Starting with a film presentation entitled “Telling It As It Is”, Jonathan Charley examines architecture as a capitalist process in a world of commodity production, questioning whether the profession can ever have true creative autonomy free from the influence of politics and economics. He looks at attempts at creative autonomy through cooperative working and direct action. There is a call for a united voice, organising architects as a unified body. (The film should be available shortly in full, online - links to follow)

Liza Fior of muf continues the theme of creative autonomy, presenting examples of the multidisciplinary practice’s “research on the sly” and raising the question of how to get funding for investigative work in the public realm. She explains the concepts of value what’s there/define what’s missing/nurture the possible as a way of generating places.
http://www.muf.co.uk/

Stephen Hill presents another view from outside the architectural profession, speaking as a surveyor, perhaps providing some conservative balance. Starting with a discussion of slime mould, which joins together to migrate in search of food despite being an organism without a brain. Hill questions if the professions are as smart as slime mould. By sharing knowledge and working in a multidisciplinary fashion, the professions can be as smart as slime mould.
http://www.buildingfutures.org.uk/projects/building-futures/futures-fair-09/infrastructure/stephen-hill/