HTNM Lecture - Eyal Weizman, 'Forensic Architecture'

In an increasingly urbanized, compact world where political instability and violence break out, the impact is concentrated and direct: buildings are leveled, cityscapes are transformed, people, property, and infrastructure displaced and destroyed. Forensic Architecture is a collaborative project that analyzes maps, images, and models sites of violence to provide evidence and facts in the context of international law and human rights. In his lecture on Forensic Architecture, Eyal Weizman will explore the history and trajectory of architectural analysis: its applications to international law, criminal damages assessment, and expanding uses in environmental, political, and social movements. He will also discuss the evolving role of media and technology in creating and presenting spatial and architectural modeling.

Eyal Weizman is an architect, Professor of Visual Cultures, and director of the Centre for Research Architecture at Goldsmiths, University of London. Since 2011 he has also directed the European Research Council funded project, Forensic Architecture, an institute that focuses on the place of architecture in international humanitarian law. He is also a founding member of the architectural collective DAAR in Beit Sahour/Palestine. His most recent books include "Mengele's Skull" (with Thomas Keenan at Sternberg Press 2012), "Forensic Architecture" (dOCUMENTA13 notebook, 2012), and "The Least of all Possible Evils" (Nottetempo 2009, Verso 2011). He has worked with a variety of NGOs worldwide and was member of the B'Tselem board of directors. He also serves on the advisory boards of the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London, and the Human Rights Project at Bard in NY.