Performative Architecture

The term “performance,” as used in 1955 by the British philosopher of language John L. Austin, refers to processual, “performative” aspects that take center-stage instead of rigid states and fixed norms. It has found its way into the most diverse areas of science and technology and has recently also appeared in the architectural context. Performance has long been a recurring topic also in the design and research work of Zurich-based architecture firm Edelaar Mosayebi Inderbitzin (EMI). This is particularly visible in the award-winning design for a tourist infrastructure on the eastern ridge of the Jungfrau in the Swiss Alps (2012), in the temporary installation Anthropomorphic Form for the Swiss Art Awards (2019), and in the residential building on Stampfenbachstrasse in Zurich (2022).

Their own work is a catalyst for EMI’s deeper engagement with performance, now set forth in this book. Texts by the firm’s founding partner Elli Mosayebi and by Joseph Schwartz, Laurent Stalder, and Nina Zschocke, all of whom also teach at ETH Zürich’s Department of Architecture, as well as artistic and documentary photographs, plans, and drawings, illuminate the phenomenon from the different perspectives of architectural practice, theory of architecture, and structural engineering.