Keller Easterling

Covid-19 is an X-ray of whiteness, inequality, and ineffectual government as well as a rehearsal for climate catastrophe. It models a way out of the modern mind that maintains the myth of solutions, newness, freedom, and universals. That mind gives authority to new digital technologies, econometrics, law, and other technical languages that attempt to segregate and solve a complex of problems. That mind looks to establish what would be the most dangerous outcome of this moment—a “new normal.”

Without respect for nationalities, legal jurisdictions, or homo economicus, Covid-19 confounds these thin technological or lexical constructs. It slices across all of the political, legal, and disciplinary boundaries, leaving a vivisection of interdependent factors. Data about infection rates or atmospheric temperatures means very little when not considered in terms of race, governance, health care, and underlying health factors. There are no equations of certainty.

But Covid-19 graphically models not only the productive entanglement between problems; it models nothing less than alternative approaches to forms for re-tuning and redesigning that entanglement. Interplay is itself the form. A protocol of interplay is different from a solution. It is different from designing a single object or building. It is a verb rather than a noun. It mixes different species of information from the scale of microns to the scale of territories. It mixes heavy physical spatial information with digital, quantitative, econometric expressions. It mixes epidemiological, ethnographic, demographic, economic, social, and cultural evidence.

For Covid-19, spatial, medical, and behavior evidence combined in a remarkably simple, practical and reliable protocol for distancing, hand-washing, and face covering. But we are designing protocols that deal with, among many other things, automation, migration, police defunding, cooperative land tenure, coastal retreat, reforestation, and compounding reparations. Each resists solutions or elementary particles. And because these forms are lumpy and time released, they also resist still imagery. Interplay imagery is more like that of weather maps, games, or time-lapse.

And space is the great mixing chamber for these protocols of interplay that look for no normal.

*November*: conversation at Karma with Emmanuel Olunkwa and Ricky Ruihong Li

November: conversation at Karma with Emmanuel Olunkwa and Ricky Ruihong Li

November — February 21, 2023

Trabar Sin Soluciones/Working Without Solutions, Interview

Trabar Sin Soluciones/Working Without Solutions, Interview

Federico Ortiz, Ushma Thakrar, Negacion/Refusal, Escuela de Arquitectura Universidad San Sebastian — December 5, 2022

Direct (Dispositional) Action

Direct (Dispositional) Action

Martin Beck, Beatrice von Bismarck, and Sabeth Buchmann, Ilse Lafer, eds., Broken Relations: Infastructure, Aesthetics, and Critique (Spector Books). — November 1, 2022

Levittowns: Dialogue with Kenismael Santiago-Pagan

Levittowns: Dialogue with Kenismael Santiago-Pagan

Pairs — June 29, 2022

Non-Growing: Translation *Subtraction*, Interview *Medium Design*

Non-Growing: Translation Subtraction, Interview Medium Design

Ehituskunst #61/62, Estonia — July 1, 2022

El Ejido

El Ejido

Ida Soulard, Abinadi Meza, and Bassam El Baroni, eds., Manual for a Future Desert (Milan: Mousse Publishing). — 2021

*Expansions*  Venice Biennale

Expansions Venice Biennale

2021

Release

Release  

Esperanto Culture Magazine — April 1, 2021

21st Century City

21st Century City

“Designing Infrastructure,” in Suzanne Hall and Ricky Burdett eds., The Sage Handbook of Urban Sociology: New approaches to the twenty-first century city (London: SAGE/LSE). — 2017

A Man a Tree and and Ax

A Man a Tree and and Ax

Lola Sheppard and Maya Przybylski, eds., Bracket: At Extremes (Barcelona: Actar). — November 1, 2016

*ARQ 92: Excepiones*

ARQ 92: Excepiones

April 1, 2016

The Dispositions of Theory

The Dispositions of Theory

James Graham, ed.,The Urgencies of Architectural Theory (New York, GSAPP Books) — 2015

Documenta 14 Daybook

Documenta 14 Daybook

Documenta 14: Daybook, (Prestel, 2017) — July 1, 2017

Encounters with Climate

Encounters with Climate

“Encounters with Climate” in James D. Graham, ed., Climates: Architecture and the Planetary Imaginary (Columbia Books on Architecture and the City/Lars Muller Publishers, 2015). — 2016

