Collaborative research, collaborative publishing
In a lecture that took place at the CCCB in Barcelona last week, Bernard Stiegler of the Institut de Recherche et d’Innovation advocated for the distributed responsibilities of a networked society made up of “contributors” (the wiki model) as today’s paradigm for the production of knowledge.
Part of our ongoing reflection on the future of Verb–and of publishing in general–is inevitably linked to this cultural shift that has been developing together with communication technologies. Collaborative models of knowledge production redefine what books are, and also how they are accessed and used.
In this context, the foundation this week of the Priceton Envelope Group (PEG)–the structure that Alejandro Zaera-Polo has set up for his new research serminar and studio at Princeton–provides a new model for future editorial work at Actar. The PEG is conceived as a research group that collectively produces knowledge in the field of envelope design, and that will collectively edit with Actar a Manual of the Envelope compiling this research. (An interesting discussion took place in Archinect’s forum as news on the preparation of this course spread.)
The base for this research is Alejandro Zaera-Polo’s current investigation presented in different formats under the common title of “The Politics of the Envelope”. See his lecture at the Berlage Institute and his texts published in Volume no. 17 and Log no. 13/14.
