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'''Liam Young''' (born 13th March 1979) is an Australian born director and architect.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5019799/|title=Liam Young|website=IMDb|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref> Young's work is situated within the fields of [[design fiction]] and [[critical design]]. His work is explores the increasingly blurred boundaries among film, fiction, design and storytelling with the goal of imagining our future.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://filmmakermagazine.com/99161-building-better-entertainment-sci-arcs-ma-in-fiction-and-entertainment/#.WV9wbojyuHs|title=Building Better Entertainment: SCI-Arc’s MA in Fiction and Entertainment {{!}} Filmmaker Magazine|last=Willis|first=Holly|work=Filmmaker Magazine|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en-US}}</ref> Through his projects that escape traditional definitions of how an architect practices Young has caused some controversy in the architectural field and the comments section on the industry blog Archinect with his claim that "An architect's skills are completely wasted on making buildings"<ref>Liam Young: [http://archinect.com/news/article/132326552/liam-young-an-architect-s-skills-are-completely-wasted-on-making-buildings "an architect’s skills are completely wasted on making buildings"]
'''Liam Young''' (born 13th March 1979) is an Australian born director and architect.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5019799/|title=Liam Young|website=IMDb|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref> Young's work is situated within the fields of [[design fiction]] and [[critical design]]. His work is explores the increasingly blurred boundaries among film, fiction, design and storytelling with the goal of imagining our future. Using speculative design, film and the visualisation of imaginary cities, he opens up conversations querying urban existence, asking provocative questions about the roles of both architecture and entertainment.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://filmmakermagazine.com/99161-building-better-entertainment-sci-arcs-ma-in-fiction-and-entertainment/#.WWIJpYjyuHs|title=Building Better Entertainment: SCI-Arc’s MA in Fiction and Entertainment {{!}} Filmmaker Magazine|last=Willis|first=Holly|work=Filmmaker Magazine|access-date=2017-07-09|language=en-US}}</ref> Through his projects that escape traditional definitions of how an architect practices Young has caused some controversy in the architectural field and the comments section on the industry blog Archinect with his claim that "An architect's skills are completely wasted on making buildings"<ref>Liam Young: [http://archinect.com/news/article/132326552/liam-young-an-architect-s-skills-are-completely-wasted-on-making-buildings "an architect’s skills are completely wasted on making buildings"]
</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tankmagazine.com/issue-61/talk/liam-young/|title=Tank Magazine|website=Tank Magazine|language=en-gb|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.uncubemagazine.com/blog/15928129|title=What am I a Citizen of?|work=uncube magazine|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en}}</ref> Young is a founder of the Urban Futures think tank Tomorrows Thoughts Today and the nomadic research studio [http://www.unknownfieldsdivision.com Unknown Fields].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.uncubemagazine.com/blog/15928129|title=What am I a Citizen of?|work=uncube magazine|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en}}</ref>. He is a visiting Professor of Architecture at Princeton University<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://soa.princeton.edu/content/liam-young|title=Liam Young {{!}} Princeton University School of Architecture|website=soa.princeton.edu|language=en|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref> and currently holds a position at the [[Architectural Association School of Architecture|Architecutral Association]] in London<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aaschool.ac.uk/STUDY/VISITING/unknownfields|title=Unknown Fields – AA Visiting Schools|website=www.aaschool.ac.uk|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref> and runs the MA in Fiction and Entertainment at [[Southern California Institute of Architecture|Sci Arc]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sciarc.edu/people/faculty/liam-young/|title=Liam Young - SCI-Arc|website=sciarc.edu|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref>
</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tankmagazine.com/issue-61/talk/liam-young/|title=Tank Magazine|website=Tank Magazine|language=en-gb|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.uncubemagazine.com/blog/15928129|title=What am I a Citizen of?|work=uncube magazine|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en}}</ref>
Young is a founder of the Urban Futures think tank Tomorrows Thoughts Today and the nomadic research studio [http://www.unknownfieldsdivision.com Unknown Fields].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.uncubemagazine.com/blog/15928129|title=What am I a Citizen of?|work=uncube magazine|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en}}</ref>. He is a visiting Professor of Architecture at Princeton University<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://soa.princeton.edu/content/liam-young|title=Liam Young {{!}} Princeton University School of Architecture|website=soa.princeton.edu|language=en|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref> and currently holds a position at the [[Architectural Association School of Architecture|Architecutral Association]] in London<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aaschool.ac.uk/STUDY/VISITING/unknownfields|title=Unknown Fields – AA Visiting Schools|website=www.aaschool.ac.uk|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref> and runs the MA in Fiction and Entertainment at [[Southern California Institute of Architecture|Sci Arc]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sciarc.edu/people/faculty/liam-young/|title=Liam Young - SCI-Arc|website=sciarc.edu|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref>


