“Staging Architecture” (StAr) investigates the processes through which architecture is shown and perceived. Conducted in two phases, this project brought together a collective made up of Evelyn Steiner, whose research deals with curatorial practices; Robert Ireland, who explores artistic interventions in urban areas in conjunction with his “sensitive situations” seminar; Bertrand Emaresi, who has developed a methodical analysis of the cartographical and historical layers situated between physical and virtual realities; Christophe Fellay, whose research focuses on issues of sound in architecture; as well as Nicolas Vermot-Petit-Outhenin, who investigates the interactions between architecture, archives, and visual representation from photographs. 

In the first phase, the collective designed and made the scenographic framework for the exhibition of the DRA5 competition (2023). Uniting their approaches, the StAr Collective proposed modes of architectural representation combining photographs displayed on modular light tables, a sound composition broadcast over speakers, as well as a series of recordings accessible through headphones around the space. In the second phase, the collective delved deeper into their reflections, beyond the issues of exhibiting architectural objects, in order to think about architecture as an experience in motion, constantly undergoing transformation, and to reconsider its modes of representation. This experience unfolded not only in built space, but also took shape through the perceptual modalities of sight, hearing, and memory. From this perspective, architectural staging entails a sensorial arrangement allowing architecture to be considered, not as a fixed materiality, but rather a reality in constant interaction with perceptions, resonances, and the exchanges it generates. 

These reflections, formulated in the form of case studies, were approached in greater depth with the participation of the artists Asli Serbest and Mona Mahall, whose works open new conceptual perspectives, as well as the students from MAPS+S — Master of Arts in Public Spheres + Sound — Clara Strabucchi, Hassan Abdelrahman, Léa Stuby, Franca Manz, Léa Breitschmid, Leïa Legouix, Noah Krummenacher, Line Müller, Zéphir Noël and Maciej Czepiel — through concrete proposals, conducted in public space, which examine the fundamental issues raised by the project “Staging Architecture.”