AERIAL SPATIAL REVOLUTION
The conquest of the air and its impact on city, architecture and territory
from the origins of aviation to present time
Airborne technologies, such as aviation, drones and satellites, have become powerful tools for the representation, planning, control and governance of space. This spatial revolution that started with aeronautics in the early 20th century, however, has not yet been thoroughly studied in all its implications. The project provides the first systematic and interdisciplinary inquiry into the history and impact of the aerial spatial revolution.
Ranging from the eve of 20th century to the present day, the collaborative project focuses on the material and imaginary effects on the city, architecture and territory. The study is structured along three interconnected axes: ‘aero-vision’, ‘aero-planning’ and ‘aero-politics’. The first axis analyzes the epistemological and phenomenological significance of the vision from above, be it human or artificial. The second studies the far-reaching effects on architecture, planning and landscape. The third axis focuses on the spatial-political effects of air control, all the way to the impact of satellite and drone imagery.
This project brings together experts in urban planning and architecture, aesthetics, visual media theory and political philosophy and sets up a collaborative research between the SUPSI, the University of Fribourg and the OST Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences. With a wide depth of field and a broad time span covered, the genealogical method will allow to identify the epistemological patterns, visual codes and symbolic effects that have oriented the development of the aerial space revolution up until now.