what is radical today? 40 positions on architecture at royal academy of arts.
above > lucy mcrae compression cradle 2019
this free display brings together 40 radical visions on how architecture can respond to today’s rapidly changing world.
the 1960s and 1970s were tumultuous decades of political unsettlement and social upheaval. from the construction of the berlin wall and the french students’ riots of may 1968, to the vietnam war and anti-nuclear protests, these years occupy a remarkable place in recent history. radical ideas set out to unseat existing conventions and practices in various spheres of life, including architecture.
over this period, a number of architecture practices and collectives emerged and challenged the visions established by modernist architects reclaiming, through their radical ideas, the transformative power of architecture to change lives, cities and thinking. today it could be said we are living in a similarly turbulent period of global changes with environmental, political and social upheaval. this display in the architecture studio questions what today’s practitioners are responding to by inviting 40 emerging and established architects, artists and thinkers to present their visions of what is most radical in architecture today.
from legendary names involved fifty years ago in the radical movement, through collectives such as archizoom and archigram, to new and emerging practitioners, this display presents bespoke contributions by a number of international participants, all listed below.