The Martin Centre Research Seminar - Dr Irit Katz

The Martin Centre Research Seminars - Easter Term Seminar 4

We are delighted to welcome Dr Irit Katz, who will give a talk on:

'Politicising Spaces on the Move: Shifting Spatial Mobilities on Earth and other Planets'

Talk Abstract:

Architecture is not commonly perceived as something that moves around, yet parts of our built environments are constantly on the move to address shifting realities, often in times of social, economic, and political change. Whether these are make-shift environments of refuge, transitory neo/colonial settings of expansion and crisis, urban spaces of protest, or the moving land of the Anthropocene – mobile, ephemeral, and transformable spaces are incorporated to facilitate, or instigate situations of constant shifts and radical transformations. By focusing on the different roles of mobile architecture primarily in the settler colonial settings of Palestine-Israel while considering ‘moving spaces’ in other contexts, this lecture begins to unpack the spatial and political meaning of ‘spaces on the move’.

Bio:

Irit Katz is associate professor of Architecture and Urban Studies at the Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Christ's College. Her work focuses on built environments shaped in extreme conditions, including spaces of displacement, conflict, and environmental changes, in historic and contemporary contexts. It incorporates spatial ethnography, participatory methods, and a strong engagement with cultural and political theories. Irit practiced as an architect in Tel Aviv and in London, and her research has won numerous awards including the Mellon/SAH Author Award and the RIBA President’s Award for Research. Her latest publications include The Common Camp: Architecture of Power and Resistance in Israel-Palestine (University of Minnesota Press, 2022).