Cultures of Assembly

Master in Architecture. University of Luxembourg
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Cultures of Assembly (CoA) is a long-term research initiative and podcast series run by the Chair of the City of Esch at the University of Luxembourg. CoA is a project for discussing and speculating on spaces of agonism and democracies in the making, it runs in parallel with a new neighbourhood agency in the city centre of Esch-sur-Alzette. CoA aims to generate productive dialogues between urban pasts, presents, and futures, and the various publics and individuals who claim and produce them. We are Markus Miessen, Ena Kukić, César Reyes Nájera, Gustav Nielsen, and Kristina Shatokhina.

  1. 4d ago

    CoA 15 – On Mapping and Low Arousal Activism with CSAM

    CSAM talk about how alternative forms of mapping and storytelling can question established planning narratives and create space for different voices, values, and ways of seeing the city. Centrum för studier av markanvändning (CSAM) challenges current models of urban development and the narratives that sustain them, using community engagement and art as tools for investigation. By engaging artists to interrogate the unjust allocation of urban resources, CSAM visualizes how major geopolitical shifts play out in local contexts. Founded in 2019 by long-time partners Victoria Percovich Gutierrez (economist), Åsa Bjerndell (architect), and Karl Landin (urban planner), our practice has grown out of work as architects and community organizers, and curating talks, exhibitions, and artistic interventions.

    CoA 15 – On Mapping and Low Arousal Activism with CSAM

  2. Feb 27

    CoA 14. On Politics, Monsters, and Superstorm with Noemi Biasetton

    Noemi Biasetton talks about the entanglements of design, politics, and media, as well as potentials for navigating complex political landscapes in the times of crisis. Noemi Biasetton is a design researcher, writer and editor based in Venice. Her academic studies focus on design cultures and visual representation, with a specific interest in how these are deployed within the social and political dimension. Her practice includes the production of essays and articles, the organization of talks and lectures, and the contribution to research projects for cultural and educational institutions. She is the author of SUPERSTORM. Design and Politics in the Age of Information (Onomatopee, 2024) and curator of the publishing series Bookcloud (bruno, 2022 – ongoing).

    CoA 14. On Politics, Monsters, and Superstorm with Noemi Biasetton

  3. 09/11/2025

    CoA 13. On Spatial Injustice with Najha Zigbi-Johnson

    Najha Zigbi-Johnson talks about urban struggles and spatial injustice. Najha Zigbi-Johnson is an independent writer, educator, and curator. Her work explores the intersections of the built environment, contemporary Black art, and social movement building. She is the editor of Mapping Malcolm, a publication that explores the legacy of Malcolm X as inscribed in the built environment. She is a graduate of Guilford College and Harvard Divinity School, and was a Research Fellow at the Graduate School of Architecture Preservation and Planning at Columbia University (2021-2022.) Najha’s work has been published by New York Magazine, Artforum, SEEN Journal, White Cube Gallery and more. Najha was raised in and currently resides in Harlem.

    CoA 13. On Spatial Injustice with Najha Zigbi-Johnson

  4. 12/03/2024

    CoA 12. On the Art of Assemblies with Florian Malzacher

    Florian Malzacher talks about assemblies as a form of art and activism. Florian Malzacher is a curator, writer, dramaturg, and currently visiting professor for dramaturgy and curatorial practice at the University for Design and Arts in Karlsruhe. He is the host of The Art of Assembly, a series of lectures and talks about the potential of gathering in art, activism, and politics (since 2021) as well as co-editor of the series Postdramatic Theater in Portraits published by Alexander Verlag Berlin. His texts have been translated into more than 15 languages. Portrait of Florian Malzacher, The Art of Assembly © Christine Miess.

    CoA 12. On the Art of Assemblies with Florian Malzacher

  5. 03/01/2024

    CoA 011. On Assemblies and Propaganda with Jonas Staal.