== Films ==
== Films ==

Young has developed a body of films that use new technologies of image making in order to tell new kinds of stories about the urban implications that these systems give rise to. In [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] Magazine's review of 3 of his films it was noted that what makes Young's moody, futuristic films so unusual is the technologies they focus on such as laser scanners, drones and outsourcing are not just tools of making but are the star themselves.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wired.com/2017/04/can-make-movies-drones-cgi-sure-not-make-stars/|title=You Can Make Movies With Drones and CGI, Sure. But Why Not Make Them the Stars?|work=WIRED|access-date=2017-07-09|language=en-US}}</ref>


In 2016 Young released the science fiction short film ''Where The City Cant See'' <ref>{{Citation|title=Where the City Can't See (2016)|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6439970/?ref_=nm_knf_i2|accessdate=2017-07-08}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Where the City Can't See (2016)|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6439970/?ref_=nm_knf_i2|accessdate=2017-07-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://dangerousminds.net/comments/where_the_city_cant_see_creepy_dystopic_movie_shot_entirely_using_laser_sca|title=‘Where the City Can’t See’: Creepy, dystopic movie shot entirely using laser scanner technology|date=2016-11-03|work=DangerousMinds|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref> The short is the first fiction film to be shot entirely using laser scanning technology ([[Lidar|LIDAR]]), the same vision system that driverless cars use to navigate.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/where-the-city-cant-see-trailer-the-film-shot-using-laser-scanners-a7395086.html|title=Where The City Can't See trailer: The film shot using laser scanners|date=2016-11-03|work=The Independent|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en-GB}}</ref> The story follows a group of young factory workers across a single night as they drift through a near future [[Detroit]] in a driverless taxi. They are part of an underground community that have developed new textiles for digital camouflage which they use to escape the surveillance systems of the city and seek out a hidden rave party in the abandoned industrial factories of Detroit. The film features an original soundtrack by DJ Stingray, former tour DJ for Detroit electronic band [[Drexciya]].
In 2016 Young released the science fiction short film ''Where The City Cant See'' <ref>{{Citation|title=Where the City Can't See (2016)|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6439970/?ref_=nm_knf_i2|accessdate=2017-07-08}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|title=Where the City Can't See (2016)|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6439970/?ref_=nm_knf_i2|accessdate=2017-07-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://dangerousminds.net/comments/where_the_city_cant_see_creepy_dystopic_movie_shot_entirely_using_laser_sca|title=‘Where the City Can’t See’: Creepy, dystopic movie shot entirely using laser scanner technology|date=2016-11-03|work=DangerousMinds|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref> The short is the first fiction film to be shot entirely using laser scanning technology ([[Lidar|LIDAR]]), the same vision system that driverless cars use to navigate.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/where-the-city-cant-see-trailer-the-film-shot-using-laser-scanners-a7395086.html|title=Where The City Can't See trailer: The film shot using laser scanners|date=2016-11-03|work=The Independent|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en-GB}}</ref> The story follows a group of young factory workers across a single night as they drift through a near future [[Detroit]] in a driverless taxi. They are part of an underground community that have developed new textiles for digital camouflage which they use to escape the surveillance systems of the city and seek out a hidden rave party in the abandoned industrial factories of Detroit. The film features an original soundtrack by DJ Stingray, former tour DJ for Detroit electronic band [[Drexciya]].
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== Performances ==
== Performances ==


