The need for a transdisciplinary approach

  • Publish On 18 September 2017
  • 6 minutes

Clément Dirié, editor, exhibition curator and art critic is a wise observer of the changes in society. He has been a long-time employee of the agency and has been involved in the development of Stream 03 – After Office. As such, we invited him to testify in the documentary “PCA-STREAM: From research to action”.

He describes how the “research-action” approach, dear to the PCA-STREAM agency, is a necessary movement that is currently transforming the creative process not only of architects but of all creative entrepreneurs. In particular, it explains how transdisciplinarity – the fact to shift approaches on the same project – leads to innovation.

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“ En architecture, le sonore demeure une dimension à la fois floue et insaisissable. Il échappe au dessin et au plan, et pourtant, c’est lui qui fait vibrer l’espace, qui le rend habitable et mémorable.  ”


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In urban planning and geography, the concept of metabolism is frequently discussed. This organicist metaphor likens a territory to a body, traversed by flows of materials and energy that link it to its environment. From a quantitative perspective, these flows can be measured over time and space to assess what a territory consumes, processes, and produces. However, a qualitative approach is equally crucial, examining the political and social trade-offs that shape urban metabolisms. With this in mind, we spoke with two researchers, Clément Dillenseger and Pierre Desvaux, who have explored the waste sector to analyze the socio-technical infrastructures that underpin metabolism and the imaginaries that shape its perception.

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Ashfika Rahman is a visual artist based in Bangladesh, who recently won the Future Generation Art Prize awarded by the PinchukArtCentre in Ukraine. Faced with the overwhelming power of information systems that are serving dominant narratives, she is working on creating alternative medium of expression, giving their voice back to marginalized communities in her homeland, particularly women. Through her art, Rahman questions myths, folk tales and widely spread prejudice that are still shaping our cultures and legitimating violence, adopting a contemporary and feminist lense. We met with her to discuss her recent work, Behula These Days where she brings together ancient crafts and new techniques to share the poignant and heart-wrenching experiences of women living in one of the most floodprone areas in Bangladesh.

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