Discursive Systems

Rhode Island School of Design | Wintersesssion 2022 | 3 Credits

This design studio aligned itself with theorist Elke Krasny’s positioning of the architectural effort as not solely the construction of buildings but, as Krasny puts it, "the organization of complexity." Inline with a consciousness for complexity, the course was imbued with the ontological stance that we are constantly surrounded by and embedded within systems, yet unable to perceive them in their entirety. Such systems jump scales of geography and time rapidly. They are best understood through their connections, processes, and relationships. Students explored the systems diagram as a visual tool for situating their design work (and themselves) within expansive networks. The course culminated in students using what they learned to produce a drawing visualizing an interconnected system of their own interest. Although this was an architecture studio, the group was comprised of students from a wide array of disciplines and backgrounds.

Selections of Student Work: