As contemporary life is restructured by data-driven systems and algorithmic logic, the place of human perception and imagination within architecture grows increasingly uncertain. The exhibition “This Is Not Architecture: Somewhere, Nowhere” posed a question: "What should architecture dream of?"
Architen, a nationwide network of architecture students, examined how human senses and imagination are being pushed aside in the technology-driven society. The exhibition unfolded at Boan1942, an art space in Tongui-dong, Seoul, from Feb. 5 to 11, bringing together 45 students from 25 universities.
Rather than treating architecture simply as physical buildings, some 20 works spanning video, sculpture and installation showed how the architects-to-be had expanded the concept of architecture, exploring it as a way of thinking and experiencing the world.
They took three themes: “Somewhere,” “Nowhere” and “Nowdream."
“Somewhere” explored intimate scales of architecture — furniture, rooms and everyday traces — inviting viewers to rediscover architectural moments in daily life. “Nowhere” examined contemporary conditions, questioning whether AI-generated images can still be called architecture. “Nowdream” reimagined the historic inn housing Boan1942 as a dreamlike space shaped by sound, material and ambiguity, according to Architen.
The accompanying program “Nap” invited visitors to lie down among the works, shifting the exhibition from passive viewing to bodily experience. In doing so, the students framed architecture less as a rigid discipline and more as an inclusive space for imagination.
Founded in 2009, Architen is a nonprofit, voluntary organization composed of university students across the country, majoring in architecture and related disciplines.
Using architecture as a medium, the group explores the boundaries between art, society and technology, organizing and curating exhibitions, workshops and lectures in various formats.
yunapark@heraldcorp.com
