François Roche

New-Territories/Francois Roche Avatar, Venice Biennale, 2010

François Roche (born 1961, Paris) is a French architect, co-founder of the architecture studio, New-Territories including LabM4, R&Sie(n), [eIf/bʌt/c], Mindmachinemakingmyths, among others names.^[1]

Biography

He studied in Chalon-sur-Saône, and afterward entered scientific preparatory school in Lyon. He left that school prior to graduating, and enrolled at the school of architecture of Versailles. He graduated from this school in 1988.

In 1989 he co-founded an organization, R&Sie(n), with architects Stephanie Lavaux and Jean Navarro.^[1] The sub-names have changed several times between 1989 and now: BoyeRoche (1989); Roche (1990); Roche & François (1991); Roche, Francois, Lewis, Huber, Roubaud, Perrin (1992); Roche, DSV & Sie (1993–97); R, DSV & Sie. P (1998); R & Sie. D/B: L (1999–2001); R&Sie(n) (2001 to present),^[2] adding a new one, titled [eIf/bʌt/c] since 2011. This transformation of his firm name over time serves to illustrate its hybrid character, to destabilize the figure of the architect^[3] and appear, according to french critic "iconoclast"^[4]

New-Territories is fronted by an avatar and Roche has been secretive about his appearance, refusing to be photographed. However, in 2011 he suggested the avatar would be 'suicided' but it seems that this one refused the deal.^[5] New-territories closed the office in Paris en 2011 and moved in Asia, Thailand.^[6]

Today François Roche is developing at the same time an apparatus of research “new-territories” including several labels, a production structure, via R&Sie (n) to develop and fabricate simultaneously architecture fragments and movies, and 'M4/mindmachinemakingmyths' a robotic fab LAB in Bangkok.^[7] He was Visiting Professor at Columbia-Gsapp, New York,^[8] 2006–13, leading one of the "advanced studio".^[9] He has been a Visiting Professor at RMIT, Upenn, Michigan, among other places. He is a faculty member of EGS, Philosophy, Art & Critical Thought.^[10]

From 1991 to 1994, François Roche took an active part in the newspaper Purple Prose,^[11] as an associate writer. A rebound of the Liberation newspaper entitled “the city died” in 1994 will come to enclose this period.^[12]

In 1993 the French Institute of Architecture offered him the possibility of unfolding the whole of its first experiments under the title “Action, March 93” which would give an account of twenty of his projects.^[13] A monographic work was to be published, now sold out “The shade of the chameleon”.^[14]

The name R&Sie (n) is resulting from the contraction of the group, but it also refers to RSI, the event "Real, Symbolic, Imaginary"^[15] of Jacques Lacan in 1972. The pronunciation “heresy” which seems completely fortuitous, launched by Bruce Sterling via its Wired review in 2006, finishes by him (their) sticking to the skin.^[16]

New-Territories has been invited in multiple sessions of Biennial of Architecture of Venice, in 1991, 1996,^[17] 2000,^[18] 2002, 2004,^[19] 2008,^[20] 2010,^[21] 2014,^[22] both in French pavilion (3 times) and international selection (5 times). Their works are actually visible at the First Biennial of Architecture of Chicago ^[23]

This architect is associated:

• In R&Sie(n) with Stephanie Lavaux, artist, since 1993 and many very others along the time.
• In [eIf/bʌt/c] with Camille Lacadee, "institute of contingents scenario" opened in 2011, based in BKK.

François Roche is the guest editor of LOG#25, NY Critic Revue, issue released in July 2012 / title Reclaim Resi(lience)stance.^[24]

Monographs

• 2015 / mythomaniaS.^[25]
• 2014 / Heretical-Machinism.^[26]
• 2011 / Architecture des Humeurs. Catalogue on research-exhibition. PDF 2mo^[27]
• 2010 / New-Territories-R&Sie(n).^[28]
• 2010 / BioReboot.^[29]
• 2007 / Fiction Scripts.
• 2006 / Spoiled Climate.^[30]
• 2005 / I,ve heard About.^[31]
• 2004 / Corrupted Biotopes.

Three apparatuses

His works are organized on three sets of themes / 1° Research as Speculation, 2° Fiction as Practice, 3° Practice as Lifespan (H&N)

• 3° A fragile architecture which negotiates with the arrow of time, with the transitory one or what seems the being
• 2° An operative and fictional architecture which tries to re-scenarize the relation with a situation, with an environment (like principle of reality)
• 1° A speculative architecture which works out devices between robotics, mathematics, neurobiology and biochemistry (have a look on internet on the both exhibition-research “Ive heard about”^[32] & “an architecture of moods”.^[33]

Guest professor position

• Bartlett School, London in 2000, inviting Allison Dring as assistant
• TU, Vienna, in 2001
• ESARQ, Barcelona, in 2003-04
• ESA, Paris, in 2005
• UPenn (University of Pennsylvania) in Philadelphia in 2006
• Columbia, New-York, 2006, inviting David Benjamin^[34]
• Columbia, New-York, 2007, inviting Marc Fornes^[35]
• Columbia, New-York, 2008, inviting Marc Fornes^[36]
• Angewangde School, Vienna in 2008, inviting Marc Fornes and Stephan Henrich^[37]
• USC, Los Angeles, in 2009, inviting Stephan Henrich and Marc Fornes^[38]
• Columbia, New-York, 2009, inviting Marc Fornes and Mat Staudt^[39]
• Columbia, New-York, 2010, inviting Ezio Blasetti & Dave Pigram^[40]
• USC, Los Angeles, 2010–11, with Stephan Henrich and Qi Su as "visiting professor"^[41]
• Columbia, New-York, 2011, inviting Ezio Blasetti with Miranda Romer^[42]
• Columbia, New-York, 2012, inviting Ezio Blasetti^[43]
• RMIT, Melbourne, 2012, inviting Gwyll Jahn^[44]
• Columbia, New-York, & Upenn, Philadelphia, 2013, inviting Stephan Henrich / Ezio Blasetti with Luis Felipe, Devin Jernigan^[45]

Selection of exhibitions

• Columbia University (New York, 1999–2000), UCLA (Los Angeles, 1999–2000), “@namorphous changes”/ Through R&Sie(n)
• ICA (London, 2001), “In any way, it's already happened” / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Jean Navarro ^[46]
• Mori Art Museum (Tokyo, 2004), Frac Collection / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Jean Navarro ^[47]
• Center Pompidou (Paris, 2003), “nonstandard Architecture” / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Jean Navarro ^[48]
• MAM/Museum of Modern art (Paris, 2005), “I' ve Heard About” / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Jean Navarro, with Benoit Durandin, Mathieu Lehanneur ^[49]
• MAM/Museum of Modern art (Paris, 2006), “Terra Incognita” / Through R&Sie(n) with Pierre Huyghe
• Tate Modern (London, 2006), “Terra Incognita” / Through R&Sie(n) with Pierre Huyghe^[50]
• Barbican (London, 2009), “radical nature” / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Kiuchi Toshikatsu ^[51]
• Louisiana (Denmark, 2009), “green building” / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Kiuchi Toshikatsu ^[52]
• Le Laboratoire (Paris, 2010), “an architecture of moods” / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Kiuchi Toshikatsu, associated to François Jouve, Stephan Henrich, with Natanel Elfassy, Winston Hampel, Marc. Fornes, Gatean Robillard ^[53]
• MOMASF (Los Angeles, 2010), “Bodies and Design” / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Kiuchi Toshikatsu
• Archilab (Orleans, 1999,2001,2003) / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Jean Navarro
• French Pavilion of Biennial of Architecture of Venice in 1990, 1996, 2000 and 2002 (year that they refused for political reasons) / Through R&Sie(n)
• International Pavilion of Biennial of Architecture of Venice in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2010 both international^[54] and the Austrian Pavilion.^[55] and Pallazo Bembo in 2014.^[56]
• Biennal of Chicago / 2015 / Oct-Jan / ^[57]

References

External links

• Web site - New-Territories