pre:fab Conference 2023^W029

Groupwork alongside other pre:fab members ran pre:fab conference 2023 which explored the concept of the Darchive—the dark matter of architectural practice: the undeclared, undiscussed, unacknowledged, uninspected, or otherwise hidden people, objects, spaces, events, and ideas that have had an enduring effect on our individual or collective imagination, and through that, our creative practices and built environment. The things that make alternative practice alternative.

The conference was free, open to anyone, and attempted to reveal the Darchive through a combination of twenty quickfire presentations, four participatory workshops, and shared conversation over a potluck lunch. We also called for contributions to the Darchive; we invited anyone interested to share a physical representation and written description of their own ‘architectural dark matter’.

Presenters at pre:fab Conference 2023 in running order were:

1. Andreas Muller
2. Aphiwat Pengpala
3. Binh Minh Ha
4. Cindy Huang
5. Eugene van Dalen
6. Evelina Lolesi
7. Farzad Zamani
8. Joseph Mcauley
9. Judith Taylor
10. Katie Braatvedt
11. Leith Macfarlane
12. Nathan Walker
13. Nicola Chang
14. Oliver Brockie
15. Tane Pamatatau-Marques
16. Thom Gill
17. Tom Collins
18. Shan Yu
19. Vanessa Werder
20. Zali McMahon

Contributors to the Darchive were:

1. Anonymous
2. Anonymous
3. Daniel Ho
4. Dank Lloyd Wright
5. Sharon Lam
6. Stacy Vallis
7. Tony Watkins

And participatory workshops were designed by:

1. Leonard Hobbins
2. Oliver Brockie
3. Sakina Ali
4. Simon Glaister