François Roche

He studied in Chalon-sur-Saône, and afterward entered scientific preparatory school in Lyon. He left that school prior to graduating, and enrolled at the school of architecture of Versailles. He graduated from this school in 1988.

In 1993 he co-founded an organization, R&Sie(n), with architects Stephanie Lavaux and Gilles Desevadavy and New-Territories in 1999 with Francois Perrin. The sub-names have changed several times between 1989 and now: BoyeRoche (1989); Roche (1990); Roche & François (1991); Roche, Francois, Lewis, Huber, Roubaud, Perrin (1992); Roche, DSV & Sie (1993–97); R, DSV & Sie. P (1998); R & Sie. D/B: L (1999–2001); R&Sie(n) (2001 to present),[2] adding a new one, titled [eIf/bʌt/c] since 2011. This transformation of his firm name over time serves to illustrate its hybrid character, to destabilize the figure of the architect[3] and appear, according to French critic "iconoclast".[4]

New-Territories is fronted by a transgender avatar and Roche has been secretive about his appearance, refusing to be photographed. This character re-questions the system of domination-submission, as a gender fugitivity. However, in 2011 the avatar suggested to be 'suicided', as a protest against the way architecture is paternalized...but s/he seems still in activism.[5] New-territories closed the office in Paris en 2011 and moved in Asia, Thailand.[6]

Today François Roche is developing at the same time an apparatus of research “new-territories” including several labels, a production structure, via R&Sie (n) to develop and fabricate simultaneously architecture fragments and movies, and 'M4/mindmachinemakingmyths' a robotic fab LAB in Bangkok.[7] He was Visiting Professor at Columbia-Gsapp, New York City,[8] 2006–13, leading one of the "advanced studio".[9] He has been a Visiting Professor at RMIT, Upenn, Michigan, among other places. He is a faculty member of EGS, Philosophy, Art & Critical Thought.[10]

From 1991 to 1994, François Roche took an active part in the newspaper Purple Prose,[11] as an associate writer, and left when it became, according to him, a 'pornchic Calvin Klein' review. A rebound of the Liberation newspaper entitled “the city died” in 1994 will come to enclose this period.[12], followed by 15 years dedicated to digital-computation research in Bio-politic, but architecture [13].

In 1993 the French Institute of Architecture offered him the possibility of unfolding the whole of its first experiments under the title “Action, March 93” which would give an account of twenty of his projects.[14] A monographic work was to be published, now sold out “The shade of the chameleon”.[15]

The name R&Sie (n) is resulting from the contraction of the group, but it also refers to RSI, the event "Real, Symbolic, Imaginary"[16] of Jacques Lacan in 1972. The pronunciation “heresy” which seems completely fortuitous, launched by Bruce Sterling via its Wired review in 2006, finishes by him (their) sticking to the skin.[17]

New-Territories has been invited in multiple sessions of Biennial of Architecture of Venice, in 1991, 1996,[18] 2000,[19] 2002, 2004,[20] 2008,[21] 2010,[22] 2014,[23] both in French pavilion (3 times) and international selection (5 times). Their works have been visible at the First Biennial of Architecture of Chicago, 2015 [24], followed by Biennials of Istanbul in 2015, of Venice, at Bembo Pavilion in 2018, and Triennial of Echigo Tsumari in 2018.

Their Architecture experiments and works are part of the Permanent Collection of SF-MOMA, Pompidou Center, CCA Montreal, FRAC Orleans, Mudam, TBA21, Towada Art Center, AIC Chicago, among others... and majors exhibitions in London (ICA, Barbican, Tate), Paris (#7, Mam, Pompidou, IFA, Le Laboratoire, Purple prose...), New York (#4, Ps1-Moma, Gsapp, Urbach, Taylor...), Tokyo (Mori, MOT), Echigo Tsumari (#2, Triennials), Kanazawa, Bangkok (#5, NewT, Biennial, Tars), Singapore (#2, Biennials), Los Angeles (#2, SFMoma, UCLA), Basel (Tingueli), Vienna (TBA21), Orleans (#4, Frac), Venice (#10, Biennials), Humlebæk (Louisiana), Luxembourg (Mudam), Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Reunion Island (Frac), Berlin, ...among other places.

This architect has been associated:

• In R&Sie(n) with Stephanie Lavaux, artist, since 1993 and many very others along the time (Toshikatsu Kiuchi, Benoit Durandin, Stephan Henrich, Jean Navarro, Giles Desevedavy...)
• In [eIf/bʌt/c] with Camille Lacadee (until 2015), "institute of contingents scenario" opened in 2011, based in BKK (including Vongsawat Wongkijjalerd, Yurgos Hussen...).

