February 27 – April 9, 2009
LECTURES
4 March 2009
Inaugural lecture
AM/PM + Laurent Benner
London
LARYTTA,
Lausanne
12 March 2009
David Keshavjee & Julien Tavelli
ecal, Lausanne
Rafael Koch & Urs Hofer
Bern
Jeremy Schorderet & Cem Sever
ecal, Lausanne
Moderator: Sam Jacob
FAT, London
25 March 2009
Urs Lehni
Zürich
Introductory text: Urs Lehni
9 April 2009
Will Holder
London
Introductory text: Nicole Udry
Forms of Inquiry: The Architecture of Critical Graphic Design presents a group of contemporary, international graphic designers who base their work in critical investigation. The exhibition features works that have originated as self-propelled inquiry, either professional or personal, and have been developed into a myriad of media and forms including typography, writing/curatorial projects, performances, interactive works, publications and speculative proposals. The exhibition expands as its travels, continually emphasising local research and sites for exchange.
The protagonists of Forms of Inquiry have contributed “inquiries” into architectural subjects as the foundation for a series of newly commissioned prints. Inquiries may take the form of an influential reference, a personal connection to architecture, or the porous relationship between graphic and architectural space. Forms of Inquiry examines the productive intersections of graphic design and architecture.
The works exhibited share a common desire to reframe the circumstances surrounding graphic design practice at the start of the 21st century. Critical inquiries, as a methodology for generating knowledge and content, relies on the initiative of the designer which runs contrary to the service-based nature of conventional graphic and architectural practices. The featured designers use personally-guided modes of critical investigation to open up both the material process and historical grounding of graphic design.
Since originating at the Architectural Association in 2007 Forms of Inquiry has gained international acclaim having been named the Best of 2008 by Frieze. The fifth constellation of Forms of Inquiry opens at Archizoom in Lausanne, Switzerland on 26 February, 2009 with many new commissions, and a four-week public programme encompassing publishing performances, conversations, lectures and happenings. Forms of Inquiry is documented in online archive as an extension to the exhibition at http://www.formsofinquiry.com.
A new publication published by Bedford Press will accompany the exhibition at Archizoom alongside the original catalogue (AA Publications, 2007) co-edited by Zak Kyes and Mark Owens and FOI Reader (IASPIS & Sternberg Press, forthcoming).
Contributors: Åbäke, Julia Born & Alexandra Bachzetsi, Sara De Bondt, deValence, Dexter Sinister, Paul Elliman, Experimental Jetset, James Goggin, Will Holder, Hudson-Powell, Kasia Korczak, Jürg Lehni, Karel Martens & David Bennewith, Metahaven, Mevis en Van Deursen, John Morgan, Radim Pesko, Project Projects, Manuel Raeder,
TASK: Emmet Byrne, Alex DeArmond & Jon Sueda, Cornel Windlin and Michael Worthington.
For its fifth constellation, Forms of Inquiry is specially presented by Kueng Caputo and includes 11 new designers and artists: Francesca Grassi, Hoon Kim, NORM, David Keshavjee & Julien Tavelli, Ryan Gander, Liam Gillick, Lex Trueb & Urs Lehni, Xiao Mage & Cheng Zi, Martin Froestner & Jonas Williamson, Laurenz Brunner and Jonathan Hares.
Reading Room curators: AA Print Studio, Alternative Archive, Graphisme en France/F7, Household, Nieves, Sang Bleu, Section 7, Specter Press, Textfield, The National Grid Werkplaats Typografie and 032c.
Curator
Zak Kyes
Exhibition orginating from the
Architectural Association, London
Public Prorgramme
Nicole Udry
Projet curator
Capucine Perrot
Exhibition design
Kueng Caputo
Views exhibition
