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BETWEEN ARCHITECTURE OF WAR AND MILITARY URBANISM<br>
10th Urban and Landscape Days<br>
<br>
Call for papers<br>
<br>
April 26-27, 2013<br>
<br>
Faculty of Architecture<br>
Estonian Academy of Arts<br>
Tallinn, Estonia<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.architectureofwar.com" target="_blank">www.architectureofwar.com</a><br>
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The international scientific conference "Between architecture of war<br>
and military urbanism" is the 10th edition of the annual series of<br>
Urban and Landscape Days. Organized by the Estonian Academy of Arts,<br>
Faculty of Architecture, the event brings together architecture,<br>
planning, landscape studies, critical urban studies and art.<br>
<br>
The idea behind the theme of 2013 is to facilitate a creative and<br>
critical interrogation of links between the political economy of war,<br>
the transfer of military practices and technologies to urban realm,<br>
and the ‘architectures of war’, such as military bases, fortifications<br>
and refugee camps, which comprise a largely forgotten topic in<br>
planning and architecture.<br>
<br>
The conference is of interest to urban scholars, architectural<br>
theorists and historians, architects, political geographers,<br>
sociologists, and others from the related fields of theory and<br>
practice. To explore links between theory and practice, we invite a<br>
broad variety of presentations from scientific papers to artistic<br>
research and non-standard forms.<br>
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The language of the conference is English.<br>
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Abstract submission deadline is 1 October 2012.<br>
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Conference theme<br>
<br>
The concept of boundary has been central in theorizing the relation<br>
between war, politics, and civil life. Is there a clear-cut<br>
distinction between these states? Are the boundaries blurred and to<br>
what extent? These questions have been explored from Machiavelli to<br>
Schmitt and Foucault.<br>
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The aim of the conference is to interrogate these relations in the<br>
urban realm. Architecture of war and military urbanism represent two<br>
opposite conceptualizations of the boundary. Military spatial practice<br>
can be then seen as integrating sharp separations and smooth flows.<br>
As a form of social practice, it also leads to the question of the<br>
boundary between the military and the civil. The conference focuses on<br>
exploring this question in relation to urban built environments,<br>
spatial technologies, and political economy of land.<br>
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Various types of 'interdictory space' are common features of urban<br>
design and architecture in almost any context. From medieval city<br>
walls to closed cities of Soviet Union, from Berlin's Mauer to the<br>
Israel-Palestina wall, military and civil urbanisms are inherently<br>
intertwined. In drones, we can see an immediate technological transfer<br>
between war zones and civil urban life. Civil technologies and<br>
light-weight mobile constructions (such as Buckminister Fuller's<br>
geodesic dome) may be adopted in war conditions. Such seemingly<br>
politically neutral technological inventions have been used both by<br>
Drop City inhabitants and by the US Army. And land is the most<br>
contested site of 21st century politics – and war. From landgrabs of<br>
Global South to Occupy movements, the boundary between war, politics,<br>
and civil life is profoundly related to the contested question who<br>
owns and who uses the land.<br>
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Tracks<br>
<br>
We invite submissions to the following tracks:<br>
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1/ Urban built environments<br>
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Strongholds, fortifications and military bases structure the patterns<br>
of urban development in long term. Shelters, field hospitals, or<br>
refugee camps represent instant architectural forms. In what ways do<br>
these planning, architectural, and engeneering interventions structure<br>
– in long-term and short-term perspective – the everyday life? How<br>
does the function of these built structures change from military to<br>
civil? How is the civil architecture used for military purposes? And<br>
how is the very notion of the 'civil' architecture structured by the<br>
notion of the 'military' architecture?<br>
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2/ Spatial technology<br>
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Spatial technology is the platform of profound interpenetration of the<br>
military and the civil. Surveillance and urban combat technologies<br>
and practices that used to belong to cutting-edge war technology are<br>
increasingly deployed in civil policing and control. Civil and<br>
home-made tools are transformed and utilized for the purpose of attack<br>
and defense. How does technology shape the organization of military<br>
planning, management and labour? How does technology shape the<br>
proximity and distance between the military and the civil space? And<br>
what is the relationship between war and cyberwar?<br>
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3/ Political economy of land<br>
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War itself can be studied as a form of spatial fix. But to equate war<br>
with spatial fix as such would be to disregard the complexities in the<br>
relationship of political geography and military practice. In what<br>
way does war structure the conflicting claims on land? And along what<br>
lines do conflicting land claims lead to military conflicts? What<br>
are the specificities of the contemporary political economy of war?<br>
What is the boundary and interpenetration between military and<br>
non-military spatial fixes?<br>
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Keynote speakers<br>
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Stephen Graham / Professor of Cities and Society, School of<br>
Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University, Newcastle<br>
upon Tyne<br>
author of Splintering Urbanism (2001, with Graham Marvin) and Cities<br>
Under Siege: The New Military Urbanism (2010)<br>
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Steven Flusty / Associate Professor, York University, Toronto<br>
author of Building Paranoia (1994) and De-Coca-Colonization: Making<br>
the Globe from the Inside Out (2003)<br>
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Donovan Wylie / Photographer, member of Magnum Photos<br>
author of The Maze (2004), British Watchtowers (2007) and Outposts (2011)<br>
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Location<br>
<br>
The conference will take place in Tallinn, Estonia. The questions of<br>
architecture of war and military urbanism are integral parts of the<br>
lived spaces of the country and the city. During the Cold War, there<br>
were two closed cities – Sillamäe and Paldiski – in the territory of<br>
the present-day Estonia. The two largest Estonian islands, Saaremaa<br>
and Hiiumaa, were categorized as a restricted territory for almost 50<br>
years. As far as the city of Tallinn is concerned, its morphology is<br>
structured by the strongly preserved medieval wall. And the large part<br>
of the city waterfront consists of mostly obsolete military<br>
landscape, closed off as the military border zone during the Cold<br>
War. Having become the sites of real estate speculation, the 'civil'<br>
regeneration of military wasteland stands for one of the major urban<br>
planning conflict in Tallinn. The post-conference excursion will<br>
offer a chance to visit some of these places.<br>
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Submission<br>
<br>
Please upload your abstract (of no more than 500 words), contact<br>
information, and brief bio to the conference site<br>
<a href="http://www.architectureofwar.com" target="_blank">www.architectureofwar.com</a> no later than 1 October 2012.<br>
<br>
Please visit the conference site or contact the organizers at<br>
<a href="mailto:architectureofwar@artun.ee">architectureofwar@artun.ee</a> for further information.<br>
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