The Aquatecture of Public Space

Description

This keynote explores the complex interplay between water, public space, and human perception, beginning with the biases inherent in how we design and interpret these spaces. By examining mental maps—subjective renderings of space drawn from memory and perception—we reveal not only individual and disciplinary preconceptions, but also unlock alternative viewpoints. These drawings, made "by mind" and often outside of academic norms, expose the diversity of spatial understanding: fluid, inaccurate in a Cartesian sense, yet rich in meaning. Every mental map is valid; each reflects a unique relationship to place.

Water, as a ubiquitous and essential element, resists singular interpretation. Often regarded as a natural feature, rivers and other bodies of water are also deeply cultural constructs that shape human habitation and imagination. The lecture follows the concept of wetness as both a physical condition and a metaphorical lens, traversing from ancient cartographic traditions to contemporary design practice. Dissecting water in public space across multiple layers of cognition and experience, the talk considers: From water as instinctual and embodied—spaces where we act unselfconsciously, to water as shaped and manipulated by design—crafted experiences and urban narratives, as an object of reflection and intersubjective meaning—symbol, memory, and collective identity, and finally, as a free creation of human imagination, transcending rational geometry and becoming a space of poetic and political possibility.

The lecture further distinguishes between layers of publicness in water-related spaces—examining their use, ownership, and symbolic resonance. Through this lens, water becomes a mirror not only of ecological social-cultural systems, but more so – through imagination - of inclusivity, democracy, and agency, and in the urban fabric.

Period	22 Apr 2025
Held at	Urban Design