 In 2014 Young collaborated with Welsh musician and composer [[John Cale]], formerly of the [[Velvet Underground]] to develop the world first<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/69exv6/john-cale-drone-orchestra-barbican|title=John Cale's Only Gone and Co-Created the First Ever Drone Orchestra|website=Noisey|language=en-us|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref> drone orchestra and the audiovisual performance LOOP >> 60Hz: Transmissions From The Drone Orchestra. <ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/drones-to-star-in-cale-show-30387797.html|title=Drones to star in Cale show - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk|work=BelfastTelegraph.co.uk|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/john-cale-liam-young-at-the-barbican-drones-meet-drones-to-sound-out-the-hum-of-civilization-9744607.html|title=John Cale & Liam Young at the Barbican: drones meet drones to sound|date=2014-09-19|work=The Independent|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en-GB}}</ref> For the performance Young designed a flock of costumed drones that would fly above the audience carrying speakers that broadcast the live music played by the band.
 In 2014 Young collaborated with Welsh musician and composer [[John Cale]], formerly of the [[Velvet Underground]] to develop the world first<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/69exv6/john-cale-drone-orchestra-barbican|title=John Cale's Only Gone and Co-Created the First Ever Drone Orchestra|website=Noisey|language=en-us|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref> drone orchestra and the audiovisual performance LOOP >> 60Hz: Transmissions From The Drone Orchestra. <ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/news/drones-to-star-in-cale-show-30387797.html|title=Drones to star in Cale show - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk|work=BelfastTelegraph.co.uk|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/john-cale-liam-young-at-the-barbican-drones-meet-drones-to-sound-out-the-hum-of-civilization-9744607.html|title=John Cale & Liam Young at the Barbican: drones meet drones to sound|date=2014-09-19|work=The Independent|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en-GB}}</ref> For the performance Young designed a flock of costumed drones that would fly above the audience carrying speakers that broadcast the live music played by the band. As [[The Guardian]] notes, the project "brings drones out of the realms of sinister terrorist surveillance and Amazon delivery and puts them in front of your face like massive alien gnats". <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/sep/14/john-cale-liam-young-cale-drone-bot-sinister-future|title=John Cale and Liam Young review – Cale’s drones outshine Young’s flying bots in sinister vision of the future|last=Beaumont|first=Mark|date=2014-09-14|work=The Guardian|access-date=2017-07-09|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>


With British electronic producer [[Forest Swords]] Liam Young developed ''In the Robot Skies'', a live cinema performance of his short film of the same name. Against the backdrop of Forest Swords original soundscape and a film collage directed by Young he narrates the story of a lone drone flying across time and space. Beginning in WWI the performance tells the story of how drones have evolved across time to become the dominant infrastrucutre they are today.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.electronicbeats.net/in-the-robot-skies-review/|title=Review: Forest Swords Meets Drones In The Robot Skies - Electronic Beats|last=Telekom|date=2016-12-01|work=Electronic Beats|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://strp.nl/en/program/liam-young-au/|title=Liam Young (AU) - STRP|work=STRP|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en-US}}</ref> The performance premiered at the 60th London International FIlm Festival.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=liamyoungforestswordspresentintherobotskies&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=|title=Buy cinema tickets for Liam Young & Forest Swords present In The Robot Skies {{!}} BFI London Film Festival 2016|website=whatson.bfi.org.uk|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref>
With British electronic producer [[Forest Swords]] Liam Young developed ''In the Robot Skies'', a live cinema performance of his short film of the same name. Against the backdrop of Forest Swords original soundscape and a film collage directed by Young he narrates the story of a lone drone flying across time and space. Beginning in WWI the performance tells the story of how drones have evolved across time to become the dominant infrastrucutre they are today.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.electronicbeats.net/in-the-robot-skies-review/|title=Review: Forest Swords Meets Drones In The Robot Skies - Electronic Beats|last=Telekom|date=2016-12-01|work=Electronic Beats|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://strp.nl/en/program/liam-young-au/|title=Liam Young (AU) - STRP|work=STRP|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en-US}}</ref> The performance premiered at the 60th London International FIlm Festival.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/lff/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=liamyoungforestswordspresentintherobotskies&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=|title=Buy cinema tickets for Liam Young & Forest Swords present In The Robot Skies {{!}} BFI London Film Festival 2016|website=whatson.bfi.org.uk|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref>
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== Publications ==
== Publications ==


Young has co authored the book Series ''Unknown Fields: Tales From the Dark Side of the City''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grafik.net/category/case-study/field-trips|title=Field Trips|last=Grafik|website=Grafik|access-date=2017-07-08}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grafik.net/category/case-study/field-trips|title=Field Trips|last=Grafik|website=Grafik|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/971254498|title=Tales from the Dark Side of the City|last=Fields,|first=Unknown|others=Neasden Control Centre,, City Edition Studio,|isbn=1907896902|location=London|oclc=971254498}}</ref> The series is currently consists of 6 books, each an illustrated story based on a field expedition through a remote landscape that is critical in the manafacture and production of contemporary technology.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.creativereview.co.uk/work/unknown-fields-dark-side-city-neasden-control-centre/|title=WORK: Unknown Fields' Dark Side of the City book series, designed by NCC and City Edition - Creative Review|work=Creative Review|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en-US}}</ref>
Young has co authored the book Series ''Unknown Fields: Tales From the Dark Side of the City''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grafik.net/category/case-study/field-trips|title=Field Trips|last=Grafik|website=Grafik|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/971254498|title=Tales from the Dark Side of the City|last=Fields,|first=Unknown|others=Neasden Control Centre,, City Edition Studio,|isbn=1907896902|location=London|oclc=971254498}}</ref> The series is currently consists of 6 books, each an illustrated story based on a field expedition through a remote landscape that is critical in the manafacture and production of contemporary technology.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.creativereview.co.uk/work/unknown-fields-dark-side-city-neasden-control-centre/|title=WORK: Unknown Fields' Dark Side of the City book series, designed by NCC and City Edition - Creative Review|work=Creative Review|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en-US}}</ref>


In 2014 Young edited the ebook Brave New Now<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22461457-brave-new-now|title=Brave New Now (Lisbon Architecture Triennale - Close, Closer ebook series)|website=Goodreads|access-date=2017-07-08}}</ref> a collection of specially commissioned short stories set in a fictional future city developed by Liam Young for the 2013 Lisbon Architecture Triennale. The book features stories from science fiction authors such as [[Warren Ellis]], [[Bruce Sterling]], Rachel Armstrong, [[Samit Basu]] and photography by [[Edward Burtynsky]], Charlie Koolhaas and [[Vincent Fournier]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.suckerpunchdaily.com/2014/06/26/brave-new-now/|title=Brave New Now|website=SUCKERPUNCHDAILY.COM|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22461457-brave-new-now|title=Brave New Now (Lisbon Architecture Triennale - Close, Closer ebook series)|website=Goodreads|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref>
In 2014 Young edited the ebook Brave New Now<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22461457-brave-new-now|title=Brave New Now (Lisbon Architecture Triennale - Close, Closer ebook series)|website=Goodreads|access-date=2017-07-08}}</ref> a collection of specially commissioned short stories set in a fictional future city developed by Liam Young for the 2013 Lisbon Architecture Triennale. The book features stories from science fiction authors such as [[Warren Ellis]], [[Bruce Sterling]], Rachel Armstrong, [[Samit Basu]] and photography by [[Edward Burtynsky]], Charlie Koolhaas and [[Vincent Fournier]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.suckerpunchdaily.com/2014/06/26/brave-new-now/|title=Brave New Now|website=SUCKERPUNCHDAILY.COM|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22461457-brave-new-now|title=Brave New Now (Lisbon Architecture Triennale - Close, Closer ebook series)|website=Goodreads|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref>


