Attention is an audio journal for architectural culture that uses the medium of sound and spoken word to capture a dimension of architecture otherwise lost in print. By precluding visual media, Attention strikes a distance between the distraction economy of much online media, creating an intimate and reflective space for the in-depth development of ideas and issues. Through interviews, roundtable debates, oral histories, field recordings, the exploration of archival recordings, experimental music and soundscapes, reportage and audio essays, Attention investigates issues of concern to contemporary architectural culture, theory and practice.
This piece asks the question: “what is theory?” It begins by attempting to define “theory” as a term or as a concept, a task that involves addressing ...
This piece asks the question: “what is architectural theory?” It asks what the phrase “architectural theory” names for us, how architectural theory di...
This piece addresses the question “how has architectural theory changed over time?” In particular, it explores the longue durée of two millennia of ar...
This piece asks “is architectural theory Western or can it be global?” This means asking: is theory universal or is it geographically particular? Is t...
This piece asks “how do you teach architectural theory?” We ask what are the ways that each person teaches architectural theory in their specific clas...
This piece asks “what are architectural theory classes for?” What is the purpose of the architectural theory class in relation to architectural design...
This piece asks “is architectural theory dead?” This might seem a strange question to ask given the lengthy discussion throughout the issue. Yet, at t...
What is music like without the sound of a space? Historian Emily Thompson discusses the aesthetics, technology and politics of spatial absence at the ...
In the 1950s, classical record producers were fixated on realism, aspiring to put listeners in the ‘best seat of an acoustically perfect hall.’ Not so...
The pianist Glenn Gould was dogmatic about his recording setup, placing the microphone as close as possible to his piano to exclude the sound of the s...