Konstruerandet av verkligheter: Gilles Deleuze, tänkande och arkitektur

Doctoral thesis, 2002

The structure and situation of modern society is often characterised as being radically transformed. Philosophy has increasingly become a source for reorientation in architectural design practice and theory. In this context the work of the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze in collaboration with the psychoanalyst Félix Guattari has been widely discussed and appropriated within the architectural development throughout the 1990s. The main question raised in this dissertation is in what way the thinking of Deleuze could possibly relate to and support an 'architectural rethinking'. The focus is particularly put on architectural invention and on architectural research as well as on the important relation between these activities. What is particularly addressed is primarily the experimental dimensions in Deleuze's philosophical endeavour; that thinking is conceived as an essentially pragmatic, creative and transformative action that explores and constructs unforeseen potentialities of reality. Particular case analysis of the two Dutch architectural offices UN Studio and MVRDV indicates the way deleuzian philosophy has influenced architectural designs. In order to indicate possible reorientations towards new conceptions of architectural knowledge and to develop architecture as a valuable tool for the regeneration of knowledge the traditional notions of science are put in relation to Deleuze & Guattari´s conceptions of science, e g their descriptions of minor, 'nomad' sciences in relation to major, 'Royal' sciences. The conclusion is that the philosophical project of Gilles Deleuze could provide and already have provided important contributions to the rethinking of architectural design as well as of architectural research. It is argued that if architecture shall be able to offer an effective operational tool to manage and design the shapes of our cities and societies it has to develop new conceptual strategies. The architectural activity has an unique specificity apt to creatively handle uncertain, ambiguous and changing situations. Architecture could become an important tool for the investigation of cultural situations by constructing 'immaterial visibilities' that discloses hidden conditions and thus open up for public discussion and critical discourse.