Call for Abstracts

extension

The international do.co.mo.mo. is more extensive than ever, as it includes 79 national chapters. This positive inclusivity has enabled us to redefine modern architecture, bringing several national chapters from the Mediterranean and Balkans together and moving beyond the Eurocentric paradigm. What might a new extension look like today? What remains to be included? What directions can we explore, and where have we yet to go? What else remains to be added as extensions to the established descriptions and interpretations of modern architecture?

elevation

The noun “elevation” typically describes “the action or fact of raising or being raised to a higher or more important level, state, or position”. What is the current status of modern architecture? How can its value be maintained in current times when nationalistic trends, populist ideas and conservatism are gaining a strong foothold, and what new forms of added value can be created? What elements of contemporary conditions can or should it connect with to become more elevated in the collective consciousness?

inversion

Modern architectural  construction  emerged  as  an  inversion  of  traditional architectural construction. Instead of walls providing support, columns do. Rather than having a solid facade, it is open. Instead of mass and inertia prevailing, lightness and movement take center stage. Instead of symmetry and hierarchy being emphasized, asymmetry and balance are highlighted. How does the preservation of modern structures take into account the concept of inversion? How do contemporary systems (structural, static, technological, etc.) invert what already exists? How does inversion, as a practice related to adaptive reuse, become a design object in itself?

opposition

The modern movement was created as an opposition to the architecture of the past, to historicism and traditional academies. The modern movement has also been re-evaluated as an opposition to the postmodern condition. Moreover, do.co.mo.mo. itself is a creation of postmodern thought: the re-evaluation of the modern as a past that must be studied and protected. What exactly does modern architecture today seek to oppose?

reposition

The history of the modern movement has been written and rewritten for the past 100 years. Even today, as our understanding of modern architecture grows, we must resist clinging to established forms and ideas; instead, we should seek to change and re-evaluate, repositioning ourselves in relation to the past, present, and future. What kinds of repositioning can be undertaken regarding the modern movement? What forms of repositioning would be creative and emancipating/liberating today?

transition

Travel was fundamental in the modern movement, Many architects studied abroad at prominent institutions and brought the international movement home or developed it in their adopted homeland. Travelling between Athens, Skopje and Sofia will emphasise how these influences transitioned from their point of origin to define the Mediterranean and the Balkans. How did the modern movement travel to other corners of the globe? And how did the ‘periphery’ influence and enrich the points of origin, the ‘centre’ that launched the movement? 

disruption

Today many postwar and prewar buildings are threatened. Still considered relatively ‘young’ they have not achieved the necessary recognition in the public to guarantee their conservation. Many face demolition, others are altered beyond recognision. Bottom-up initiatives around the globe have started shedding light on key landmarks that deserve protection, conservation, care and love. How can people self-organise and gain a voice? How can people fill a gap left by the state and campaign for the active listing of characteristic buildings and sites? How can we empower stronger identity with the modern movement in our communities?