A discussion on the main principles of Zenetos' research on the city and house of the future, and the reevaluation of Electronic Urbanism in line with the recent technological and social developments.

On June 29, 2017, 40 years will have passed since the death of Takis Ch. Zenetos. An exponent of a visionary and radical modernism, Zenetos has been acknowledged as one of the leading figures of the 20th century Greek architecture. Not only a renowned designer with an excellent knowledge of technology, Zenetos was a tireless researcher who designed visionary projects responding to the demands of a world much more advanced than Greece back in the ‘70s. Studying articles in scientific journals of the time, Zenetos defined accurately many of the electronic applications which determine everyday life in the 21st century, such as ‘tele-working’ and ‘tele-services’, and designed a wide range of innovative infrastructures in different scales. The detailed presentation of the Electronic Urbanism research project in the exhibition Tomorrows offers the opportunity to re-approach Zenetos' visionary work. The discussion will focus on the main principles of Zenetos' research on the city and house of the future, and the reevaluation of Electronic Urbanism in line with the recent technological and social developments. Moreover, the event will attempt to highlight some hidden aspects of the Greek modernism and 1960s visions.

Speakers:
Panos Dragonas, Architect, Professor at the University of Patras
Lydia Kallipoliti, Architect, Assistant Professor at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Manolis Marmaras, Architect, Professor at the Technical University of Crete
Yorgos Tzirtzilakis, Architect, Associate Professor at the University of Thessaly

At the Upper Stage of Onassis Cultural Centre

Speculations, stories, fictions: What role can they play in a contradictory era when they become part of architectural and artistic projects? How can they engage with elusive phenomena, such as climate change, or the rapid development and use of artificial intelligence? To which degree can they provoke change?
 
As part of the Tomorrows exhibition, Onassis Cultural Centre organised an afternoon of talks on current practices and methodologies that use speculation to explore near or distant futures. Participants from the exhibition were invited to present their approaches and the ways in which they respond to users’ and inhabitants’ worries and expectations. Through these approaches, speculations about the future role of architecture and design also occured; going beyond their common functionality, they were redefined as they focus on fictional scenarios, and aim to evoke discussions about the relationship of the human with nature and the machine. Distinct examples offered the opportunity for critical reflections on possible as well as desirable futures.

Topics and participants:

5:00 pm
Techno-Natural Environments in the Era of Climate Change
with Stefania Strouza & The New Raw, Zinovia Toloudi and Michael Young
 
7:00 pm
Garments for a Surveilled Future
with Behnaz Farahi and Adam Harvey
 
8:30 pm
Images from the City of Tomorrow
with Penelope Haralambidou and Liam Young