Björn Franke News - Projects - Research - Teaching - Biography
Design as a Medium for Inquiry, 2007 - present Design allows to think in the concrete and specific as well as in the abstract and general. Aesthetic theories have proposed that this artistic approach can generate more immediate insights into philosophical issues. Artefacts allow to think in tangible ways that might create a descriptive comprehension of complex issues, or in the words of Sherry Turkle: “Evocative objects bring philosophy down to earth. When we focus on objects, physicians and philosophers, psychologists and designers, artists and engineers are able to find common ground in everyday experience.”
Posthuman Futures, 2007 - present The transformation and transcendence of the human being has long been a subject of philosophic inquiry. Currently, however, through advances in technology and scientific understanding of the molecular basis of life, the human being is increasingly subject to fundamental modification. Progress in the scientific understanding of human cognition and behaviour, as well as the potential modification of these, challenge long-held beliefs about responsibility, autonomy and free will. Technological developments in the fields of artificial intelligence, human/machine interfaces and implant technology further blur the boundaries between human and non-human. These changes challenge moral and ethical concepts, human identity and agency, and may gradually transform the human into what might be called the posthuman. This research project investigates this posthuman condition through theoretical and practical research. The theoretical part analyses philosophical concepts of the human, the posthuman and technology as well as technologies and scientific understanding which advance the human transformation. The practical part uses conceptual design objects as a medium for philosophic inquiry and speculation about the posthuman. (Images: José Delgado, The Physical Control of the Mind, 1969)
Apocalyptic Architecture, 2005 Since the invention of nuclear weapons and the possibility of destroying the entire civilisation, many protective structures were built. The notion of the shelter became the main strategy for the survival of civilisation. Many dystopian visions seemed to become reality and humans had to live underground beneath the uninhabitable surface. This research project investigates these structures and their relation to society during the Cold War, as well as their relevance today. Some of them are hidden as they were kept secret and some are hidden inside other structures. Digging under the surface of the Cold War means bringing something forward that might lie under everyday structures. (Images: US Office of Civil Defence, Public Shelter Designs, 1960s)
Eastern German Remains, 2005 The Reunification of Germany was the end for the German Democratic Republic and its political, social and economic system. Its national institutions were integrated into the structures of the West. The shutdown of factories and military sites, as well as the migration of large parts of the population to Western Germany led to an enormous amount of abandoned spaces. Furthermore, the departure of nearly half a million soldiers of the Red Army stationed in Eastern German increased the amount of deserted military sites and objects. Most of these spaces are vacant today and slowly disintegrating. Others are torn down or converted for private use. Some of them were bought by military enthusiasts and are kept alive to function as a museum. This research project investigates these spaces, their transformation and their new occupants - which are sometimes the old ones - on a road trip through the former German Democratic Republic. (Images: Tim Giesen, 2005)
© 2004 - 2010 Björn Franke |
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