== Exhibitions ==
== Exhibitions ==


Young's first US solo show opened at the [[Columbia University]] Arthur Ross Architecture Gallery in March 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arch.columbia.edu/exhibitions/51-liam-young-new-romance|title=Liam Young: New Romance - Columbia GSAPP|website=Columbia GSAPP|language=en|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref> The show was titled ''New Romance'' <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arch.columbia.edu/exhibitions/51-liam-young-new-romance|title=Liam Young: New Romance - Columbia GSAPP|website=Columbia GSAPP|language=en|access-date=2017-07-08}}</ref> and featured 3 short films, each a love story set in a future city of autonomous technologies. The exhibition uses the medium of film and fiction to explore how emerging technologies are redefining human relationships and architecture.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archpaper.com/2017/03/liam-young-new-romance-arthur-ross/|title="New Romance" films by Liam Young explore near-future worlds where technology has changed romance (and cities too) - Archpaper.com|website=archpaper.com|language=en-US|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wired.com/2017/04/can-make-movies-drones-cgi-sure-not-make-stars/|title=You Can Make Movies With Drones and CGI, Sure. But Why Not Make Them the Stars?|work=WIRED|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en-US}}</ref>
Young's first US solo show opened at the [[Columbia University]] Arthur Ross Architecture Gallery in March 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arch.columbia.edu/exhibitions/51-liam-young-new-romance|title=Liam Young: New Romance - Columbia GSAPP|website=Columbia GSAPP|language=en|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref> The show was titled ''New Romance'' <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arch.columbia.edu/exhibitions/51-liam-young-new-romance|title=Liam Young: New Romance - Columbia GSAPP|website=Columbia GSAPP|language=en|access-date=2017-07-08}}</ref> and featured 3 short films, each a love story set in a future city of autonomous technologies. The exhibition uses the medium of film and fiction to explore how emerging technologies are redefining human relationships and architecture.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archpaper.com/2017/03/liam-young-new-romance-arthur-ross/|title="New Romance" films by Liam Young explore near-future worlds where technology has changed romance (and cities too) - Archpaper.com|website=archpaper.com|language=en-US|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wired.com/2017/04/can-make-movies-drones-cgi-sure-not-make-stars/|title=You Can Make Movies With Drones and CGI, Sure. But Why Not Make Them the Stars?|work=WIRED|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en-US}}</ref> The films in the exhibition present a dystopian future of ubiquitous technology but no matter how bleak the stories attempt to show that we can still imagine ways to bend technology to our will or escape from it through tiny acts of resistance.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.creativeapplications.net/reviews/searching-for-the-smart-citys-blind-spots-resistance-respite-and-new-romance/|title=Searching for the Smart City’s blind spots – resistance, respite, and “New Romance”|work=CreativeApplications.Net|access-date=2017-07-09|language=en-US}}</ref>


With his nomadic studio Unknown Fields Young exhibited ''Unknown Fields: The Dark Side of the City''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aaschool.ac.uk/PUBLIC/WHATSON/Exhibitions.php?item=336|title=AA School of Architecture - Exhibitions|website=www.aaschool.ac.uk|access-date=2017-07-08}}</ref> at the [[Architectural Association School of Architecture|Architectural Association]] Gallery in 2016. The exhibition took the form of a road trip through a collection of fragments; of drone footage, hidden camera investigations, speculative narratives and toxic objects that formed a reimagined city the size of the entire planet. The project looks at the way that the supply chains of technology is reforming landscapes all over the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aaschool.ac.uk/PUBLIC/WHATSON/Exhibitions.php?item=336|title=AA School of Architecture - Exhibitions|website=www.aaschool.ac.uk|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.bmiaa.com/unknown-fields-the-dark-side-of-the-city-at-the-architectural-association/|title="Unknown Fields – The Dark Side of the City" at the Architectural Association - BMIAA|date=2016-10-24|work=BMIAA|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en-US}}</ref>
With his nomadic studio Unknown Fields Young exhibited ''Unknown Fields: The Dark Side of the City''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aaschool.ac.uk/PUBLIC/WHATSON/Exhibitions.php?item=336|title=AA School of Architecture - Exhibitions|website=www.aaschool.ac.uk|access-date=2017-07-08}}</ref> at the [[Architectural Association School of Architecture|Architectural Association]] Gallery in 2016. The exhibition took the form of a road trip through a collection of fragments; of drone footage, hidden camera investigations, speculative narratives and toxic objects that formed a reimagined city the size of the entire planet. The project looks at the way that the supply chains of technology is reforming landscapes all over the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.aaschool.ac.uk/PUBLIC/WHATSON/Exhibitions.php?item=336|title=AA School of Architecture - Exhibitions|website=www.aaschool.ac.uk|access-date=2017-07-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.bmiaa.com/unknown-fields-the-dark-side-of-the-city-at-the-architectural-association/|title="Unknown Fields – The Dark Side of the City" at the Architectural Association - BMIAA|date=2016-10-24|work=BMIAA|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en-US}}</ref>

