After Diagrams

Author(s): Pier Vittorio Aureli

Source: Log, No. 6 (Fall 2005), pp. 5-9
Published by: Anyone Corporation
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PierVittorio
Aureli
After
Diagrams

evertruly
Nothing disappears.
- CarlAndre

Diagrams,as theyhavebeenconceivedand usedin architec-

turethroughout thelastcentury, havethepowerto simulta-
neously construct, design, exposean idea,whileat the
and
sametimesimplifying and idealizingfactsand eventsof the
worldas simplesigns.Diagramsarepowerfuldevicesbut
also problematic ones,in thesensethattheyare constantly
the
updating representation of a workbeyonditseffectual
truth, and thus reducing it to an ever-changing image.The
diagram,therefore, tendsto becomean accessiblelanguage
thateasilyabsorbsand consumesthingsand events,a con-
sumptionof our experienceof theworldas it existsaround
us. Becauseof itsevolutionary nature,to ignoreor refusethe
diagramputsone in an impossibleposition.It is notpossible
to totallyrefuseit,preciselybecausediagramsare inevitably
also a formof language,butone has to be skepticaland
awareof theway thislanguageis constructed, becauseit is
very similar to therhetoric of language Languageis
itself.
continually exposed to the risk of being the mere camouflage
of reality, whichmeansthatwe picturetheworld,as
1.Nihilismcouldbeseen asthe essence said,solelyin termsof our "language
ofthe ofWestern
history thought from LudwigWittgenstein
Greek onward.
philosophy In the historygames." But diagramsare notsimplecamouflages of reality:
ofthe Westernworld, most great con- more as a form of value-free nihilism.
flicts, anddisputes
dissents, developed theyappeartoday
withinthiscommon frame, which arose Nihilismclaimsthatthingsare nothing;it is theidea thatan
forthe time
first with the advent of
the
metaphysics: world ismade ofthings entitycan be,at anymoment,nothing.Therefore, nihilism
thatarecreatedoutofnothing, andthus is thedeliberateconsumption of thebeingof thingsand
returntonothing.SeeEmanuele
Severino,Essenza
delNichilismo (Milan: events.1 If diagrams- as therhetoricof todayseemsto claim
Adelphi,1982), Of
155-54-, course there
is - are the creationofpossibilities of factsthatdid notexist
nosimple way ofapplying this criticism
withinarchitectureandurbanism, since before,thesamepossibilities of facts,bymeansof theirspe-
botharesoembedded inthe ideaof"cre- cific could be condemned to returnto nothingagain.
ation"and"project."However, itis being,
importanttokeep itinmind, not in
only One of the of
origins diagrammatic representationcould
ordertothink nihilismina nihilistic be tracedbackto theawarenessof urban
way,but alsotobeconstructively (and spaceand theforms
critically) ofthe
skeptical currently ofgovernance thatthisentitydemands.The adventof cartog-
andvalue
indisputable -free faithinthe
ideaofchange asphenomena liberated raphyin thecourseof the17thand 18thcenturiesand of
from anybeing ofthings andevents. electromagnetism in theearly19thcenturycouldbe seenas
Thisisa faith
that,inarchitecture and
of thematerialization of spacethroughtherepre-
urbanism,canbesustained only throughexamples
thedemiurgic iconography ofdiagrams.sentationand creationof a web of spatialtransaction: net-
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2.Renato "Tre
Barilli, sulpost- worksand flows.2Urbanspace,as a representation
Ipotesi of an
moderno,"inFucine
Mute50998).
www.fucine.com
http:// that
entity goesbeyond opacity the of theobject and beyond
3."Truthfrom isthe
Diagrams" title
of theconventional natureof theplan,can onlybe represented
onechapterofLaVille ,in
Radieuse
whichthe and"exact" throughthediagram,whichis bydefinition
diagrammatic a graphictool
ofhuman
representation life
isfor Le thattranscends theconventions of scale,plan,and object.It
Corbusier
a condition
"toplace
a 'theory'
backinitstrue
frame." is interesting to notethatLe Corbusier, theadvocateof the
flan as a fulcrumofarchitecture and urbanism,clearlystated
in hisprojectfortheVilleRadieusethatthetruthcomesfrom
thediagram.Thus,to placetheorybackin itstrueframe,as
he claimed,a diagramis absolutely indispensable.*Thismeans
thatthegovernanceof thetransformations of theworldis
unthinkable withouttherepresentation of the"new" forces
thatshapeour environment. Butin thecourseof the20th
century, theevolutionof thediagramis no longerrestricted
to thetransition frombuiltformto urbanspace,to thetotal-
ity of the environment. The diagramalso feedsbackinto
architecture thus
itself, becomingone of themostfetishized
iconographie formswithinthedisciplineand itsdiscourse.
The so-calledbubblediagramsdonebygraduatestu-
dentsat Harvardin the1950ssupposedlymodeledwaysof
understanding spaceand waysof movingthroughspace.
