Asymmetric Labors Launches at 2016 Venice Biennale

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Asymmetric Labors Launches at 2016 Venice Biennale

Book Launch:

15:00-17:00, Friday, May 27, 2016
Venice Biennale, New Zealand Exhibition
Palazzo Bollani, Castello 3647, Venezia
*Hosted by New Zealand Institute of Architects

Book Reading and Architecture Lobby Presentation:

17:30-18:30, Friday, May 27, 2016
Architects meet in Fuoribiennale
Palazzo Widmann, Calle Widmann, 30121 Cannaregio, Venezia
*Hosted by Associazione Italiana di Architettura e Critica

The Architecture Lobby will debut its edited booklet, Asymmetric Labors: The Economy of Architecture in Theory and Practice at the 2016 Venice Biennale. With contributions from over fifty architectural historians, theorists, students, writers, and practitioners from across the globe, the texts provide a slice through the uneven terrain of values and unequal labor practices of historical and theoretical architectural work. The booklet is intended to spark a conversation about what the value of such labor is, both within the discipline and profession of architecture, and how it impacts and is impacted by the discursive and material production of the built environment.

Hundreds of print booklets will be freely distributed in Venice to provoke and infuse discussions about labor into the Biennale; the booklet will also be available online at http://architecturelobby.org. Printed booklets will be made available to libraries and university programs upon request.

Visit the Asymmetric Labors Project Page to learn more about the book.

UPDATE 5/29/2016: We are back from an exciting Venice performance. The book looks great and we were very happy to promote Asymmetric Labors and the lobby agenda. Great to see the show of support. See below for some images of the events.

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Who owns social housing?

Often, we think of mass social housing as something needing large entities—government agencies, philanthropies, or unions—to take on the profit-driven real estate sector. The history of New York City’s housing activism suggests otherwise, that tenants themselves are capable of leading the struggle for affordable and livable cities.

Our Manifesto

Build worker power and collective agency through unions and cooperatives.
A living wage, benefits, job security, and wage transparency across the discipline.
No more free labor; no unpaid internships, unpaid overtime, or unpaid competitions.
Center the importance of labor in our understanding of architecture. Architecture is work!
Stop peddling buildings as products. Demand compensation based on the value and impact our work creates.
End oppression based on gender within and enabled by the discipline.
Confront the complicity of architecture in racism. Confront racism in our workplaces.
Design for the full spectrum of human life. Universal design is not an afterthought.
Challenge the concept of licensure. Expand the right to practice.
Celebrate the collective process of producing architecture. Demystify architecture as the work of a solo creative genius.
Climate justice as the basis of all architectural work. There can be no sustainable future without sustainable labor practices.
Fight for democratic alternatives to the capitalist system of development.

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