Architectures of Order is an interdisciplinary research project (2020-2023) of the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main and Technical University of Darmstadt, with the Max-Planck-Institute for European Legal History and the Deutsches Architekturmuseum as associated partners. Comprising 26 members, the project is concerned with an investigation of architecture as a cultural practice of ordering, that manifests aesthetically, materially, spatially, discursively as well as epistemologically. Hence, the project is as much interested in the influence that architecture exercises on societal, cultural, scientific and technological practices of ordering as it is in how architectural practices of ordering are shaped by society, culture and science. It furthermore focuses especially on exploring the interaction between these two territories. Given the interdisciplinary nature of its scope, the project assembles expertise from the fields of architectural history and theory, history, sociology, cultural and media studies, and design theory, further complementing them with competences in architectural design and media practice.
Fellowship Program
The fellowship program aims to expand the thematic scope and expertise of the resident research group as well as its national and international networks. It provides two fellows per year with the opportunity to spend a research stay of 1-3 months in Frankfurt am Main, GER. One fellow each year will be selected and invited directly by the research group, the other is openly advertised. We accept applications from scholars at all career levels (applicants are required to hold a PhD). The work of the fellow should demonstrate connections with the goals of the project as well as its annual research themes, which are:
2020 – Architecture as Metaphor
2021 – Built Order
2022 – Designing Order
2023 – Order/Chaos
The annual theme for 2020, Architecture as Metaphor is also the topic of the international conference Architecture_Metaphor, organized by the LOEWE research project and scheduled for 6-7 November 2020 at Deutsches Architekturmuseum in Frankfurt am Main, Germany (www.architecture-metaphor.org).
Annual research and conference theme 2020: Architecture as Metaphor
We commonly and ubiquitously use architectural metaphors in both everyday speech as well as various professional contexts. Yet we rarely, if at all, register this connection. At the same time, metaphors also feature prominently in the fields of architecture and urbanism, where they are being used for the development of design concepts and provide useful means to communicate, discuss and evaluate design features.
Metaphors come into being through the incongruity between a particular term and the context within which it is being deployed, which creates a space of continuous re-interpretation. Their meaning thus oscillates between the body of knowledge from which the metaphor stems. Through transferring aspects of one field’s body of knowledge to another, metaphors disseminate and thereby consolidate social or disciplinary hierarchies, norms and protocols inscribed in the original body of knowledge.
Rather than to examine metaphors from a linguistic perspective, we engage them as a lens that allows us to zoom in on and investigate the ways in which architecture as a practice of ordering interrelates with societal as well as disciplinary structures, orders and knowledges. This approach relies on the premise that firstly, metaphors facilitate a connection between different fields as well as different forms of knowledge and that secondly, they are not merely explanatory in their function but instead interfere with epistemological thought and production processes.
Applicant Requirements
In accordance with the interdisciplinary scope of the research project, we welcome applications from diverse disciplinary backgrounds including those but not restricted to the areas of expertise already represented by its resident members (architectural history and theory, art history, cultural and media studies, history, sociology and design theory). We accept applications from scholars of all career levels, and particularly welcome interest from early career researchers (applicants are required to hold a PhD).
Involvement
Fellows will be fully integrated into the research group during their stay. They are expected to take up residency in Frankfurt am Main, to actively participate in the events organized by the LOEWE cluster as well as by the Center for Critical Studies in Architecture (http://criticalarchitecture.org/) and to present their research (work in progress) in a public lecture.
Duration
We accept applications for stays of 1-3 months, contingent on the scope and requirements of the proposed research project. The exact start date and duration of fellowships will be discussed with the fellow following a successful application. Please note that the stay should concur with the teaching term at Goethe University Frankfurt (winter term: October – February, summer term: April – July).
Stipends
Fellows will receive a monthly stipend of 3,200 Euro during their stay. Stipends are meant to cover costs for accommodation, board, insurance etc. We will furthermore cover the costs of an economy round-trip to Frankfurt am Main, GER.
Note regarding the Corona Pandemic:
We understand that the current Coronavirus situation makes any definitive planning for the coming months challenging. As it is impossible to anticipate at the moment how long the current situation will prevail, we hope that both the fellowship as well as our conference Architecture_Metaphor, scheduled for 6.-7. November 2020 (www.architecture-metaphor.org) can take place as planned. However, we will monitor the situation closely over the coming months and will work together with our fellows and conference speakers to develop alternative arrangements if coming to Frankfurt am Main proves unfeasible.
We furthermore made the decision to extend this year’s fellowship program with the theme of Architecture as Metaphor until March 2021 and will hence accept applications for a research stay of 1-3 months to take place any time between October 2020 and March 2021.
For information on the fellowship, conference and research project, see also: www.architecture-metaphor.org/architectures-of-order-fellowship
Application
Please send your application including the following documents compiled in one PDF file by 1 July 2020 to Linda Walther: walther@kunst.uni-frankfurt.de
Project proposal – approximately 1000 words
The proposal should briefly introduce the research project and address how it connects to the aims of the LOEWE project and the annual theme. It is also supposed to demonstrate the relevance of the project, locate it within current debates and specify your goals and plans for the fellowship.
Work schedule – approximately 500 words
Please provide a brief schedule that demonstrates how you plan to spend your time during the fellowship.
CV
A CV of no more than 4 pages
Writing sample
This can be an article or a chapter from a more comprehensive piece of writing of at least 10 and no more than 20 pages.
Referees
Please provide contact details for two referees.
Contact:
For more information or with questions, please contact:
Dr. des. Linda Walther
Project Coordinator – LOEWE Research Cluster Architectures of Order
walther@kunst.uni-frankfurt.de
phone +49(0)69-798-28705
Art History Department
Goethe University Frankfurt | Campus Bockenheim
Juridicum | Senckenberganlage 31
60325 Frankfurt am Main
Germany