The Reyner Banham Symposium : ‘On Error’

On behalf of the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning I would like to announce the Reyner Banham Symposium, ‘On Error’, to be held in Buffalo, New York at the Darwin Martin House’s Greatbatch Pavilion on January 23, 2013 from 2-7pm. An error can be many things. In its most common display, however, it is something we are taught to avoid. It is often characterized by mannerisms that were once trends but are now condemned or qualified by a lack of command over formal logic, material tolerances, construction techniques, and space planning, to name but a few. The accepted belief is that by avoiding error we promote progress. It seems only fitting to surrender to this logic as it is much easier to agree on what constitutes a mistake than it is to admit to a measure of success. This ‘what-not-to-do-mentality’ is basic oppositional logic: outline the ‘don’ts’ of design and one is certain to achieve the ‘dos.’ This could not be more wrong yet remains an accurate depiction of how architecture often relies on a rubric of design errors to avoid. Twelve practitioners, theorists, and curators from the Midwest and East Coast will convene to examine the value of error, mistake-making, or wrongness, when architecture is at stake. The symposium is organized by University at Buffalo Banham Fellow and UIC Visiting Assistant Professor Thomas Kelley. Guest Speakers: Kelly Bair, Sarah Blankenbaker, Eva Franch-Gilabert, Jordan Geiger, Omar Khan, Jimenez Lai, Sean Lally, Sergio López-Piñeiro, James Lowder, John McMorrough, Paul Preissner, and Georg Rafailidis. http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/sap/news/events.asp