From 3rd — 5th February in the University of the Arts Helsinki under the SAMA— Sound Art & Sonic Arts program, Finnish architect and environmental artist Marco Casagrande and me will be teaching the first part of the workshop The Rhizomatic City: Aural Strategies and Urban Acupuncture.
The Third Generation City is he organic ruin of the industrial city —the first generation city was the human settlement in straight connection with nature and dependent on nature; and the second generation city is the industrial city. The third generation city can be conceived of as rhizomatic in nature —multiple and non-hierarchical— and ultimately, bound up with pre-existing and future conditions of human construction in order to allow the nature to step in into the industrial city, reinforcing the use of local knowledge.
Urban Acupuncture consists of creating a network of site-specific urban interventions aiming for biological restoration of existing industrial cities.
Aural architecture is the parallel of visual architecture in the aural realm. Aural architecture deals with how sound behaves within spaces producing emotional, behavioral, and visceral response in inhabitants. The sonic properties of a space can produce feelings of intimacy, anxiety, isolation, warmth, as well as a mystical sense of spirituality. Therefore, aural architecture is a primary and subtle source of societal cohesion and well-being, since better sonic behavior within spaces allows for better inhabitation, better social dialogue in the public spaces and contributes to avoid many of the health issues related to noise levels in the city.
Exercises will be focused on developing criteria and experience for the students to integrate urban acupuncture and aural architecture strategies into their future practice as well as developing an understanding of the aesthetics and techniques involved in the development of such urban projects.
Over a few years, Casagrande has brought together experts from the disciplines of architecture, urban planning, art, sociology, and science and has successfully conceptualized the Third Generation City, Ultra Ruin and Urban Acupuncture, prophesizing a future for architecture that is based upon profound local knowledge.
Josué Moreno’s work deals with Sonic Interventions in Public Spaces using principles from Aural Architecture and Installation Art strategies for enhancing aspects of spaces while masking others in order to create a more intense experience of sites and social relation to them. Currently Josué Moreno is working on an on-going collaboration with Marco Casagrande.