Text by CLOT Magazine
Strelka Institute is a non-governmental institution founded in 2009 in Moscow, offering multidisciplinary education in media, architecture, and design. Its academic programmes on urban planning aim to educate the next generation of professionals who can then reshape the physical and cultural landscapes of Russia and the rest of the world.
It creates a platform for architects, designers, media specialists, and thinkers to conceive the possible futures of metropolises like Moscow, as well as consider the conservation of their traditions and culture and review their current demographic evolution. Every year the Institute accepts 30 students from around the globe for their post-graduate program at no charge, providing them with opportunities for research and collaboration with leading specialists in the areas of urbanism and design.
On August 27, Strelka Institute announced a new tuition-free research programme, The Terraforming, launching in 2020 and directed by Benjamin Bratton, a sociological, media, and design theorist and author based in California. Having strong connections to Strelka Institute, CLOT Magazine has previously interviewed Bratton and several students studying other programmes at the Institute.
The term ‘terraforming’ normally means altering the ecosystems of other planets or moons to enable the survival of Earth-like life there. In this case, it alludes to the terraforming of Earth that has been carried out by humans for millennia due to urbanisation, especially detrimental during the last century, but also to the terraforming that now needs to be undertaken if we are to avoid the impending environmental calamities as a result of Anthropocene.
The Terraforming is an extensive project conceived to completely transform our planet’s urban landscapes, technologies, and environments to keep it inhabitable to maintain intelligent life on Earth. The 5-month programme will take place between January 25 and July 5, 2020. It will include seminars, technical workshops, studio work, and a variety of courses, as well as field trips in Russian and abroad. The deadline for the application to the programme is October 31.