Revision as of 11:06, 9 July 2017

  • Comment: This article still contains 1 external link in the article's body. » Shadowowl | talk 08:20, 9 July 2017 (UTC)
  • Comment: Unless you can put a closer focus in major reviews, this is simply not significant enough for the applied notability. SwisterTwister talk 06:05, 9 July 2017 (UTC)

Liam Young (born 13th March 1979) is an Australian born director and architect.[1] Young's work is situated within the fields of design fiction and critical design. His work is explores the increasingly blurred boundaries among film, fiction, design and storytelling with the goal of imagining our future. Using speculative design, film and the visualisation of imaginary cities, he opens up conversations querying urban existence, asking provocative questions about the roles of both architecture and entertainment.[2] Through his projects that escape traditional definitions of how an architect practices Young has caused some controversy in the architectural field and the comments section on the industry blog Archinect with his claim that "An architect's skills are completely wasted on making buildings"[3][4][5]

Young is a founder of the Urban Futures think tank Tomorrows Thoughts Today and the nomadic research studio Unknown Fields.[6]. He is a visiting Professor of Architecture at Princeton University[7] and currently holds a position at the Architecutral Association in London[8] and runs the MA in Fiction and Entertainment at Sci Arc in Los Angeles.[9]

Films

Young has developed a body of films that use new technologies of image making in order to tell new kinds of stories about the urban implications that these systems give rise to. In Wired Magazine's review of 3 of his films it was noted that what makes Young's moody, futuristic films so unusual is the technologies they focus on such as laser scanners, drones and outsourcing are not just tools of making but are the star themselves.[10]

In 2016 Young released the science fiction short film Where The City Cant See [11][12][13] The short is the first fiction film to be shot entirely using laser scanning technology (LIDAR), the same vision system that driverless cars use to navigate.[14] The story follows a group of young factory workers across a single night as they drift through a near future Detroit in a driverless taxi. They are part of an underground community that have developed new textiles for digital camouflage which they use to escape the surveillance systems of the city and seek out a hidden rave party in the abandoned industrial factories of Detroit. The film features an original soundtrack by DJ Stingray, former tour DJ for Detroit electronic band Drexciya.

Young directed In the Robot Skies[15] the first fiction film produced using autonomous preprogrammed drones.[16][17] In the film, government surveillance drones follow two characters through the towers of a future London public housing estate. Seen through the eyes of the flying cameras the film tells the story of a young woman who has hacked one of drones and uses it to pass love letters to her boyfriend who is trapped in the tower opposite. The film premiered as part of Channel 4's Random Acts series.[18]

In 2016 Young co produced the documentry short Consumed[19] which recieved a BAFTA nomination for Best British Documentry Short.[20][21][22] The film is a cinematic journey through the landscapes, mines, factories, and shipyards of Chinese technology production. The film reveals the hidden world behind everyday objects and re-frames the complex supply chains that fuel Western consumerism.[23]

