H79.2654 Lecture 4 Credits
Instructor(s): Karwas
Metaforms is a studio course offering a broad range of topics focused on progressive architectural discourse framed by new media. The goal of the class is for each student to produce an architectural form which inhabits an urban public space in New York City. The forms need not be traditional architectural constructs, but new strategies towards defining an architecture that can be expressed through new technologies. Students are encouraged to imagine the impossible and to integrate metaforms into the contemporary city. Science- fiction sites, transportation paths, urban anomalies, invisible boundaries, and temporary autonomous zone are examined and developed as metaform habitats. The semester long project is divided into two parts: expressions and interventions. The first section, expressions, addresses contemporary architectural tendencies that unfold to inhabit the spaces of urban environments. The second part, interventions, activates communication strategies to connect the metaforms to actual public spaces within New York City. The class work culminates in final presentations critiqued by guest reviewers from related fields. No prerequisites or architectural experience is needed, however, previous knowledge of at least one programming language is strongly recommended (processing, max/msp/jitter, maya, flash etc.). The syllabus for this course can be found at http://www.dk22.com/metaforms
