P1: Things and Things between

1.) "an enormous deterritorialized plane, its boundaries contingent on a particular geography and topography (stopped by a river or mountain range or an arbitrarily legislated property line). reterritorialized by any of various patterns (grids, patchworks, mosaics). some of which are inscribed on the ground, many of which may lie beneath the thin, occupiable surface, insensible yet controlling infrastructural points and lines of force whose positions and relations have been determined by a notational language conventionally understood and translated by the multiple agents responsible for putting them in place. "

Is Allen's idea of a "field condition", one in which an undetermined network of activity (suburbs and the grid) builds upon itself, a difficult building block for the advancement of architecture?

Casey — "Yes and no. Allen talks about how the consideration of site conditions can contribute to the creation of something new. The setbacks of an existing field condition can lead to innovative reactions and solutions that re-shape and positively affect the grid of which they are a part. However, architects can think themselves into a hole when they attempt to take into account every aspect of these matrices. All fields are, by nature, infinitely complex, whether in a natural environment or a mega-urban whatever. Being too critical and rational about a site may lead to some very ambivalent spaces that try to accommodate too much and end up accomplishing too little in terms of the advancement of architecture."

2.) "As we move from an economy dominated by technologies of production to an economy dominated by technologies of reproduction, the differences between things seem less signifi- cant that the potential sameness of images. In the postmodern world of simulation, anything can combine with anything else without producing a sense of shock."

How does the pretense of "simulation", or a focus on reproducing interesting "forms of things" and not the possibilities between them hinder the development of architecture in the city?

Casey - "This kinda makes me think about the archi-fad of "biomimickry" and other sorts of symbolism in architecture. Yes, you can make a building look and act like a fish, but what else does it do? In some cases I think that mimicry can lead towards the discovery of new technologies and methods, and in that sense it's a worthwhile effort. However, that kind of experimental architecture is still just a bunch of experiments. Knowledge is gained, but if it isn't applied to the field in a meaningful way it stops being architecture and becomes sculpture, wasting the architectural potential of a site."

3.) "lnfrastructural urbanism understands architecture as material practice, as an activity that works in and among the world of things, and not exclusively with meaning and image. It is an architecture dedicated to concrete proposals and realistic strategies of implementation and not distanced commentary or critique. "

Is the interpretation of Allen's "infrastructural urbanism" something that is hindered by an architect's fear of critique or judgement?

Casey — "I feel that any architect can be held back by the judgement of others, whether they fear that or not. The job of the architect is almost always in servitude of a client, and if the client doesn't approve then the project doesn't happen. I'd imagine that this reality is very crippling to architects that expend so much energy into projects that may never get built. I believe that young architects, upon the rejection of a wholly original design, probably consider the prospects of "playing it safe" in order to avoid that crushing disappointment, if not to make ends meet. It isn't just a fear of critique as it is a fear of total failure. What if you were totally original your entire career but never had any clients or anything built? I could imagine that it takes a very bold and confident individual to overcome that fear."