Sex, Art, and Anarchitecture
Keynote by Jack Halberstam
In this talk Jack Halberstam will offer a compact history of mid twentieth century art by turning to a standoff between a straight man, Gordon Marta-Clark, who introduced ideas of unbuilding into the crowded city scape, and a gay man, Philip Johnson, responsible for some of its most grand skyscrapers.
As Matta-Clark studied buildings to learn how to engineer their collapse Johnson advocated for the removal of poor communities and made architecture and real estate synonymous. What can be learned from studying sex, art and what Marta-Clark termed anarchitecture? What does demolition make possible that development denies? How shouldwe think about Philip Johnson’s gayness in relation to his fascist commitments?
Jack
Halberstam
is a renowned scholar, author, and cultural critic, celebrated for his
contributions to gender studies, queer theory, and popular
culture. He is a Professor of English and Gender Studies at Columbia
University, where his work spans diverse fields including literature,
film, and visual culture.