- New alliances
issues! proposes a non-linear and collective alternative to traditional academic research. The future of architecture cannot be developed by isolated individuals. Neither can we think about the future in a linear fashion. The future is a meeting place of transcending disciplines, and issues! lies at this very cross-section. We create transdisciplinary knowledge using art to understand the urgent issues that surround us, impacting our society experientially, not theoretically.
issues! investigates one topic annually through a series of meetings to facilitate a collective reflection. A digital platform is launched to allow open access to the research behind each "issue".
issue! #1 is “4EVER ALONE”, exploring solitary leisure practices in contemporary urban spaces; We delve into the recent proliferation of betting shops in Spain, its adverse social impact, and draw parallels to practices found in certain video games and consumption patterns found in platforms like Netflix and Instagram.
Map of thought connections for the development of the research for issue #1: 4EVER ALONE. As opposed to linear research communication formats such as videos/articles/presentations, a branched-thinking approach serves as a model for communication of research in order to include as many narratives and perspectives as possible to the complex issues proposed from the platform.
As part of issue #1: 4EVER ALONE, a cartography of the betting shops in Madrid was carried out along with a spatial analysis of some of the venues, understanding the ideologies behind their architectural design.
issues! office’s members sharing part of the research with neighbours from Carabanchel neighbourhood in Madrid within an assembly to discuss the socio-economic consequences of the betting shops in the neighbourhood from a perspective that focuses on how ludomania is fostered through architectural design.
In the interest of creating knowledge through experiential research, many of our initiatives revolve around artistic interventions. In order to delve into the corporalities of solitary leisure practices, this experimental project allows us to better understand how we spend our time consuming through various digital platforms available to us today.
Mock-up of issues! digital platform that reveals the entire research process as well as a register of each annual issue. The platform serves as an open access to global users in order to perceive the nonlinear nature of research.