The bubblediagramsare theancestorsof manydiagrams
producedtoday:a sortof semanticmimesisofmovement and
flowsthatreleasesarchitects fromthefearof theunavoid-
able fixityof architecture. In thisway diagramsare still
usedin orderto postponethemomentof theproject,the
inevitabilityof architecture, and thustheinevitability of
decision,of conjecture,of thehazardous,and ultimately, of
form.It is interesting thatthisescapefromarchitectural
formbymeansof analysisof theforcesthatmodelitsfixity
became,at a certainpoint,an architectural formitself.For
example,Alisonand PeterSmithson'sentryto the1958
HauptstadtBerlincompetition couldbe seenas a formaliza-
tionof diagrammatic forcesthattranscendtheindividuality
of thefinitearchitectural formbybeingthephysicalstruc-
tureof thecity.Herearchitecture almostmimetically repre-
sentstheforcesthatare governingthecity.Architecture
beginsto be thefrozenexpressionof theforces:theconcept
of megastructure itselfis nothinglessthana frozenvector
of thediagram.If thediagramis a vectorof forces,thenit is
no longerpossibleto describetheseforcesin one finiteurban
artifact.Therefore, theurbanartifact itselfshouldmimeti-
cally resemble the form of the diagram.In thisway,as the
vectorof forcesbecomesinfrastructure, thecityis imagined
as a "plug-insystem," and itselfbecomesdiagrammatic.
This idea transcends different stylesand different
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 languagesand goesbeyondthetypeof megastructure itself.
The sameconceptwould be appliedbyverydifferent archi-
tects,fromArchigram (Plug-inCity,1964), to Louis Kahn
(RichardsMedicalResearchBuilding,1957-60),to Cedric
Price(Fun Palace,1960-61).In thesecases,architectural
formbeginsto respondto thechallengeof theforcesthatare
shapingtheurbanenvironment. One of theseforcesis clearly
infrastructure and mobility. Fromthisarchitectural idea,
articulatedsince1956byYona Friedmanand others,Kenzo
Tangewas able to reconsidertheactualformof themetrop-
oliswithhisprojectfortheBayofTokyo(I960), a formal
configuration basedon thediagramof theplug-insystem,
whichArataIsozakiand KishoKurokawawould laterapply
withintheiridea of a "capsular"architecture (Cityin the
4.Itisinteresting
tonote thatthe Air,1961;NakaginCapsuleTower,1970-72).4
philosopherLieven deCauter haddevel- The powerof thediagramis itsabilityto evokethe
oped a genealogyofwhat hehaddefined
as"capsular a
civilization," representa-reshapingof an entiresituationwithone simplegesture.
tionofthe world based onthe exclusive
andpervasive nature ofcontemporary Thus,themostproblematic aspectof thediagramis its
networks,bystarting from the to
capacity immediately subsume thatis absolutely
metabolist ofurbanism, in something
conception irreducible to This is even moreevident
which thediagram ofthe plug-in anyrepresentation.
becomes the iconicformalizationofthe in therecentuse of
cyberneticworld. SeeLieven DeCauter, diagrams,wheretheiconographie per-
The CapsularCivilization:
On the in
City the suasion, or better,its graphic decor, becomes the main
AgeofFear (Rotterdam: NAiPublishers,essenceof itscontent. So thereis a paradoxin our discipline:
2004). Onthe genealogyofthe network
asthe diagrammatic representationof On the one hand, architectural formis lessand lessimpor-
theworld, seeMark Wigley, "Network -
Fever,"inInsideDensity,ed.Hilde Hey- tant;
on theother,architectural thinking thekindof
nen andDavid Vanderburgh (Brussels: autonomous,creative,and nihilisticarchitectural thinking
LaLettre Volée,200$),155-85. thatreducesthingsto alwayschangingiconsand signs,to
5."Liberated from theobligationtocon-
struct, canbecome
[architecture] away nothing- is able to reconstruct a representation of the
ofthinking aboutanything - a discipline
that "world," it
updating beyond itsimmanent This
possibilities.
representsrelationships,propor-
tions,connections, the
effects, diagram ubiquitousiconographie of as the
ofeverything." Rem Koolhaas, Fore- power diagrams represen-
word, inContent,ed.Rem Koolhaas and tationand updatingof everything beyondthebeingof things
Brendan McGetrick (Cologne: Taschen, is ultimately summarizedbyRemKoolhaas,who claimsthat
2004), 20.
architecture liberatedfromtheobligationto construct can be
in the of
become, fact, diagram everything, Ï
In thisregard,diagramscouldbe seenas nihilistic
instruments bymeansofwhichevery"new" theorycan cre-
ateand deleteitsown representation of theworld.This con-
dition, farfrom beingperceived in itsnecessarydimension,
is onlyexploitedas simplistic dodgingin orderto continu-
ouslystartagain; thisis a problemof thediagram.It both
acknowledges theirreducibility, complexity, and contradic-
tionof theurbanenvironment, and at thesametimereduces
