The Jaap Bakema Study Centre is holding its 11th annual conference. In this edition, we will reflect on the ambiguous nature of modern architecture, particularly in relation to exploitative colonial practices that stand in stark contrast to the progressive ideals of modernism. With contributions from a diverse group of researchers, we will interrogate the entanglement of modernity, coloniality, and architecture.
Research cases
Based on different research cases, at different scales and each with its own historical and spatial context, we share a variety of insights into this theme. Will we be able to answer the question posed in the open call? Should we leave modernity and modernism behind, or instead seek out their problems?
Keynote session
On Thursday 21 November, we will conclude this edition of the JBSC conference in conversation with Rolando Vázquez Melken, Professor of Post/Decolonial Theories and Literatures at the University of Amsterdam. Together, we will reflect on the themes discussed during the conference, and look ahead to the future of the archive and archival research.
RSVP
The conference will take place on Wednesday 20 November at the TU Delft, and on Thursday 21 November at the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam.
The full programme for both days of the conference can be found here.
Jaap Bakema Study Centre
The Jaap Bakema Study Centre was established in 2013 as a special research partnership between TU Delft and the Nieuwe Instituut. Its programme aims to intensify the exchanges between architectural design, archives, academia, and curatorial practices, while combining contemporary social issues with advanced historical and theoretical research. From the outset, the primary focus was to help increase the visibility and use of the National Collection of Dutch Architecture and Urban Planning, which is housed in the institute.
Intervention de Dorian Bianco (Sorbonne Université - Centre André-Chastel), jeudi 21 novembre 10h30
Western-based or Decolonised Welfare Planning? Ulrik Plesner’s Town Design for the Mahaweli Development Programme in Sri Lanka, 1982-1987