The vernacular can be understood as non-mimetic, non-image-driven: that which is not scripted nor communicates in a standardized language. The vernacular is an optimized indexical form that purely reflects and reifies the use value of everyday life. The term first appeared in the Theodosian Code of Law, which opposed it to the commodity. The vernacular pointed to all that was crafted, weaved, or raised within the domestic realm, for domestic use only, and not intended for resale. It was defined as that which has no exchange value. What architectural artifacts today can claim such resistance to commodification? Which segments of western vernacular life have been left uncolonized by market forces?
This studio considered radical specificity as a form of resistance to the codification and commodification of the built environment, and assessed the vernacular under both environmental and socio-cultural lenses. In line with the theme of the 2020 Raoul Wallenberg studios, we located the vernacular in the margins, in local life, in intangible cultural heritage, in material practices and daily rituals, and intrinsically linked to communities. The students were tasked to define the communities they wish to work from—those whose traditions, social practices, arts, artifacts, and rituals they could investigate with in-depth knowledge.
