The course interrogates practice as a critical methodology at the intersection of political ecology and spatial theory. Open to Master students from all disciplines, the course challenges participants to translate theoretical inquiries into tangible interventions in various mediums. Anchored by workshops with practitioners like Floating University or Kiosk of Solidarity, the curriculum utilizes practice based research to critique complex spatial matters and ecological entanglements. Complementing this physical engagement, global lecturers from architecture, art, and media studies demonstrate diverse narrative strategies. The seminar culminates in a collective multi-media publication offering cross disciplinary pollinations. Interdisciplinarity | This course redefines 'practice' as a critical research tool. Challenging the traditional problem-solution dichotomy, it investigates complex spatial and ecological entanglements through action. Its interdisciplinary approach bridges the gap between material engagement and theoretical discourse. It integrates experience-driven workshops with lectures, offering diverse disciplinary tools. Artist Sonia Levy will introduce sound-based investigation, filmmaker Sanaz Sohrabi will demonstrate the use of archival research and visual culture, and Asst. Prof. Aslihan Senel will contribute her expertise in architectural research and experimental pedagogies. The curriculum is designed to support students as they experiment with these methods. Learning Objectives | Participants of the class will have gained a comprehensive understanding of practice-led research through direct exchange with guest tutors and lecturers. By analyzing diverse methodologies they acquire the tools to translate theoretical inquiry into tangible artistic and spatial interventions. Through hands-on workshops participants learn to navigate complex ecological entanglements using material experimentation and field research techniques. They will develop the sense to work across mediums, learning specific craft-based and artistic strategies, such as the reinterpretation of scientific methods like herbarium collection or field interviews, to critique social and ecological contexts. Lastly, participants will encounter influential literature in critical spatial studies and multispecies ecology. These readings are introduced not as rigid theory, but as background inspiration to contextualize their hands-on practice and expand their bibliography for future projects. Didactic Concept | Drawing on to Tim Ingold’s "thinking through making" approach, the course employs a hybrid structure alternating between hands-on workshops and theoretical lectures to weave between "thinking" and "making." My background in architecture and urban studies and experience in artistic and curatorial practice support facilitating this experience. Guided by feminist and critical pedagogy, I aim to cultivate a horizontal learning environment that moves beyond clear-cut academic hierarchies. In this shared space, the roles of "teacher" and "learner" are fluid; I participate in the process as a co-learner alongside the students. This approach encourages participants to exercise agency, inviting them to curate tools from the diverse methods presented to create their own unique methodological "assemblages." The seminar thus functions as a laboratory for transdisciplinary knowledge co-production, where individual perspectives contribute to a collective understanding. |
