The official website of the 18th International Docomomo Conference has launched!
The deadline for Call for Sessions is September 1, 2023.
The 18th Docomomo International Conference in Chile 2024 will have a call for sessions first, then a call for papers.
The submission of session proposals in a comparative and interdisciplinary way will be greatly encouraged. In order to open up opportunities of discussion of Modern Movement architecture, its conservation in relation to sustainable design, from comprehensive and extended fields of knowledge and points of view, proposal submissions dealing with the following sub-themes are encouraged:
- Landscapes and territories of the modern movement
New purposes for obsolete infrastructure, relationship with nature, mining, geographies - Better Cities
Modern towns, intermediate cities, urban design - Public spaces and urban complexes
Housing, urban nature culture, ecological approaches, community recreation and leisure - Education and design
Modern values and adaptive reuse, didactics, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches - Buildings
Ordinary heritage, masterpieces reconsidered - Modern Interiors conservation and everyday life
Adaptivity, furniture, crafts and industrial design - Earthquakes and Sustainable technologies
Material and modern architecture, concrete, glass, wood - Modernity and Diversity
Activism, community participation, gender, cultural legitimacy, geographical approaches, other modernisms - Theories and Histories for conservation and sustainability
Narratives, archives, curatorial practices, exhibitions - New generations for modern futures
Generational studies, social entrepreneurship, innovation, changemakers, critical thinkers, new media, social networks, commons
- 2 June – 1 September 2023 – Call for sessions.
- 1 September – Deadline.
The session must have a title and will be related to the thematic areas of the Conference, have one or two organisers/chairs, preferably from different affiliations. The type of session would be a regular paper session (1h40, max. 4/5 papers); or a roundtable. Innovative session formats are welcome.
The session abstract would have a maximum of 600 words, and the description must point to a coherent and focused topic related to the thematic areas of the Conference, clarify the goals and the relevance of the Session, define a leading question, key issues, the scientific relevance of the session in the context of recent state of the art and a list of potential themes that will particularly fit in with the goals of the session.
The sessions may also have sponsors related to research projects, research groups, public institutions, universities, or other organizations.
Each session chair is expected to fund their own travel and expenses to Santiago de Chile. Session chairs must register and establish membership in Docomomo for the 2024 conference by January 5, 2024, and are required to pay the non-refundable conference registration fee as a show of their commitment.
20 September 2023 – Sessions Selection Announcement.
Session proposals will be selected by the Scientific Committee based on merit and the need to have a well-balanced program according to the following criteria: relevance, novelty/innovation, scientific quality, structure, and organization of the session.
Modern Futures
Sustainable development and cultural diversity
The 18th International Docomomo Conference’s theme is “Modern Futures: sustainable development and cultural diversity.”
This conference aims to remark on the exploration and development of new ideas for the future of a sustainable built environment based on the past experiences of the Modern Movement.
Salar del Carmen estate. Mario Pérez de Arce, Jaime Besa, 1960-1962. Photo: N/A Archivo de Originales CID SLGM, FADEU-PUC.
The architecture of the Modern Movement spread throughout the world, and its realization in different places were source of innovation, new knowledge, and creativity. The Modern Movement has often been considered in its unitary condition; histories and theories have traditionally emphasized its universal meanings. But in fact, it assumed diversity as one of its topics. Therefore, there are so many different kinds of modern architecture in so many places. The conference will be the moment to debate the legacy of the Modern movement facing the difference, the diversity, and the need for a new global approach.
Copelec Building. Borchers, Bermejo and Suárez. 1961-1966. Photo: Andrés Téllez
On the other hand, the promotion of modern heritage conservation requires the dissemination of techniques and methods, which can be adapted properly to different circumstances, places, and climates. Adaptive reuse is essentially the recognition of diversity, but at the same time, it is a way for conservation to be accomplished in a sustainable manner. Sustainability involves material and energy, as well as social and significant aspects. The United Nations’ goals for sustainable development give us a framework to think about the conservation of modern heritage associated with the needed global transformations.
Our commitment and knowledge of the conservation of modern heritage can partake of the international agenda in search of sustainability, considered in a broad sense. The world is becoming increasingly urbanized, and the reuse of the spaces created by the modern movement becomes crucial in the metropolitan environment, mostly because nature was introduced into the urban fabric, and the communities that inhabit it claim their right to a more inclusive city, as well as an improved quality of life. And the ensembles of the modern movement provide a better environment than the city that is being built today.
