neutrality
Ahmed Al-Nawas, Beatrice Lopez, Sveva Crisafulli, Sarah Herfurth, Andreea Midvighi, Martha Pagliuca Pelacani, Ravenna Westerhout, Nera Jelaska, Andy Allen-Olivar, Stefan Fuchs, Herman Hjorth Berge, Robin Dingemans
“In October 2023, we, participants of Decolonizing Architecture Advanced Studies (DAAS) created a living room space in the entrance of the Royal Institute of Art. Without official permission to use the foyer, DAAS participants acted out of a desperate physical need to process an extremely difficult moment not in isolation from the classroom, but rather in contact with the wider public that constitutes the institution.
As Israeli aggressions on civilians in Gaza resulted in rapidly increasing and unthinkable numbers of casualties, we, as DAAS participants, felt we could not participate in a course engaging in ‘decolonization’ without directly and unavoidably challenging the claim of ‘neutrality’ from the Royal Institute of Art in relation to the ongoing genocide. The ‘DAAS Living room for Palestine’ became ours, and the space for mourning, holding, learning, caring, commoning and solidarity.”
During the spring semester Decolonizing Architecture shares the concepts that informed this year individual and collective research.