MAS Context, an architectural journal from Chicago, has recently released its new issue titled, University Works.

Their words:

University Works relates some of the most promising architecture work developed in universities around the world during the recent academic years. This work has been selected by curators directly involved at each of the universities. University Works wants to know and share what is produced in different contexts, establish parallels, understand challenges, and discover opportunities.
Discuss, Enjoy, Participate.

Last October I was in Chicago giving a talk at UIC and Iker invited me to curate some projects from my current home, the University of Technology, Sydney. I picked a few projects from the M.Arch Encapsulations studio I ran last year with Adam Jasper, a couple of projects from Adrian Lahoud and Sam Spurr’s Post-Traumatic Urbanism studio, and a couple of undergraduate projects as well. The students were stoked to be involved and we owe Iker a huge high five.

Download or order your copy of MAS Context University Works here.

It’s time for a change. Over the next few weeks (or months), I’ll be slowly phasing out SO-AD. It’s bittersweet.

In the meantime, there is a lot happening. I am now directing a new program at UTS, the Bachelor of Design in Photography and Situated Media. My exhibition with Richard Goodwin and Michael Snape, Co-isolated, is back on schedule and opening on April 16th. And finally, I was recently invited to be on the advisory panel for Open Agenda, a new competition for young Australian architects.

Apologies for the radio silence. I’m back.

-David

Pleased to hear this week that AGENDA won a bronze medal from the NSW State Awards for Excellence in Print. Nice one!

On a slightly more upbeat note, the first print run of AGENDA is now sold out and a second printing has just arrived. We’re pretty excited about that and are humbled by the response.

For those looking to buy one, copies of the book are on their way to bookstores across Australia as we speak. Our distributor tells us they should be available at the following stores:

Sydney
Architext
Published Art
Gleebooks
UNSW bookshop
Kinokuniya
Museum of Sydney Bookshop

Melbourne
Architext
Metropolis Books
Readings Carlton
Avenue Bookstore
Melbourne Co-op Bookshop, RMIT

Adelaide
Unibooks Citywest campus

Brisbane
Folio Books

Perth
Boffins Bookshop

We’re hoping for international distribution very soon, we’ll keep you posted…

No one likes a cheat, so we officially despise this loser: http://users.skynet.be/fa103028/

Look familiar? Best part: he’s done this before. Yep. Last year he did the same thing, I called him out, he pretended he didn’t have any idea that he copied my website verbatim and he modified the code slightly. Now, he’s back. I didn’t make too much of a stink last time, but this time I think I will. It seems he is a fairly respected artist, so perhaps it’s time to embarrass him.

Oh, and feel free to send him an email and tell him how much plagiarism sucks: robertdragot@gmail.com

(Update: he took the site down and replaced it with a new one. Pretty funny that he copyrights it at the bottom.)

We’ve been invited by Gerard Reinmuth of Terroir and Marcus Trimble of Super Colossal to participate in the upcoming Australian Architecture Association’s annual exhibition at the Sydney Customs House. We’re in good company, the show also includes Adrian Lahoud, Offshore Studio (Anthony Burke and Ben Hewett) and lots of others.

Specs:
AAA Annual Exhibition
Sydney Customs House
30 September – 29 November 2009

See you there!

Hello Chicago!

I’ll be delivering a talk at the University of Illinois at Chicago on Wednesday 30 September as part of their Wednesday|Episodes. Looking forward to being Stateside and catching up with my old friend Paul Preissner.

Specs:
Wednesday, 30 September 2009, 2pm
Gallery 1100
University of Illinois at Chicago

As always, if you’re in the area stop by, say hello and heckle.

-David

I’m very pleased to announce that I will joining Richard Goodwin and Michael Snape for an exhibition titled (edit: apparently still in flux). The one night event will take place on ____ at ____ in Sydney.

We’ll announce details and post a formal invitation in the coming weeks, but I wanted to give you the heads up.

Update
We’ve decided to postpone the show due to scheduling, etc. Stay tuned.

SO-AD’s web of creative interests have become a bit more tangled today with the arrival of the book ‘Agenda’, edited by David Burns. ‘Agenda’ is a publication documenting the work from UTS during the 2008 school year. Weighing in at a spry 192 pages, it features student work from all levels of the School plus essays by staff, guests and students. In addition to editing the book, we also designed it, collaborating with our friend and co-conspirator Nadia Wagner.

Tonight UTS will host a book launch to celebrate the book. Stop by and pick one up for only $15.

‘Agenda’ Book Launch
6-7pm
UTS DAB Courtyard
730 Harris Street
Ultimo NSW 2007
Australia

I love WordPress, I really do. But it irks me when they release a new version and tempt you so sweetly to update and then proceed to wipe out all of your custom CSS in the process. I know, I know, they warn you to backup, etc. But, I DO backup, but I still have to manually replace all of the custom CSS and PHP files after the update. Why can’t the geniuses behind WordPress (and I use that word sincerely, I believe they are geniuses) write an update to the software that carries over all of your design changes?

Anyway. That’s a brief explanation for the appearance of the blog recently. I happily upgraded to 2.8 and in the process wiped out the design of the ole SO-AD blog, reverting it to the miserable default. Ack.

On a side note, if you are so inclined, you may follow us (David) on Twitter.

Out.