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the full capacity that it was conceived.” To some extent, the community is now coming together for another self-initiated dream-weaving process to discuss some of these pressing issues and strive to resolve them amicably. To bridge the increasing gap in opinions and review things critically, Aurovillian architects, planning experts and other residents are conducting studies on the Crown Road proposal and documenting the actualities on site. They have also engaged Vastu Shilpa Consultants, the architecture firm led by Pritzker prize-winner B.V. Doshi, to prepare a detailed project report for the same stretch. The dream-weaving sessions, which have been happening since late

January, are a collaborative effort to bring different ideas together and to decide on a common direction to follow. The participants are now listing some shortterm goals to be worked upon and presenting an alternate proposal for Crown Road to the Foundation. “It is important to understand Auroville in totality, with its environmental setting and social impact on the surrounding villages,” says Hedao. “Here’s a city which can present an alternative model to the world since our mega cities are not proving to be the most sustainable.” Auroville has tested many eco-friendly methods of constructing buildings, roads and dams, and is working with the agenda of using solar energy as its prime source of generating electricity. The city is also revitalising natural sources of water and biodiversity, preserving indigenous seeds, and documenting local wisdom around the use of different trees and shrubs, as well as running outreach programmes for health and education in the surrounding villages.

While the Crown Road controversy may have exposed the limitations and challenges of community-driven governance, it is also proving to be a tool to fine-tune Auroville’s methods and clear the path for inevitable change. Aurovillians are now engaged in an internal dialogue to decide on the best way to progress. With added pressure from the state and central governments, and other external factors such as increasing tourist flow and land encroachments, the road to utopia is not smooth. Some residents are even considering going back to their home countries until harmony is restored and Auroville’s future is secured. While people are feeling forces close in from all directions, with predictions of a government takeover or the township becoming engulfed in suburban sprawl, many prefer to remain optimistic. There is an increasing awareness in the community of the need to “take our time to work together and not hurt each other in the process of reaching our goal,” observes Elvira from Germany, who works as a change-management consultant in Auroville. “I’m trying to listen to the different bubbles in this participatory movement, and to initiate that we talk to each other so we can create synergy. But we are a bunch of individualists, and there are too many leaders,” she laughs. “However, by letting myself be involved in this, I see new connections emerging around me. It’s magical; there is a feeling of belonging here.” END

“Here’s a city which can present an alternative model to the world since our mega-cities are not proving sustainable.”

—Prashant Hedao

DESIGN DRAFTS: ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL: PAY TO PLAY 25 20 Design Drafts pp.

OPINION: DELFT BLUE RHYMES WITH FAKE HANDBAGS p. 48

TIMELINE 22 19 pp. Writer’s note: This story evolved from a traditional article into a comic-style piece. I used to make original manga-styled comics as a child for fun, but I stopped at age

when I was told it was considered fan-art for architecture admissions and was unacceptable. It evolved into me freehand sketching (acceptable for architecture admissions), which has since become a beloved part of my practice. I decided to merge both styles of my drawings for this piece critiquing the accessibility of architectural education. —Kathryn Larsen

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Writer’s note: There are many stories of a copy being copied in fashion. The following is my favourite. Supreme – the brand with a logo famously and undeniably based on the artist Barbara Kruger’s work – sued another streetwear brand in

, claiming its logo had been appropriated. When asked to comment on the situation, Kruger observed, “What a ridiculous clusterfuck of totally uncool jokers. I make my work about this kind of sadly foolish farce. I’m waiting for all of them to sue me for copyright infringement.” —Tetsuo Mukai

2004 DESIGN DRAFTS: WHEN THE WORDS DON’T EXIST 29 26 Design Drafts pp.

DESIGN DRAFTS: A LOVE LETTER 2 7 Design Drafts pp. Writer’s note: The global cast of characters that accompany Vann in this short story represent a set of historical figures who made prolific contributions to the fields of art, architecture, literature, and design. These voices include Sayed Raza, the Indian avant-garde abstract painter; Ngô Vi ế t Th ụ , the Vietnamese modernist architect and urban planner; and Richard Wright, the African-American novelist. As expats living in Paris at the same time, I think it’s possible their paths may have crossed. —Malika Leiper The Vann Molyvann Project –

vannmolyvannproject.org ROUNDTABLE: QUEER REFUSAL 96 81 pp. Writer’s note: With some trepidation, disappointment and annoyance, I shared with Adam Nathaniel Furman

Writer’s note: While researching this piece, I discovered , after watching ‘Be Right Back’, tech entrepreneur Eugenia Kuyda brought the story to life. Following her best friend’s death, Kuyda developed Roman Bot, an AI chat bot formed from all their text messages. More recently, in

that we are, in fact, already living in the future. In 2015 2021 , Microsoft received a patent for software that could reincarnate someone as a chatbot, be they a “past or present entity[…] such as a friend, a relative, an acquaintance, a celebrity, a fictional character, a historical figure”. —Bianca Nozaki-Nasser Decolonising Design –

decolonisingdesign.com designjustice.org Design Justice Network – intelligentmischief.com Intelligent Mischief –4 housing.org moms 4 Housing –Moms

