VIRTUAL New Schools of Thought

Abstract

This project brings the work of twentieth-century British architect and pedagogue Cedric Price (1934-2003) to a consideration of educational thought. Why is there a need for such an exploration, now? Twenty years following his death, Price’s archetypal radicality has outlasted its 1960s origins and yet paradoxically, his legacy remains largely static. Although academic literature maintains reverence for Price’s architectural oeuvre, formal investigations regarding his value within the educational arena have yet to take shape. This study endeavours to counter the historical marginalisation of Price’s contributions to the field of architecture via examination of his teachings within conventional (Western) schools of design. Propelled by the exchange of talk as valid methodological construct, the framework of this project embraces a dialogic approach to research. Oral discourse by way of word-of-mouth storytelling is relied upon as primary means of resource. Hand drawings, cut-and-paste collages, and other archival ephemera provide corroborating material of import. Primary focus lies upon on Price’s teachings during the 1967 Design Fete at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Largely obscure, Price’s teachings at the Rice School of Architecture epitomized the 1960s trend of amalgamizing pedagogical experimentation with the latest of technology. A secondary investigation involves Price’s subsequent scheme for a fully decentralized, hi-tech, open-access ‘school’ for higher learning, entitled ATOM. The intent of this project is two-fold: it endeavours a nuanced re-consideration of Price’s ATOM as evaluative educational tool. Secondly, it attempts to illustrate how Price’s pedagogical principles may be utilized within creativity-orientated educational practices of the digital age.