Everywhere

Everywhere

Zivot: Transmigrancy, 12/2017.101 — December 1, 2017

The Histories of Things That Don't Happen and Shouldn't Always Work

The Histories of Things That Don’t Happen and Shouldn’t Always Work

Arjun Appadurai and Arien Mack, eds., Failure: Social Research International Quarterly — September 1, 2016

I Kan Beholde Jeres States_Borgerskab For Jer Selv

I Kan Beholde Jeres States_Borgerskab For Jer Selv

Arkitekten 06 — August 1, 2018

Impossible

Impossible

Pedro Gadanho, Joao Laia and Susana Ventura, eds., Utopia/Dystopia: a Paradigm Shift in Art and Architecture — March 1, 2017

Infra-read: Interview by Jesse Seegers

Infra-read: Interview by Jesse Seegers

Pin-Up — May 1, 2016

Foreword

Foreword

Nicholas De Monchaux, Local Code: 3659 Proposals about Data, Design and the Nature of Cities, (PAP) — 2016

Matrix Space

Matrix Space

Mohsen Mostafavi, Ethics of the Urban: The City and the Spaces of the Political (Harvard GSD, Lars Muller) — 2017

Park in *Allan Sekula: Okeanos*

Park in Allan Sekula: Okeanos

Daniela Zyman and Cory Scozzari, Allan Sekula: Okeanos (Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Sternberg Press, 2017) — July 1, 2017

On Dispositions and Form Making: A Conversation Keller Easterling and Andrea Phillips

On Dispositions and Form Making: A Conversation Keller Easterling and Andrea Phillips

Paul O’Neill, Lucy Steeds and Mick Wilson, eds. How Institutions Think: Between Contemporary Art and Curatorial Discourse (MIT Press) — 2017

Review: *Burdens of Linearity* by Catherine Ingraham

Review: Burdens of Linearity by Catherine Ingraham

Constructs — 2006

Space as a Medium of Innovation, Interview with Berndt Upmeyer

Space as a Medium of Innovation, Interview with Berndt Upmeyer

MONU: Magazine on Urbanism, #26, Spring 2017 — May 1, 2017

Split Screen

Split Screen

Ilke and Andreas Ruby, eds., Infrastructure Space, Holcim Foundation (Ruby Press). — 2016

Subtracting the Suburbs

Subtracting the Suburbs

Infinite Suburbia, Alan Berger, Joel Kotkin, eds. (New York, PAP) — 2017

Suburbia in Reverse

Suburbia in Reverse

Stephanie Hessler, ed. Tidaletics, MIT Press, 2018 — March 1, 2018

Superbug

Superbug

Log 39 Spring 2017 — March 15, 2017

Terra Incognita

Terra Incognita

Unthought Environments — 2019

The Switch

The Switch

Imre Szeman and Jeff Diamanti, eds., Energy Culture: Art and Theory on Oil and Beyond (West Virginia University Press). — 2019

Things That Don't Always Work

Things That Don’t Always Work

Ryan Bishop, Kristoffer Gansing, Jussi Parikka and Elvia Wilk, eds., Across and Beyond—A Transmediale Reader on Post-digital Practices, Concepts, and Institutions — 2016

Things That Shouldn't Always Work

Things That Shouldn’t Always Work

ERA 21 Post Digitalni Architektura — 2019

To Play Space

To Play Space

Perspecta 51: Medium — October 1, 2018

Protocols of Interplay

Protocols of Interplay

Volume: The System — April 1, 2016

Interview

Interview

Arqa — 2011

World City Doubles

World City Doubles

Roldolphe El-Khoury and Edward Robbins, ed., Shaping the City: Studies in History, Theory and Urban Design (Routledge). — June 1, 2013

Fresh Fields

Fresh Fields

Coupling: Pamphlet Architecure 30 Infranet Lab/Lateral Office (New York: Princeton Architectural Press) — 2011

