Oppositions: A United Nations Consensus Building

Abstract

Opposition works as the framework for this thesis investigation of ideas of conflict and negotiation viewed through the lens of collage.

Although the mission of the UN Consensus building is to arrive to a resolution of conflict, the exploration focuses more on the idea that when in conflict people are often in opposition but they are willing to sit and negotiate because they share one collective identity, the "UN identity". As a result, the research focuses on conflict negotiation and the architecturalization of negotiated opposing conditions.

Collage, as a visual and conceptual artifact of oppositional conditions, works as the foundation for this exploration where techniques of juxtaposition, layering and simultaneity, are used to challenge ideas of connection and separation; architectural concepts found nested in the culture, site and program of the building. Oppositions between cultures, political identities, program pieces, circulation patterns and perspectives are collaged together to reflect the United Nations mission, agenda and values.