AGENCY (noun) is defined as:
1a: the office or function of an agent
1b: the relationship between a principal and that person's agent
2: the capacity, condition, or state of acting or of exerting power
3: a person or thing through which power is exerted or an end is achieved
4: an establishment engaged in doing business for another
5: an administrative division (as of a government)
When it comes to the design and delivery of the built environment, the power of architects relative to other players and forces has always been contested. Given this uncertainty, the AIANY Future of Practice Committee is convening a day-long symposium focusing on how architects can find agency both through conventional and non-traditional forms of practice. Three moderated panel discussions will focus on working in innovative ways INSIDE, BESIDE, and BEYOND practice and a fourth concluding panel comprised of non-architects will ask the question "why should architects have more agency in the first place?" Ultimately, the discourse aims to shift prevailing conceptions of practice and probe how technical, political, cultural, economic, social, and artistic forms of power can be deployed.
Schedule:
