Youtopia. a Passion for the Dark

Book excerpt: Youtopia A Passion for the Dark celebrates architecture at the intersection of Digital Processes and Theatrical Performance. 'Youtopia' pursues dreams: of other spaces and times; of outrageous and fascinating experiences; of the glamour and lights of the Sydney Festival. The book reviews design conversations between architectural practice, architectural theory, audio and acoustics, digital fabrication, interaction and mediation, structural engineering, theatre and performance studies, and cultural research. It parallels an exhibition that showcases ephemeral and captivating interactive landscapes, theatre installations, iconographic architectural objects, heterotopias and performative spaces. These speculative projects are developed by advanced design processes in 3D modelling and scripting environments, and by the production of prototypes through structural analysis and digital fabrication. Edited by Dagmar Reinhardt, with interviews and essays by Dirk Anderson, Eduardo Barata, Joseph Buch, Densil Cabrera, Bill Harris, Lindy Hume, Alexander Jung, Sandra Kaji-O'Grady, William L Martens, Luis Miranda, Patrick Nolan, Harry Partridge, Dagmar Reinhardt, Chris L Smith, Michael Scott-Mitchell, and Simon Weir.