HTC Experiments

In the field of preservation, few subjects challenge the discipline as much as landscape preservation. Historic preservation is a field that thrives on stabilization – of the literal materials that compose buildings, historical appearances, and development. Landscapes – because they are composed of the social and natural – cannot be easily contained within the preservation [...]

For the past 18 months I have developed an interest in wine – particularly what are termed “natural wines”. This approach emphasizes expressing the features of the vineyard sites where grapes are grown with minimal intervention in the grapes’ fermentation. I tasted a bottle of French, vin natural for the first time in November of [...]

Part of the Pratt journal, Tarp “Not Nature”; read this short essay on Monumental Environments, and at right in the publications section

The Canadian Centre for Architecture continues to be one of the most exciting and experimental venues for architectural curatorial practices. The exhibitions staged there push the boundaries of how we understand architectural exhibitions, from both a content and methodological perspective. Here is an opportunity to add to that experimental project – an open call for [...]

This semester has offered some excellent opportunities to travel and discuss recent work appearing on this site, including a symposium organized at the University of California, Berkeley on architecture, environment and technology, and recent lectures at the University of Toronto, University of Buffalo (overwhelming grandeur in this 19th century city) and the University of British [...]

Work on the Mound of Vendôme proposal continues. I’ve been working with Victor Hadjikyraciou – the same renderer from Museums of the City – to develop renderings of the project. These are shown below. If you’re unfamiliar with the project, more information can be found here and here. I’ve been traveling both nationally and internationally talking [...]

(Initial sketch above, 2012. Recent images) PETITION DATE: February 18, 2012 TO: Mr. Jacques Monthioux, Director of Heritage and Architecture, City of Paris FROM: David Gissen, Associate Professor, CCA RE: Rebuild the Mound of Vendôme In May of 1871, members of the Commune de Paris voted to destroy the Vendôme Column – a towering symbol [...]

Priming this site for winter/spring writing – stay tuned

I’m happy to announce a new website davidgissen.org that will be the primary site for my work. This will take some of the pressure off htcexperiments to be a blog, portfolio, news site, etc. Lately, this blog has shifted from what I intended it to be: a showcase for boundary-pushing historical work by others, and [...]

Matthew Gandy’s new book – Urban Constellations – includes a section on emerging terms in urban studies (“Urban Lexicons”), including this short essay on subnature.

Melany Park and I talk about the subnatural – just published in SA, an intriguing, international architecture magazine from Singapore.

A short reflection on how to continue the concept of autonomy within an architecture engaged with nature – from Kerb 19, RMIT’s journal.* Thoughts on a Heap of Rubble [Kerb Journal, RMIT] *I could have titled this essay: “some of my closest friends are vitalistic animists, but the work still makes me cranky”.

This year I am co-teaching the survey course in the history of architecture. In a previous gig (long ago), I taught a survey of the intellectual history (otherwise known as “theory”) of architecture from the Old Testament through to late-modern architectural writing. I still find it easier to talk about ideas versus things, but the [...]

You can nerd-out on the recording (above) of the presentations at the recent event on the future of architectural history and theory at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University. A terrific event, and it's amazing how quickly these things get posted. Coverage of the event can be found here: The event was organized by [...]

A great review of the exhibition by Alan Rapp

25 October 2011–1 April 2012 CCA, Montréal Canadian Centre for Architecture 1920, rue Baile, Montréal, Québec  Canada H3H 2S6 T 514 939 7026 media@cca.qc.ca Open on Wednesday–Sunday, 11 am–6 pm; Thursday, 11 am–9 pm cca.qc.ca/imperfecthealth The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), Montréal presents Imperfect Health: the Medicalization of Architecture, on view in the main galleries from October [...]

Last night I thought I would attend Occupy Oakland’s general assembly, being held every night at 7pm at Frank Ogawa Square. I’ve had numerous debates with friends and family about the protests, their effectiveness, aims, their white, homogenous, demographic make-up, among numerous other things. Certainly, the aims of the movement were opaque to me, but [...]

Geoff Manaugh’s exhibition has received excellent coverage, including this recent review in Domus. Now the exhibition is being transformed into a book with Actar, and I’m thrilled that one of my contributions to the exhibition – the Florence image from Museums of the City – is front-and-center. In addition to this book project, I also [...]

Nicola Twilley interviews me about a little hobby of mine that turned into something far more serious; and things around here became a little stranger, when the article was picked up by The Atlantic.

I’ve added three essays to the side-bar at right. In all three I’m trying to shift contemporary discussions of landscape away from statistical (data-driven) ideas and more towards historical ones. 1. An afterword that appears in the new book Landform Building edited by Stan Allen and Marc McQuade 2. Another afterword for the latest issue [...]