Foundational Practices Mapping Five Foundational Locations

Abstract

In moments of a paradigmatic shift, new foundations are established—both for architectural practices and for prevailing worldviews. This research takes as its point of departure the reciprocal relationship between architecture and cosmology, aiming to contribute to an ongoing critique of the westernized modern worldview, which Federico Campagna designates as Technic.

Inspired by Magic, the counterpart to Technic as outlined in Federico Campagna’s Technic and Magic: The Reconstruction of Reality[1], this project investigates how an alternative, ethical, multidimensional, and sustainable cosmology is to be founded within an already architecturally constructed mono-dimensional reality (Technic) and how such foundations are materialized —through what is here termed Foundational Practices.

Anchored in a field study of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, five foundational locations are charted: center, corner, edge, above, and below. These are understood both as spatial locations within the built foundation and as loci within a cosmogram or cosmology. The locations are explored through multidimensional drawing, symbols, and spells, to develop foundational practices—practices spanning from simple physical gestures to enchanted insights - which emerge through the act of mapping.

[1] Campagna, Federico. Technic and Magic: The Reconstruction of Reality. London: Bloomsbury, 2018.

Keywords: ecology, cosmology, multidimensional drawing