ARCHITECTURE IN CONFLICT: THE OPERATIVE PARADOX

I. THESIS STATEMENT: Architecture has the power to facilitate conversation and understanding in places of conflict. My project considers the process of producing clothing from field to the individual as having the potential to activate buffer zones, remedies, or release valves along a border. Redefining this line of separation by incorporating an active network sparking community involvement demonstrates the ability to generate reconciliation and break down borders. A state of conflict can physically and mentally affect the individual. While many efforts may be made to reconcile an issue, memory and the narrative constructed from conflicts have generational impacts. I am interested in the embedding of history within landscapes, places, and objects along with what I am perceiving as an outsider. The nature of architecture and the nature of violence operate within a parasitic relationship on an urban scale. The intention of architecture and designing the built environment is to construct the human experience, while conflict, violence, and war intend to dominate cities wherein this destruction of the built, the dismantling of an opponent is considered to be crucial. How can architects operate within such a paradox? How can we address the gap between a divided historic narrative, the identity of an individual, and design with the intention to dismantle a manipulated field? This thesis project constructs a narrative based on my perception of boundary and the shift away from a fixation with fixity within the discipline of architecture.