Laura Fiorio
mending
“According to the American historian Ann Laura Stoler, the term aphasia indicates the inability to speak about one’s own past, especially in relation to colonial power relationships.
Departing from my family history, I use participatory archiving methods to deal with objects – footage, family photos, letters, etc. – that are part of what is usually called ‘a difficult heritage.’ I display my family archive publicly through projections connecting those moments with the present ruins of modernist architectures, and with other people’s gathered materials. In doing so, I aim to encourage public debate around how to deal with histories that, precisely because they are in close proximity to us, within our intimate sphere of affection, demonstrate the normalization of ideology and oppressive systems of power.
Weaving together possible connections among local histories and collective memories, my work problematizes my grandfathers’ involvement in the fascist regime in Italy and proposes strategies that can lead to healing processes and a critical positioning in the present.”
The fundamental pedagogical approach of the course Decolonizing Architecture is based on the articulation of sites, concepts, and people. Each participant is asked to choose a particular site, understood as a site of action and a site of knowledge. Concepts emerging from the research site provide a grounded theoretical approach to the practice.
During the spring semester Decolonizing Architecture shares the concepts that informed this year individual and collective research.