AIA – aia.org apple.com Apple – The Bartlett School of Architecture – ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/ architecture/bartlett-school-architecture Dezeen – dezeen.com instagram.com Instagram – Issey Miyake – isseymiyake.com neom.com/en-us/regions/thelin e The Line – lovefrom.com LoveFrom – facebook.com Meta – OpenAI – open.com RIBA – architecture.com Vitra Design Museum – design-museum.de OPINION: LEARNING FROM FAILURE 24 p. Writer’s note: After its first launch in 2011 , my Rex chair was re-introduced at Dutch Design Week 2021 : its name now as intended, the material and design as intended, but produced by a di ff erent company. This process has defined my position as a designer in a totally di ff erent way than I imagined when I started out. —Ineke Hans ahrend.com Ahrend – Circuform – circuform.com Ineke Hans – inekehans.com PHOTOESSAY: POLITICALLY ERECT 25 30 pp. Photographer’s note: I was surprised and amazed to find Denmark’s only remaining condom factory in the corner of an industrial cheese production facility. —Alastair Philip Wiper Worlds Best – worldsbest.dk

one of the many rejection emails that I received in . Adam wasn’t a bit surprised at the vagueness of the rejection, and we raged about how people were pissed at the book for absurd but typically normative reasons: it lacked academic jargon (so it had to be stupid), it lacked deliberate taxonomy and was too fluid (so how could it be comprehended by the cis-hetero sensibility?), and it lacked the dominant North American spaces (so how could it be relevant?). —Aastha D Adam Nathaniel Furman –

response to my pitch to review Queer Spaces adamnathanielfurman.com on_evenings – instagram.com/chi ff Dhiren Borisa gabrielmaher.xyz Gabriel Maher –kareemkhubchandani.com Kareem Khubchandani – KNeo Mokgopa – instagram.com/they_kneo mycket.org Mycket – instagram.com/vqueer Vqueeram Sahai –

DESIGN DRAFTS: IDLE BROWSING 8 13 Design Drafts pp. Writer’s note: My piece originally set out to disorient the reader, but during the research and writing process I ended up massively disorienting myself. On the day of the final deadline, I received a newsletter from Lotte. V 1 , an online styling service: “[It’s] time to introduce a deeper discussion; the emotional side of dressing[...] This week, slow down your morning and ask how you feel. Use that feeling (maybe one of romance) to guide your dressing.” It left me wondering what to wear for the feeling of knowing that I was about to miss my deadline; I decided that I didn’t own any specific garment that resonated with failure. As such, I got lost on Ssense trying to find the perfect fabric to comfort my mood. I’m still waiting for my order – I think UPS lost the package. —Chinouk Filique de Miranda Browns OBJECTS IN REVIEW: TO BE CLEAR 97 p. Writer’s note: I once owned a pair of Nothing’s ) headphones and liked them very much. Alas, I accidentally washed the bastards and they’re now dead. Perhaps opaque plastic would have better repelled the oncoming tide of Persil. —Oli Stratford Nothing –

Ear ( 1 nothing.tech

– brownsfashion.com daniellecathari.com Daniëlle Cathari –disruptiveberlin.com Disruptive Berlin – cial.com hurs-o ffi HURS –luisaviaroma.com Luisa Via Roma –matchesfashion.com Matches Fashion – modaoperandi.com Moda Operandi – net-a-porter.com Net-A-Porter – We Are Not Really Strangers – werenotreallystrangers.com DESIGN DRAFTS: BETWEEN FOX TRAPS AND HERO BAIT Design Drafts pp. 14 19 Writer’s note: There was a song that inspired my text: ‘Irreplaceable’ by Beyoncé. In this breakup song, Queen Bey insists on the replaceability of her ex. Musically, however, there is a strong emphasis on the words: “you’re irreplaceable.” Through this ambiguity, Beyoncé showed me how to respond to a deceptive lover in a way that both expresses anger and admits heartache. Even when that lover is design. —Gijs de Boer @a

ff firmations firmations – instagram.com/a ff @avocado_ibuprofen – instagram.com/avocado_ibuprofen instagram.com/neuroticarsehole @neuroticarsehole –

OBJECTS IN REVIEW: ESSENTIAL FORMS p. 31 Writer’s note: I don’t think I’ve ever actually tried pastis, but I like how it looks like boozy milk or poppy latex. —Oli Stratford hay.dk Hay –julienrenaultobjects.com Julie Renault – OBJECTS IN REVIEW: ONE STARTUP’S TRASH p. 32 Writer’s note: When the members of Andra Formen first heard about the scooters in Malmö’s canals they attempted a DIY recovery mission. “We went out and tried fishing them up with a rope and a hook in the winter,” Svensson told me. “It was super cold, and we were quickly disappointed at how hard it was.” —India Block Andra Formen – andraformen.se ESSAY: THE EVERYWHERE CHAIR 33 47 pp. Photographer’s note: The pictures accompanying this essay were shot on one of the hottest days of the summer – it felt fitting to capture a place welding metal. —Philippe Thibault Tolix – tolix.com