The lecture Slow Reading a Complex, Interdependent World will introduce an expanded field of inquiry and experimentation that is the work of Slow Research Lab, a multidisciplinary research platform based in the Netherlands.  The work presented – traversing the fields of architecture, art, material research, and urban design – offers alternative visions and variant rhythms for reflecting upon and (re-)imagining the spatial, relational, and temporal potentials of a complex, interdependent world. The lecture intend to awaken new understandings, challenge comfort zones, spark curiosity and debate, and incite further investigation of ‘Slow’ approaches to living, now and into the future.

Carolyn Strauss (US/NL) is a researcher, curator, and creative facilitator whose work traverses the fields of architecture, design, contemporary art, emerging technology, and social theory. She is interested in enabling spaces of inquiry and encounter through which an expanded realm of human potential is explored and developed, with a particular focus on creative practice as a catalyst for dialogue and new experiences. As director of Slow Research Lab, Strauss has engaged a network of thinkers and creative practitioners in a myriad of research-based programs, including collaborations with prominent museums, cultural organizations, and academic institutions. She regularly lectures, writes, and curates study experiences that share both the cumulative work of the platform and her own personal Slow understandings. She lives and works in Amsterdam.