Megabuilding

Megabuilding

Architektura 4, 163 (Kwiecien) — 2009

In the Briar Patch

In the Briar Patch

Jonathan Solomon ed., Sustain and Develop 306090 Volume 13 (New York: 306090, Inc.) — 2009

Intermediate Points of Interest

Intermediate Points of Interest

Gaby Brainard, Rustam Mehta, and Thom Moran eds., Perspecta 41 Grand Tour — 2008

Rumor

Rumor

Megan Born and Lily Jencks, eds, Via: Dirt, University of Pennsylvania — 2012

The Agent: Interview with Neeraj Bhatia

The Agent: Interview with Neeraj Bhatia

The Agent No. 0 — May 1, 2014

The Knowledge

The Knowledge

Volume 13: Ambition — 2007

Absolute Submission

Absolute Submission

Crisis, a collaboration of C-Lab and Urban China — September 15, 2008

Come to Things

Come to Things

Metahaven and Marina Vishmidt, eds., Uncorporate Identity (Zürich: Lars Müller) — 2010

Disposition: In_site

Disposition: In_site

In_Site: A Dynamic Equilibrium, In_Site 05 (Friessen) — 2007

Foreword

Foreword

Young Architects 7: Situating, catalog of Architectural League's Young Architects competition and exhibition (New York: Princeton Architectural Press) — 2006

Pandas: A Rehearsal

Pandas: A Rehearsal

Cornell Journal of Architecture — 2011

Other Aggressions and Maneuvers

Other Aggressions and Maneuvers

The Last Mile, photography catalog Satya Pemmaraju (Gallery SKE) — 2007

Subtraction

Subtraction

Perspecta 34: Temporary Architecture (MIT Press) — 2003

A-Ware

Journal of Architectural Education, special digital issue — January 1, 2002

Wildcards: a Game of Orgman

Wildcards: a Game of Orgman

Metalocus 5 — 2000

Interchange and Container: The New Orgman

Interchange and Container: The New Orgman

Perspecta 30 Settlement Patterns — 1999

A Short Contemplation on Money and Comedy

A Short Contemplation on Money and Comedy

Thresholds 18 (MIT) — 1999

Distributive Protocols: Residential Formations

Distributive Protocols: Residential Formations

Beauty is Nowhere: Ethical Issues in Art and Design (Routledge) — 1998

American Town Plans excerpt

ANY — 1993

Siting Protocols

Siting Protocols

Peter Lang, ed., Suburban Discipline (Storefront Books) — 1997

Call it Home

Assemblage 24 — 1994

Perceiving Action

Offramp, SCI-ARC Journal, vol. 1, no. 5 — 1993

Switch

Switch

City Speculations (New York: Princeton Architectural Press) — 1996

Non-statecraft

Non-statecraft

Maghreb Connection: Movements of Life Across North Africa (Barcelona: ACTAR) — 2007

Graduate Sessions No. 9

Graduate Sessions No. 9

Syracuse University — 2010

Not Everything

Not Everything

Volume 2: Not Everything — 2005

Without Claims to Purity

Without Claims to Purity

aX, vol. 1+2 (Winter) — 2008

Architect-at-Large

Architect-at-Large

Volume 1 — 2005

The Activist Entrepreneur

The Activist Entrepreneur

John Wriedt ed., Architecture: From the Outside In (New York: Princeton Architectural Press) — 2010

With Satellites: Remote Sending in South Asia and the Middle East

With Satellites: Remote Sending in South Asia and the Middle East

Brian McGrath and Grahame Shane eds., AD, Sensing the 21st Century: Close-up and Remote Vol. 75 No. 6 — 2005

Offshore

Offshore

Anselm Frank and Eyal Weizman, eds., Territories: the Frontiers of Utopia and Other Facts on the Ground (Berlin: Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König) — 2004

Orgman

Orgman

Stephen Graham, ed., The Cybercities Reader (London: Routledge) — 2003

Unsettling Matter Gaining Ground, Dialogue with Imani Jacqueline Brown

Unsettling Matter Gaining Ground, Dialogue with Imani Jacqueline Brown

Carnegie Museum of Art — October 5, 2023 – January 7, 2024

The Mix

The Mix

forA: Frictions — March 1, 2024