Authors: T. Avermaete; C. Grafe; I. Davidovici; V. Patteeuw eds, Publisher: Nai010. ISBN: 9789462087330. Format: Softcover, 170 x 240 mm, 128pp, Dutch/English.
What does the author’s ’owning’ of a project mean? And does this sense of ownership still prevail in contemporary architecture culture? Is the concept of individual authorship not a cul-de-sac, preventing the processes of invention and innovative thinking often necessary for addressing a practice that is more collaborative than ever? What, then, might be the essential argument for retaining the concept of authorship in architecture today?
Perhaps the most resounding argument is this: authorship is not only an act that implies originality, it is also a deeply felt commitment to a work that until its realisation belonged only to the author, but to which they are also completely devoted.