Dame World

In this course, we were tasked with dissecting an architectural manifesto and to utilize it as a theoretical framework for our own independent manifesto. One of the first challenges was to create our own text which would serve as the parameters and guiding philosophy for the visual component of the course. We were then asked to create a collection of images, collages, drawings, or graphics which would serve to complement our written text. My work, Dame World, utilized Atelier Bow-Wow's Made in Tokyo as the theoretical basis from which a new, alternate future was proposed. Within this altered reality, what they identify as 'dame buildings' (ugly buildings which showcase the hybridization of usage, structure, and program) becomes the primary construction paradigm. The insights and particularities of this culture are explored via the text, which took on the form of a series of transcribed interviews with the leaders of this society. Each excerpt was then supplemented by its accompanying image.

Rafael Martinez