Umeå University's logo

In Year 1–3 of the Architecture Pro- gramme, courses in History, Urban Planning, Technology and Theory are closely integrated with the studio work. The supporting studies courses provide tools for the architectural project, expand the notion of Architecture and aims to encourage critical thinking.

The current paper intends to reveal the importance of the human body as a tool for spatial production in architectural education, more specifically during the first year of the initiation process. The exercise Spatial Bodies, developed at Umeå School of Architecture in Sweden, aims to explore the phenomenon of space, through the lens of moving bodies, to discover what is the effect that space can have on movement and what is the effect movement can have on the creation of space itself. Through an experimental pedagogical methodology, that combines mapping techniques, choreography, material experimentation, design methods and performative instruments, students are asked to analyze, compose, build and perform a series of architectural artifacts that have the capacity to activate awareness of the interaction between body and space. This process enables the discovery and awareness of concepts such as geometry, structure, articulation, movement, material, surface, choreography and place, which go far beyond their surface meanings.

In this paper, we describe the research-through-design process that led to the realization of the interactive exhibition Charged Utopia that took place in August 2016 at the Norrbyskars Museum. The design leveraged embodiment and active perception: visitors could activate the content by physically engaging with the space. These interactions were intended to trigger personal reflections on social coexistence, its paradoxes and challenges. The paper guides through the research-through- design process, from initial design direction and their theoretical grounding, to the design process and final event. The paper contributes with a reflection on the "wicked impact" of the event, suggesting that it is of relevance for design researchers that deal with societal issues, to discuss and expose the effects of their practice beyond immediate results.