Orit Halpern presenting on Planetary Experiments @ On Simulation: A Cultural Technique for Uncertain Urban Futures December 13, 2024 on-line and public at the Academy of Architecture, Zurich

On Simulation.
A Cultural Technique for Uncertain Urban Futures 

Zurich, 13 December 2024
ZAZ Bellerive (https://www.zaz-bellerive.ch/die-lange-nacht-der-zuercher-museen-2-2-4-2-2-2-2-2-2/)

Organised by Prof. Sascha Roesler and Dr. Noa Levin 
Professorship for Theory of Urbanization and Urban Environments
Accademia di Architettura, Mendrisio (USI) 

While tools of prediction and simulation used by climatologists and planners are becoming more and more sophisticated, urban futures are increasingly uncertain. In this context, this conference examines the relations between urban and cultural production and the transforming tools and methods for forecasting and simulating climatic futures. It asks, how can cultural production respond to and use climate simulations, and what is the role of architecture, culture and art in envisioning multiple climatic futures? Although architecture and urban design have turned towards the future as never before, there is a dearth of reflection on this turn, and on the significance of simulation technologies and climate speculation for cultural production that reflects on the climate crisis.

Speakers: 

• Prof. Marco Caracciolo, Ghent University 
• Dr. Anne Dippel, University of Jena
• Prof. Andri Gerber, Zurich University of Applied Sciences  
• Prof. Orit Halpern, TU Dresden
• Prof. Peter Krapp, University of California
• Dr. Darío Negueruela del Castillo, University of Zurich
• Prof. Angela Rout, TU Delft
• Joshua Silver, The University of Manchester

Zoom Webinar

Program:

• 08:30 – 09:00   Welcome and registration
• 09:00 – 09:30   Organisers’ Introduction

• 09:30 – 10:30   Panel 1: Games and Experiments
  Prof. Andri Gerber (ZHAW School of Architecture, Design and Civil Engineering Winterthur)
  PD Dr. Anne Dippel (Department of Cultural Anthropology, University of Jena)
• 10:30 – 10:45 Coffee

• 10:45 – 11:45  Panel 2: Simulation as Cultural Technique
  Prof. Peter Krapp (Film & Media Studies, University of California, Irvine)
  Prof. Marco Caracciolo (Department of Literary Studies, Ghent University)
• 11:45 – 12:30 Q&A
• 12:30 – 13:30 Lunch

• 13:30 – 14:30  Panel 3: Simulating Architecture Futures
  Prof. Dr. Angela Rout (Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, TU Delft)
  Joshua Silver (School of Environment, Education and Development, The University of Manchester)
• Coffee 14:30 – 14:45

• 14:45 – 15:45 Panel 4: Simulating Urban Futures
• Dr. Darío Negueruela del Castillo  (Center for Digital Visual Studies, Max-Planck Society/ University of Zurich)
• Prof. Orit Halpern (Chair of Digital Cultures at Technische Universität Dresden)
• 15:45 – 16:15 Q&A
• 16:15 – 17:15 Roundtable with all speakers
• 17:15 – 17:30 Conclusion

Organizers:

Sascha Roesler is an urban scholar and architectural theorist, working at the intersection of architecture, ethnography, and science and technology studies. He is the Associate Professor for Theory of Urbanization and Urban Environments at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio, Switzerland. 

Noa Levin is a philosopher and cultural theorist working at the intersection between political philosophy and theory, philosophy of history and philosophy of space and environment. Her postdoctoral project at the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio, Switzerland, focuses on the politics of climate change.

The symposium will be held in english. 

Symposium all day, admission free, please register at .