On Saturday, February 27th, Storefront for Art and Architecture and The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of The Cooper Union will jointly present a public conference, Closed World: Encounters That Never Happened. Presenters and discussants will engage in debate and discussion on the history and future of closed systems in architecture and design.
The history of twentieth century architecture, design, and engineering has been strongly linked to the conceptualization and production of closed systems. Serving as partial reconstructions of the world in time and space, closed systems identify and secure the cycling of materials necessary for the sustenance of life. Contemporary discussions about global warming, recycling, and sustainability have emerged as direct conceptual constructs related to the study and analysis of closed systems. The aim of the event and the exhibition is to examine how closed worlds, while deriving from a deeply rooted fantasy of architecture producing nature, are integrated into the very fabric of reality in our contemporary cities and buildings.
