Jap Sam Books

HUNCH 5

Jennifer Sigler [ed.]

The magic word that gave life to HUNCH 5 was dream. In architecture, dreaming isn 't 'in'; it's almost taboo. But we were serious. After digesting 9/11 in HUNCH 4, to 'dream' would be a form of therapy; we would reinvigorate ourselves through fantasy instead of pragmatism, emotion instead of analysis, 'what if?' instead of 'what happened?' 'The moment of the retroactive manifesto has come to an end?' said Elia Zenghelis during the Berlage masterclass 'Global Pressures.' 'The only way to be critical is through the language of architecture.'

And what can architecture do? Science fiction writer Bruce Sterling says 'architecture 'should give people reasons to live' We really need to be finding some way to give forms to statements about what the 21st century wants and needs. 'So we were all set to let our imaginations outpace reality, to invent a brighter, happier future. But our dreams ran off course, as dreams tend to do.'

"Last night I had a nightmare' begins Ana Rascovsky's daybook: 'I was in Argentina, at home with friends. Slowly, a tiny noise came creeping in from the distance. The kitchen noise. Played in a very angry tone. 'The reality of the crisis in Argentina had become as bizarre as any dream: 'lots of huge six-wheeled trucks loaded with tons of dollars were crossing the frontier, taking all our money away.'

Ana's nightmare isn't simply about her country's economic collapse, but about her personal sense of helplessness ('I feel impotent being saf