UNDISCIPLINED This talk will present SITU’s research at the intersection of architecture, technology, and human rights. Highlighting a range of recent projects in Ukraine, Mali, Nicaragua, the U.S. and elsewhere, this lecture will unpack the expanded agency of the architect within a highly interdisciplinary model of practice. The work will also provide a launching point for critical reflection on the spatial and societal implications of automation and machine learning technologies across a range of scales and contexts.
BRAD SAMUELS is founding partner of SITU, an unconventional architecture practice, using design, research, and fabrication for creative and social impact. Brad leads SITU Research, an interdisciplinary applied-research division working at the intersection of architecture, urbanism, policy, and human rights. SITU Research investigates and addresses social, legal, and scientific challenges through an architectural lens. The practice is purposely collaborative, engaging in work with NGOs, universities, think tanks, and individuals at a wide range of scales; clients include Amnesty International, United Nations Human Rights Office, International Criminal Court, and the International Federation for Human Rights. Project output is equally diverse, contributing to everything from reporting, planning, and platforms, but unified in their aim to create impact through the application of innovative spatial strategies and tools.
RESOURCES A selection of readings related to the lecture are available at the links below.
Who Killed the Kiev Protesters? A 3-D Model Holds the Clues, by Mattathias Schwartz in the New York Times (May 30, 2018)
The Hague Convicts a Tomb-Destroying Extremist With Smart Design, by Liz Stinson in Wired Magazine (August 25, 2016)
Reconstructing Human Rights Violations Using Large Eyewitness Video Collections: The Case of Euromaidan Protester Deaths, co-authored by SITU in the Journal of Human Rights Practice (February 2018)