In these field notes from my doctoral research at the University of Manchester (Shayya, 2021), I raise questions about patents as cosmograms, i.e., “external depictions of the elements of the cosmos and the connections among them” (Tresch, 2007, p. 92), associated with planetary design as a practice of scalable technics. I also catalogue observations about architectural associations between militarised bodies, armoured vehicles, and landscapes. I present my analysis in a hybrid format of field notes and a visual essay, which can be read as a set of non-sequential, quasi-ethnographic observations. Readers can rearrange them to generate nuances or trace their actor-networks across a transdisciplinary thought experiment.
Cite:
Shayya, F. (2024). Field Notes on Patents in an Expanded Architectural Field. Cosmogrammatics, 1(1). https://www.cosmogrammatics.xyz/articles/patents-architectural-field
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(original extract)
Mapping the cosmogrammatics of survivability: a translation of the science-engineering-military network into human-machine-space associations of an architectural character (Illustration by author; see publication for image sources).
Cosmogrammatics is an experimental publishing platform for research at the intersections of art, design, the humanities and social science that engages with infrastructure as a speculative medium. We seek to emphasize the epistemological, political, and imaginary aspects of infrastructure through a focus on contemporary "cosmogrammatics", that is, standards, operating manuals, prototypes, models, architectural plans, diagrams, patents, policy documents, legal texts etc.
Cosmogrammatics was conceived by Michaela Büsse & Johannes Bruder in collaboration with Hackers & Designers (Anja Groten, Karl Moubarak & André Fincato). It originates in a panel organized by Johannes Bruder, Gökçe Günel, and Selena Savic held at the 4S/EASST conference in Prague, 2019. Our panelists and first contributors—Fadi Shayya, Megan Wiessner, and May Ee Wong—have accompanied the design process and tirelessly provided feedback to mock-ups and prototypes.
Cosmogrammatics is conceived as as an intermediary between field work and publishing—a repository for growing thoughts and a space for evolving discussions, initiating meaningful exchange beyond disciplinary boundaries. We consider multimodal narratives as a means to trace the often-messy intersections of epistemologies and ontologies as well as a mode of comprehending emerging cosmologies beyond the limits of language. Cosmogrammatics therefore encourages contributions based on formats that are not (yet) acknowledged by scientific journals: field notes, (visual) diaries, documentary photography, creative writing, audio recordings, and moving image.
All contributions are licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
