Special Subject: History, Theory & Criticism of Art — Extinction: Architecture and Art for the Unsustainable Future

According to some scientists we are at the beginning of the ‘sixth extinction process.’ No-one seems to really care too much. After all what are we to do. One of the problems is that it seems to be easier to imagine the cosmos - and for some even God - than it is to imagine the nature and history of our species despite the thousands years of pontificating on the subject. We seem to have something missing in our cognitive bandwidth. But we all know what is coming. “She went for a Walk on the Beach and found a Rare “Doomsday Fish’” was a recent headline in the New York Times. Our end is now everyday news. The seminar/workshop will research the problem, myth, and the very probable reality of human extinction. Students will be expected to develop a project that explores these conditions, whether on a real or fictive site or as an exhibition.