Composition et représentation 4

Part 1: Theory of Art and Architecture – taught by Wouter Van Acker

This part highlights the dynamics of exchange between art and architecture, and the reciprocal and interdisciplinary influences throughout the 20th century. The dialogues between Cubism and Modernism; the neo-avant-garde and Neo-Modernism; Pop Art and Postmodernism; Deconstruction and Deconstructivism; Minimal Art and Minimalism; Mannerism and Historicism will be the subject of six lectures.

Through a critical and reflective approach, students will examine how artistic practices and architectural thought enrich one another, and will contextualize these exchanges within contemporary architectural discourse and the current challenges of design. In addition, students will be invited to engage with foundational texts and articles, and to explore the links between artistic and architectural practices through creative representations.

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Part 2: Theory and Composition – taught by Hubert Lionnez

This learning activity reconnects with the experience of architecture as a specific mode of learning within the discipline, and as a way of approaching the multiple fields of interaction that shape its production. By the end of the course, each student will have carried out and synthetically presented the experience of an architecture of their choice.

Six lectures will provide students with different ways of understanding architecture: its place within disciplinary culture, as well as its positioning within broader political, social, and cultural realities. Building on the reflections of Rafael Moneo, the course will examine project strategies at work in various contemporary Belgian projects, situating them in relation to the current state of architecture as outlined by Jacques Lucan.

At the same time, the course will approach architecture through the effects it produces. Far from being neutral, architecture will be examined as a political and cultural device, part of a set of mechanisms that govern and organize bodies. The course will address how architectural history and criticism, with their modes of representation and narratives, often veil or obscure realities with their own modes of composition.

Architecture will thus be considered within a world shaped by historical and asymmetrical relations of power, communication, and representation. The course will also draw on the Inventories of Architecture in Wallonia-Brussels (since 2005), which aim to sketch a panorama of contemporary architecture and the contexts, conditions, modes, and issues that underpin it.

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Part 3: Surveying Techniques – taught by Véronique Becquevort

Part 1: Theory of Art and Architecture – taught by Wouter Van Acker

• Learning to read theory: Each session will focus on an in-depth presentation of an exchange of ideas between art and architecture as found in major texts or works. These will be summarized, placed in their historical context, and examined in light of key architectural projects. The analyses will be complemented by references to related writings, enriching the reflection around these fundamental milestones. Presentations will introduce students to different interpretative approaches (including iconological ones), without replacing the personal work of assimilation expected from each. The aim is to guide students in developing an autonomous method to build their own architectural reference library.

• Learning to identify and model theoretical principles of composition: Students will be asked to represent these principles through complementary forms of architectural representation. While reading and writing are fundamental tools of any theoretical approach, theoretical activity in architecture cannot be limited to them. These practices, though essential, must be enriched by approaches that create a more direct interaction between theoretical reflection and practical application. The course is conceived as a space of exchange where art and architectural theory closely interact with design practice. Students will be encouraged to use their architectural modeling skills not only as a means of expression, but above all as an analytical tool to explore the complexity of architectural issues. This modeling, inspired by methods used in design studios, will differ by aiming at a theoretical synthesis. The goal is not simply to represent architectural elements, but to translate and formalize fundamental architectural principles in a clear and meaningful way.

• Learning to question: Students will learn to situate their own questions arising from design practice within a broader set of theoretical questions shared by the fields of art and architecture; and to distinguish differences within the apparent iconological similarities between the two. In writing the explanatory text for their model, students will practice drafting a commentary that requires them to clearly and precisely communicate a critical position on the issues of architectural design, situated within the history and theory of architecture and art.

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Part 2: Theory and Composition – taught by Hubert Lionnez

This learning activity aims to deepen the tools of critical analysis of the architectural project and to develop an understanding of its constitutive logics. It engages students in building their own architectural culture, inviting them to question the status of images, representations, documents, and architectural archives, through a combination of diverse documentary research and the lived experience of architecture.

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Part 3: Surveying Techniques – taught by Véronique Becquevort

Part 1: Theory of Art and Architecture – taught by Wouter Van Acker

Method: Lecture-based course

Tools: General syllabus, PDFs of thematic PowerPoints, documentation, bibliography

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Part 2: Theory and Composition – taught by Hubert Lionnez

Six thematic lectures provide students with keys to reading and critically understanding the architectural project and its place within a specific cultural and disciplinary field.

The analytical study of a building offers students the opportunity to develop their own critical perspective and present it in a synthetic way.

The oral exam serves as a final pedagogical moment, giving students the chance to engage with the critical perspectives developed by their peers in the course.

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Part 3: Surveying Techniques – taught by Véronique Becquevort

Course notes

• Podcast
• Université virtuelle

Contacts

wouter.van.acker@ulb.be

Campus

Flagey

Method(s) of evaluation

• Practice work
• Personal work
• Oral examination
• Group work

Practice work

Personal work

Oral examination

• Examination with preparation

Group work

Part 1: Theory of Art and Architecture – taught by Wouter Van Acker

• Exercise 1 – Careful reading of two selected texts.

• Exercise 2 – Digital 3D modeling of an architectural sculpture that brings the two texts into dialogue through its modeling.

• Exercise 3 – A synthesis sheet compiling the theoretical and practical elements of the work carried out.

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Part 2: Theory and Composition – taught by Hubert Lionnez

Critical analysis of a building, carried out in groups of four students, including both collective and individual work, and presented orally during the exam session. Grading follows the assignment instructions published on Teams.

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Part 3: Surveying Techniques – taught by Véronique Becquevort

Language(s) of evaluation

• french
• (if applicable english )