Javier Fernández Contreras, Roberto Zancan
"A Nocturnal Epistemology of Architecture: On the Research Project Scènes de Nuit." Materia Arquitectura, No. 24, Urban Nocturne (August 2023): 44-59
Despite notable contributions in this field, a comprehensive nocturnal epistemology of architecture remains largely unexplored, especially in epochs preceding industrial technologies. Addressing this gap, the Scènes de Nuit project, initiated by the Department of Interior Architecture at HEAD – Genève in 2019, seeks to challenge the prevailing diurnal paradigm in architectural theory by focusing on the nocturnal understanding of the built environment.
Scènes de Nuit investigates the role of night in shaping contemporary cities and societies, questioning the absence of nocturnal representation, discourse, and agency in architectural media. Engaging with practitioners and theoreticians from diverse fields, the project aims to explore the technologies, networks, and design forms deployed in nocturnal spaces and their associated communities.
Through various research formats such as exhibitions, lectures, workshops, performances, and screenings, the project seeks to produce new conceptions and creative processes in architectural design while reevaluating the prevailing daytime-centric perspectives.
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