    Jonas Staal shares experiences on assemblies and internationalism contesting imperialist propaganda. Jonas Staal is a visual artist whose work deals with the relation between art, democracy, and propaganda. He is the founder of the artistic and political organization New World Summit (2012–ongoing). Together with Florian Malzacher he co-directs the training camp Training for the Future (2018-ongoing), and with human rights lawyer Jan Fermon he initiated the collective action lawsuit Collectivize Facebook (2020-ongoing). With writer and lawyer Radha D’Souza he founded the Court for Intergenerational Climate Crimes (2021-ongoing) and with Laure Prouvost he is co-administrator of the Obscure Union. Portrait of Jonas Staal, © Ruben Hamelink

    CoA 011. On Assemblies and Propaganda with Jonas Staal.

  6. 01/21/2024

    CoA 10. On Architecture and Politics with Oana Bogdan and Olaf Grawert.

    Oana Bogdan and Olaf Grawert discuss about the possible ways of political commitment in architecture. They share ideas and professional experiences confronting the rhetoric of conventional politics that keep citizens away from the debate and from the design and construction of the city. Oana Bogdan is a Belgium-Romanian architect. She founded the architectural firm Bogdan & Van Broeck, now reconfigured as &Bogdan which stands for cooperation. Her problem-solving mentality and cooperative ethos questions the architect’s traditional role, believing that the profession’s skills can be used to navigate the complexity of many areas of life. She took the role of Secretary of State for cultural heritage in the Romanian Government which assumed leadership of the country in 2016. In 2021 she was appointed Chairwoman of the ‘Good Living’ Expert Committee in charge of the reform of Brussels Region’s building code. Olaf Grawert works as a partner at the collaborative architecture practice bplus.xyz (Berlin), as a lecturer at station.plus (Department of Architecture, ETH Zurich) and in spring as an Adjunct Professor at the Politecnico in Milan. In 2021, he was co-curator of 2038 - The New Serenity, the German Pavilion at the 17th Architecture Biennale in Venice. As part of HouseEurope! a non-profit organization, he is currently co-organizing an European Citizens' Initiative aimed at boosting the renovation of existing buildings, to stop their demolition driven by speculation. bplus.xyz is known for its adaptive reuse projects of building ruins and industrial facilities that have fallen out of use.

    CoA 10. On Architecture and Politics with Oana Bogdan and Olaf Grawert.

  7. 08/02/2023

    CoA 9. On Deliberation with Claudia Chwalisz

    Claudia Chwalisz talks about deliberation, new democratic models, and commitment as a form of participation. Claudia Chwalisz is the Founder and CEO of DemocracyNext. Prior to that, Claudia served as the Innovative Citizen Participation Lead at the OECD, where she established and analysed around 600 examples of deliberative assemblies around the world, co-authored the "Catching the Deliberative Wave" report, and set standards for implementation and institutionalisation. She was involved in designing the world’s first permanent deliberative bodies made up of people drawn by a lottery in Ostbelgien, Paris, and Brussels. Claudia is an Obama Leader Europe 2023.

    CoA 9. On Deliberation with Claudia Chwalisz

  8. 06/30/2023

    CoA 8. Institutional Governance with Giovanna Borasi

    Giovanna Borasi talks about the agency of architecture culture institutions, contemporary social concerns, scales, and the public. Giovanna Borasi is an architect, editor, and curator. She has been Director of the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) since January 2020. Borasi’s work explores alternative ways of practicing and evaluating architecture, considering the impact of contemporary environmental, political, and social issues on the construction of the built environment. Portrait: © Richmond Lam

    CoA 8. Institutional Governance with Giovanna Borasi
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About

Cultures of Assembly (CoA) is a long-term research initiative and podcast series run by the Chair of the City of Esch at the University of Luxembourg. CoA is a project for discussing and speculating on spaces of agonism and democracies in the making, it runs in parallel with a new neighbourhood agency in the city centre of Esch-sur-Alzette. CoA aims to generate productive dialogues between urban pasts, presents, and futures, and the various publics and individuals who claim and produce them. We are Markus Miessen, Ena Kukić, César Reyes Nájera, Gustav Nielsen, and Kristina Shatokhina.

Information

  • Creator
    Master in Architecture. University of Luxembourg
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    15
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Master in Architecture. University of Luxembourg
  • Show Website
    Cultures of Assembly

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