thesecomplexities and contradictions to an idealizationthat
alwayschangesand startsagainbyvirtueof itsown logic.
Moreover,itsinterpretation is also opento anykindof
change and conclusion, changeand a conclusionthatare
a
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 finallyliberatedfromthebeingof thecityitselfas a con-
structmadeup of thingsand events.If diagramscan liberate
architecture and thecityfromtheirown being,thismeans
thatthechangebecomeschangeex nihilo,foritsown sake.
Beingcannotsustaina constantcomingfromand
returning to nothingexceptin therealmof metaphysics. But
theway research,information, and communication are pro-
ducedtodayis unconsciously metaphysical. It does not estab-
lishan intersubjective knowledgethroughexperience, but
rathertriesto construct iconsof realityin orderto sustain
rhetoricand consensus.This rhetoricis thensynthesized
throughan imagery, whichcan onlybe addressed,as
FriedrichEngelssaidof ideology,througha falseconscious-
ness.In thissense,thediagramis notonlyincreasingand
creatingpossibilities forour imagination of reality, butin
theendis puttingrealityintoan alienatingstraitjacket in
whichour desirefortheworldis reducedto an endless
iconographie nightmare. This,I believe,is theproblematic
natureof thehegemonyof diagrammatic representation.
This representation is constantly promisingtheproduction of
a worldyetto comebyimplicitly claimingthevalue-free
natureof becoming,butbecausesucha worldhas yetto come
out of nothing,it is also readyto go backto nothingagain.
A questiontherefore arises:On whatbasisarewe repre-
senting thehypotheses thatso-calledresearchtodayis sup-
posed not only to illustrate butalso toproduced
The evolutionof thediagramfromdispositif to one of
themostpowerfuliconographie formsof architectural
- an and as an
thinking iconography acceptedeverywhere
new kind of "truth" - is not
indisputable only logicand
the
necessary evolution of the diagramitself, also thesignof
but
a driftintoan unconscious acceptanceof thevaluesand crite-
ria of nihilismas value-freebecoming.Thereis no going
backto a prediagrammatic knowledgeof theworld.What
mustchangeis thediscourseconcerning diagrams.Diagrams
mustalwaysbe thoughtthroughtheirprimaryconventional
nature,and notsimplyas creationex novoy thatis,ex nihilo,
of something optimistically "yet to come" or a "new kind
of reality"alwaysreadyto changeintosomething elseor to
disappear.If thereis a needto go on withdiagrams,they
mustbe investedwithrigorous,semi-autonomous con-
structedentitiesthat,whileattempting to pictureimmanent
aspectsof thingsand eventsand theirrelationships, are also
self-proclaimed representations of an idea,or better, of an
ideology. In the realm of the diagram, as in the realm of the
projectitself,there is no escape from representation, and
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 despitetheconnotations of intelligence, performance, and
immanence,theaffectivity of diagramsliesin theiriconic
appeal.This is how diagramsare conceived,produced,
instrumentalized, and consumedtoday.Buta challengefor
an after-diagram era mustgo beyonddiagrammatic repre-
sentation.It mustsee ifafterourposthumanist sophistica-
tionwe can establishtheteachingand consideration of
architecture as an experienceinformed bya deliberately
determined syntax of matter thattakes placein intelligible
form-objects. Plans and sections will be theonlynecessary
writingfora conjecture about the syntaxof matter.Instead
of thefutileand decorativecannibalismof diagrams,we can
reestablisha criticaldiscoursestarting withan affection for
thethingitselfin our imagination of theworld.Thinghere
is notintendedas a self-referential entity,freefromanycon-
text,butin itsoriginalmeaning,as theactualfactthatby
meansof itselfdetermines our social,cultural,political,and
ideologicalconcerns.
Diagramswill continueto exist,buta skepticalapproach
informed bytheirreducible absoluteness will
of architecture
6.Nicolò Il
Machiavelli, ,in
PrincipeTutte always mean to counter, as Nicolò Machiavelli would argue,6
leOpere
(Firenze:
Sansoni, 280.
1990» On the of means of their effectual
this seeLouis
concept Althusser, imagination thingsby truth,
Machiavelli
enoi(Roma: Manifesto
Libri, theirirreduciblesingularity, theirconcreteexperience, and
20.
1999), theirinexorablebeingsomething withthegenericidealization
(and consumption)of everything.

PierVittorio
Aureliisanarchi-
tect.Hecurrentlycoordinates
THESECOND-YEARRESEARCH PRO-
GRAM attheBerlageInstitutein
Rotterdam,where heisa unit
Heisalsoa guestpro-
professor.
fessorattheAccademiadiArchi-
tetturainMendrisioandat
Technische Delft.
Universiteit
9

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