[applied] Foreign Affairs

About

[applied] Foreign Affairs is a lab at the Institute of Architecture of the University of Applied Arts Vienna. [a]FA investigates spatial, infrastructural, environmental, and cultural phenomena in rural and urban Sub-Saharan Africa. A series of lectures introduces students to the spatial diversity and cultural vibrancy of the contemporary African condition, followed by workshops which focus on the status and potential of a specific region or site. Each lab centers on a distinct question and clear mission and culminates in a field trip, through which rural growth patterns, urban prototypes, art spaces, and relational physical interventions are produced. The outcome of each lab is presented in different formats and contexts, both on the African continent and in Europe. [a]FA is performed in collaboration with international guests and colleagues, and with partner universities. [a]FA is commissioned by communities, NGOs, cultural institutions, and individuals.