Performances

 In 2014 Young collaborated with Welsh musician and composer John Cale, formerly of the Velvet Underground to develop the world first[24] drone orchestra and the audiovisual performance LOOP >> 60Hz: Transmissions From The Drone Orchestra. [25][26] For the performance Young designed a flock of costumed drones that would fly above the audience carrying speakers that broadcast the live music played by the band. As The Guardian notes, the project "brings drones out of the realms of sinister terrorist surveillance and Amazon delivery and puts them in front of your face like massive alien gnats". [27]

With British electronic producer Forest Swords Liam Young developed In the Robot Skies, a live cinema performance of his short film of the same name. Against the backdrop of Forest Swords original soundscape and a film collage directed by Young he narrates the story of a lone drone flying across time and space. Beginning in WWI the performance tells the story of how drones have evolved across time to become the dominant infrastrucutre they are today.[28][29] The performance premiered at the 60th London International FIlm Festival.[30]

Publications

Young has co authored the book Series Unknown Fields: Tales From the Dark Side of the City.[31][32] The series is currently consists of 6 books, each an illustrated story based on a field expedition through a remote landscape that is critical in the manafacture and production of contemporary technology.[33]

In 2014 Young edited the ebook Brave New Now[34] a collection of specially commissioned short stories set in a fictional future city developed by Liam Young for the 2013 Lisbon Architecture Triennale. The book features stories from science fiction authors such as Warren Ellis, Bruce Sterling, Rachel Armstrong, Samit Basu and photography by Edward Burtynsky, Charlie Koolhaas and Vincent Fournier.[35] [36]

Exhibitions

Young's first US solo show opened at the Columbia University Arthur Ross Architecture Gallery in March 2017.[37] The show was titled New Romance [38] and featured 3 short films, each a love story set in a future city of autonomous technologies. The exhibition uses the medium of film and fiction to explore how emerging technologies are redefining human relationships and architecture.[39][40] The films in the exhibition present a dystopian future of ubiquitous technology but no matter how bleak the stories attempt to show that we can still imagine ways to bend technology to our will or escape from it through tiny acts of resistance.[41]

With his nomadic studio Unknown Fields Young exhibited Unknown Fields: The Dark Side of the City[42] at the Architectural Association Gallery in 2016. The exhibition took the form of a road trip through a collection of fragments; of drone footage, hidden camera investigations, speculative narratives and toxic objects that formed a reimagined city the size of the entire planet. The project looks at the way that the supply chains of technology is reforming landscapes all over the world.[43][44]

Interviews

Building Better Entertainment By Holly Willis[45]

Liam Young on Speculative Architecture and Engineering the Future By Next Nature[46]

Arch20 Interviews Liam Young by Zack Saunders[47]

What am I a Citizen Of? Liam Young advocates for the utter dissolution of the term 'Architect' by Shumi Bose[48]

The Model is the Map, is the Territory by George Kafka for Transmediale[49]

