professional attitudes: landscape architect, landscape activist, landscape researcher and landscape artist. Some of these cross breeds might deliver the four-by-four we will need for the though ride ahead and might even produce a new aesthetics and offer consolation. His story will be illustrated with numerous examples.
What is Anthropocene?
In the words of Dirk Sijmons ‘Anthropocene is an apt and provocative term with which to describe the age and the world in which we now live. Thanks to this concept we can better place many observations about human influence on natural processes. But Anthropocene is not just a scientific and observational concept. It resonates with a warning: the fact that we are powerful enough to manipulate the earth is not something to be proud of. The moral subtext is that we are also responsible for the consequences of our intervention: for environmental problems, for the extinction of species, for the Russian roulette of climate change.’ Source: IABR.nl
CV Dirk Sijmons
Dirk Sijmons (1949) is one of the founders of H+N+S Landscape-architects. At the office he did mostly regional plans and research projects. H+N+S received the Prince Bernard Culture award in 2001. In 2002 and 2018 he received the Rotterdam-Maaskant award and in 2007 the prestigious Edgar Doncker award for his contribution to ‘Dutch Culture’. His book publications in English are = Landscape (1998), Greetings from Europe (2008), Landscape and Energy (2014), Moved Movement, (2015) & Room-for-the-River (2017). Sijmons was appointed first State Landscape Architect of the Netherlands (2004-2008). In education he was coordinator Landscape Architecture at the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam from 1989-1994 and held the chair of Environmental Design (2008-2011) and that of Landscape Architecture (2011-2015) at TU-Delft. He was curator of IABR—2014 themed Urban-by-Nature. At the World Design summit 2017 in Montreal he received the IFLA sir Geoffrey Jellicoe award.
Date: Thursday 7 November 2019
Time: 8 PM / Doors 7.45 PM
Location: Academy of Architecture Amsterdam, Waterlooplein 213
Tickets: Students of the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture have free access on presentation of their student card. For lectures that take place at the Academy, students do not have to reserve tickets in advance. Not a student, but interested? Single tickets (€ 7,50 each) are available in the webshop of the Amsterdam Architecture Centre.
Language: English
About the 1·Lectures
Since 2014, the Academy of Architecture has been organising the 1·Lectures in collaboration with the Amsterdam Architecture Centre. This series of architectural lectures provides a platform for speakers from home and abroad to talk about a variety of topics from the international world of architecture, urban planning and landscape architecture. Read more...
