The practice-based doctoral research being undertaken by WHAT_architecture will be presented in Barcelona in three forms: as a 1600 page book, as an exhibition featuring just one large rubicon model and as a talk. Of these three forms of presentation that one that is currently most intriguing is the 3rd manifestation – the architectural lecture or let’s say architecture!

The conventional architect’s lecture is typically a PowerPointed monologue with a few obligatory questions raised by the audience (or the hosts) at the end. Yet it doesn’t have to be like this: the archilecture is the architect as game show host driving audience participation. Any presentation is after all a game of sorts: an interview for a job, pitching a project etc… are all measured in terms of success or failure. You either got it or you did’t.

The hit NZ game show ‘It’s The Bag” was unlike other game shows because instead of being filmed in a single studio the show went on the road to a different town each week and the set was assembled into a local community town hall. The contestants were locals selected from the audience by a pre-show qualifying process. Forty years later the presenter’s (real)name  emerges as a optimistic synopsis of gaming opportunity: Selwyn Toogood = sell win, too good!

‘It’s In the Box’ is WHAT_architecture’s adaptation/ remix/ version of ‘It’s In The Bag’. The Barcelona audience will choose from an array of  ‘buttons’ projected onto a screen. The audience will be asked to make choices that drive the archilecture. By simply asking what?, everything (WHAT_architecture) does is turned into discourse. Discussion. Live studio chat.

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