University of Calgary

Professor Livesey undertakes research on landscape ecology and assemblage theory

Submitted by jwalla on Thu, 2011/12/22 - 2:58pm.

Since 2007, Professor Graham Livesey has been undertaking research on landscape ecology and the concept of assemblage as developed by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. He has been applying this theoretical framework to a study of the early Garden City movement and the development of the first example at Letchworth, England.

Landscape ecology is an interdisciplinary field that studies the structural behaviour of environments, whereas assemblage theory is a complementary concept that examines complex arrangements of content, expression, and territoriality. In particular Livesey is exploring concepts of agency (including the roles of administrators, gardeners, and farmers) and ecology (the behaviour of territories, boundaries, and flows in urban environments).

His research has resulted in the publication of a number of essays in books and journals, including:

  • Assemblage Theory, Gardens, and the Legacy of the Early Garden City Movement,” in the British journal arq: Architectural Research Quarterly (Vol. 15, No. 3, 2011).
  • “Ecologies, Assemblages and the Patchwork City,” in Parr, A. and M. Zaretsky, eds. New Directions in Sustainable Design (Adington: Routledge, 2011);
  • “Agency, assemblages and ecologies of the contemporary city,” in Kossak, F., D. Petrescu, T. Schneider, R. Tyszczuk, and S. Walker, eds., Agency: Working with Uncertain Architectures (Adington: Routledge, 2010);
  • “Event Theory and Creative Agency,” in Faber, R., H. Krips, and D. Pettus, eds., Event and Decision: Ontology and Politics in Badiou, Deleuze and Whitehead (Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2010).

Further, Livesey has contributed the several entries to the second edition of The Deleuze Dictionary (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2011), edited by Adrian Parr, including; “Assemblage,” “Fold + Architecture,” Rhizome + Architecture,” and “Space + Architecture”.

In the last five years Livesey has also written book reviews and editorials, presented conference papers, acted on the editorial board of the Journal of Architectural Education, been an editorial advisor to the journal Architecture + Ideas, and contributed several articles to the Canadian Architect magazine, including "A Look at Landscape Urbanism." His research has informed his teaching in both studio and seminar courses.

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