O PENSAMENTO URBANO E A ESTÉTICA RELACIONAL: UM ESTUDO EM ANDAMENTO

Abstract

Abstract A contemporary thought on our cities requires a critical and analytical review of the evolution of urban reflexion through history. This paper aims at presenting a panorama of urban thinking, from industrialization to the last urban ideologies of the 20th Century (International Situationist), that would contribute to understanding the urban condition in our time. The transformations that have been taking place over the last centuries, permeated by several ideologies, built up the complex urban situation of our cities. In the 90's, Nicolas Bourriaud, in his book "Relational Aesthetic", analyzes the role of art in contemporary societies and the interferences market and consumption culture produce over the social ambiance. The progressive shrinking of spaces of conviviality in favor of consumption places marks the context in which appeared the artistic production he named "relational art". Although focused on contemporary art, Bourriaud's insights may be of special importance to the field of urban reflexion, which may gain new value by incorporating artistic sensibility and its social and political powers. Our research investigates if and to what extent such ideas may represent a turning point in the current urban thoughts and praxis.