This article discusses extended implications of Lefebvre’s The Production of Space in the context of contemporary global neoliberalism, by focus on its presence in architectural space as lived space and spatial practice. The main discussion concerns Lefebvre’s concepts of abstract space, in relation to Felix Guattari’s three ecologies, and the Aristotelean triad of aisthesis, poiesis and techné. The focus here concerns material architectural space and its relation to modes of subjectivity, especially creative-productive versus consuming subjectivities. The argument begins by elaborating on an understanding of abstract space as present in material architectural space as pervasive processes of disassociation of materiality and labor, and proceeds to through these concepts discuss modes of subjectivity—the dependence of abstract space on subjects as consumers—and the way this relates to challenges of sustainability. It further points to the importance of architectural space considered as built material environment for creative-productive modes of subjectivity which challenge abstract space and in extension consumer society, by offering potential dispositions that set subjects in a different relation to the world.
QC 20180613
This article was written with the support of the Vinnova-funded project Decode (Community design for conflicting desires, Vinnova grant 2016-03724) led by Björn Hellström. The study in Stockholm was funded by Stockholm Municipality. Important conceptual development binding the study and the topic of the article together was funded by a grant from KTH central funds to develop urban design research in architecture (A-2015-05-28). The author would also like to thank John Peponis for the discussion on modes of subjectivity at the 11th International Space Syntax Symposium in Lisbon, 2017.