After the Hyperprofessional
2020
WRITING
A provocation written with Julie Shapiro as Bad Little Brother.  You can read the full text here.
“Write your own manifesto....Just make sure you use a pencil, so you can always get it... you know... right” -Laurie Anderson, Dark Angel

Professional design under global capitalism has produced a category of architectural designer-as-technocrat, which we can call the hyperprofessional, whose contributions are not only aesthetic but administrative. More than just a charismatic schmoozer, the hyperprofessional is a sort of anti-democratic social practitioner. His skill lies not only in his capably navigating the political systems of the neoliberal city, but in capitalizing on their very opacity to developers, politicians, and the general public. Posing as a uniquely adept interpreter of the parameters of public urban space, the hyperprofessional establishes himself as an indispensable intermediary between developers, city agencies, and (in scare quotes) the community.

The success of this figure shows us that professional architectural work has already decoupled from architectural licensure. The hyperprofessional has no need for licensure, except as a tool wielded tactically by a subordinated local practitioner. His aims are global and licensure is always local. Ironically, this figure demonstrates that interpreting and navigating regulatory systems can be both sustaining work and aesthetic practice. The hyperprofessional funnels these goals through the existing structures of global capital; can an anti-capitalist design invert his proprietary attitude, sharing and receiving knowledge freely rather than guarding it jealously?
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