The upheaval of the Anthropocene and its intrusion into contemporary life is where we start: how can we articulate what it means to form a polity without an overarching scheme, or what does it means to link it to spaces in deep and rapid transformation. To what extent are we ready to dismantle what appears as the core principle of the Holocene—cohesion and stability, and construct an architecture of peace open on all sides, engaged in constant negotiations and diplomatic encounters.

John Palmesino and Ann-Sofi Rönnskog are architects and urbanists. They established Territorial Agency, an independent organisation that combines architecture, analysis, advocacy and action for integrated spatial transformation of contemporary territories. Recent projects include Oceans in transformation, Museum of Oil, Anthropocene Observatory and North. They are Diploma 4 Unit Masters at the AA. www.territorialagency.com

Selected readings:
Radical Conservation—Museum of Oil, by John Palmesino and Ann-Sofi Rönnskog, in Reset Modernity! by Bruno Latour
Gaia: A new look at life on Earth by James Lovelock
Cosmopolitics I by Isabelle Stengers
World System Analysis by Immanuel Wallerstein