References

  1. ^ "Liam Young". IMDb. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  2. ^ Willis, Holly. "Building Better Entertainment: SCI-Arc's MA in Fiction and Entertainment | Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  3. ^ Liam Young: "an architect’s skills are completely wasted on making buildings"
  4. ^ "Tank Magazine". Tank Magazine. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  5. ^ "What am I a Citizen of?". uncube magazine. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  6. ^ "What am I a Citizen of?". uncube magazine. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  7. ^ "Liam Young | Princeton University School of Architecture". soa.princeton.edu. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  8. ^ "Unknown Fields – AA Visiting Schools". www.aaschool.ac.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  9. ^ "Liam Young - SCI-Arc". sciarc.edu. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  10. ^ "You Can Make Movies With Drones and CGI, Sure. But Why Not Make Them the Stars?". WIRED. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  11. ^ Where the City Can't See (2016), retrieved 2017-07-08
  12. ^ Where the City Can't See (2016), retrieved 2017-07-07
  13. ^ "'Where the City Can't See': Creepy, dystopic movie shot entirely using laser scanner technology". DangerousMinds. 2016-11-03. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  14. ^ "Where The City Can't See trailer: The film shot using laser scanners". The Independent. 2016-11-03. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  15. ^ In the Robot Skies (2016), retrieved 2017-07-08
  16. ^ "This sci-fi film was shot entirely by autonomous drones". Engadget. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  17. ^ "Watch The Trailer For A Movie Filmed Entirely By Drones". Popular Science. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  18. ^ "Random Acts - Liam Young - In The Robot Skies Directed by speculative architect Liam Young and written by fiction author Tim Maughan, In the Robot Skies is the world's first narrative shot entirely through autonomous drones. - Liam Young - In The Robot Skies Directed by..." Random Acts. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  19. ^ "work". Richard John Seymour. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  20. ^ Consumed (2016), retrieved 2017-07-07
  21. ^ "2017 Film British Short Film | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  22. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (2017-02-22). "Bafta Shorts 2017 review – a bright, broad-minded movie medley". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  23. ^ "work". Richard John Seymour. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  24. ^ "John Cale's Only Gone and Co-Created the First Ever Drone Orchestra". Noisey. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  25. ^ "Drones to star in Cale show - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk". BelfastTelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  26. ^ "John Cale & Liam Young at the Barbican: drones meet drones to sound". The Independent. 2014-09-19. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  27. ^ Beaumont, Mark (2014-09-14). "John Cale and Liam Young review – Cale's drones outshine Young's flying bots in sinister vision of the future". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  28. ^ Telekom (2016-12-01). "Review: Forest Swords Meets Drones In The Robot Skies - Electronic Beats". Electronic Beats. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  29. ^ "Liam Young (AU) - STRP". STRP. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  30. ^ "Buy cinema tickets for Liam Young & Forest Swords present In The Robot Skies | BFI London Film Festival 2016". whatson.bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  31. ^ Grafik. "Field Trips". Grafik. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  32. ^ Fields,, Unknown. Tales from the Dark Side of the City. Neasden Control Centre,, City Edition Studio,. London. ISBN 1907896902. OCLC 971254498.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  33. ^ "WORK: Unknown Fields' Dark Side of the City book series, designed by NCC and City Edition - Creative Review". Creative Review. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  34. ^ "Brave New Now (Lisbon Architecture Triennale - Close, Closer ebook series)". Goodreads. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  35. ^ "Brave New Now". SUCKERPUNCHDAILY.COM. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  36. ^ "Brave New Now (Lisbon Architecture Triennale - Close, Closer ebook series)". Goodreads. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  37. ^ "Liam Young: New Romance - Columbia GSAPP". Columbia GSAPP. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  38. ^ "Liam Young: New Romance - Columbia GSAPP". Columbia GSAPP. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  39. ^ ""New Romance" films by Liam Young explore near-future worlds where technology has changed romance (and cities too) - Archpaper.com". archpaper.com. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  40. ^ "You Can Make Movies With Drones and CGI, Sure. But Why Not Make Them the Stars?". WIRED. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  41. ^ "Searching for the Smart City's blind spots – resistance, respite, and "New Romance"". CreativeApplications.Net. Retrieved 2017-07-09.
  42. ^ "AA School of Architecture - Exhibitions". www.aaschool.ac.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  43. ^ "AA School of Architecture - Exhibitions". www.aaschool.ac.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  44. ^ ""Unknown Fields – The Dark Side of the City" at the Architectural Association - BMIAA". BMIAA. 2016-10-24. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  45. ^ Willis, Holly. "Building Better Entertainment: SCI-Arc's MA in Fiction and Entertainment | Filmmaker Magazine". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  46. ^ "Interview Liam Young | Next Nature Network". Next Nature Network. 2015-03-29. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  47. ^ "Interview With Liam Young | Arch2O - Arch2O.com". Arch2O.com. 2017-01-17. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  48. ^ "What am I a Citizen of?". uncube magazine. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  49. ^ "The Model is the Map is the Territory | transmediale". transmediale.de (in German). Retrieved 2017-07-08.
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