François Roche is the guest editor of LOG#25, NY Critic Revue, issue released in July 2012 / title Reclaim Resi(lience)stance.[25]

A large retrospective opened in Nov. 2016, in France, at the FRAC, Art Center of experimental and radical Architecture, Orleans, titled "S/He would rather do FICTION MAKer" with the Avatar as master of ceremony.[26]

All monographies/ texts / article free downloadable [27]

• 2018 / #digitaldisobediences_s/he would rather do Fiction Maker (Frac-Centre)
  

  s/he would rather do Fiction Maker
  [28]
• 2015 / mythomaniaS.[29]
• 2014 / Heretical-Machinism.[30]
• 2011 / Architecture des Humeurs. Catalogue on research-exhibition. PDF 2mo[31]
• 2010 / New-Territories-R&Sie(n).[32]
• 2010 / BioReboot.[33]
• 2007 / Fiction Scripts.[34]
• 2006 / Spoiled Climate.[35]
• 2005 / I,ve heard About.[36]
• 2004 / Corrupted Biotopes.[37]
• 2003 / T(e)en Years After.[38]
• 2000 / Mutation @morphes.[39]
• 1994 / The Shadow of Chameleon.[40]

His works are organized on five sets of apparatuses / 1° Research as Speculation, 2° Fiction as Practice, 3° Practice as Lifespan (H&N), 4° Daily Routine as mythomaniaS, 5° Bachelor Machines

• 1° Elsewhere & Simultaneoulsy / A speculative architecture which works out devices between robotics, mathematics, neurobiology and biochemistry (have a look on internet on the both exhibition-research “Ive heard about”[41] & “an architecture of moods”.[42]
• 2° Here & Tomorrow / An operative and fictional architecture which tries to re-scenarize the relation with a situation, with an environment (like principle of reality)
• 3° Here & Now / A fragile architecture which negotiates with the arrow of time, with the transitory one or what seems the being
• 4° mythomaniaS / An anthropo-technic research on human pathologies and shelters, through scenarized case studies [43]
• 5° Bachelor Machines / Process - Disruptive Logic - Haptic signal for (n)certainties & undeterminism in a narrative ‘realism’ of operative mode.

• Bartlett School, London in 2000, inviting Allison Dring as assistant
• TU, Vienna, in 2001
• ESARQ, Barcelona, in 2003-04
• ESA, Paris, in 2005
• UPenn (University of Pennsylvania) in Philadelphia in 2006
• Columbia, New-York, 2006, inviting David Benjamin[44]
• Columbia, New-York, 2007, inviting Marc Fornes[45]
• Columbia, New-York, 2008, inviting Marc Fornes[46]
• Angewangde School, Vienna in 2008, inviting Marc Fornes and Stephan Henrich[47]
• USC, Los Angeles, in 2009, inviting Stephan Henrich and Marc Fornes[48]
• Columbia, New-York, 2009, inviting Marc Fornes and Mat Staudt[49]
• Columbia, New-York, 2010, inviting Ezio Blasetti & Dave Pigram[50]
• USC, Los Angeles, 2010–11, with Stephan Henrich and Qi Su as "visiting professor"[51]
• Columbia, New-York, 2011, inviting Ezio Blasetti with Miranda Romer[52]
• Columbia, New-York, 2012, inviting Ezio Blasetti[53]
• RMIT, Melbourne/UTS, Sydney, 2012, inviting Gwyll Jahn[54]
• Columbia, New-York, & Upenn, Philadelphia, 2013-2014, inviting Stephan Henrich / Ezio Blasetti with Luis Felipe, Devin Jernigan[55]
• RMIT, Melbourne, 2012-18, inviting Gwyll Jahn
• Institute of Art and Architecture, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna as a Visiting Professor for 2017-2018, inviting Damjan Minovsky [56]

• Columbia University (New York, 1999–2000), UCLA (Los Angeles, 1999–2000), “@namorphous changes”/ Through R&Sie(n)
• ICA (London, 2001), “In any way, it's already happened” / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Jean Navarro [57]
• Mori Art Museum (Tokyo, 2004), Frac Collection / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Jean Navarro [58]
• Center Pompidou (Paris, 2003), “nonstandard Architecture” / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Jean Navarro [59]
• MAM/Museum of Modern art (Paris, 2005), “I' ve Heard About” / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Jean Navarro, with Benoit Durandin, Mathieu Lehanneur [60]
• MAM/Museum of Modern art (Paris, 2006), “Terra Incognita” / Through R&Sie(n) with Pierre Huyghe
• Tate Modern (London, 2006), “Terra Incognita” / Through R&Sie(n) with Pierre Huyghe[61]
• Barbican (London, 2009), “radical nature” / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Kiuchi Toshikatsu [62]
• Louisiana (Denmark, 2009), “green building” / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Kiuchi Toshikatsu [63]
• Le Laboratoire (Paris, 2010), “an architecture of moods” / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Kiuchi Toshikatsu, associated to François Jouve, Stephan Henrich [64]
• MOMASF (Los Angeles, 2010), “Bodies and Design” / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Kiuchi Toshikatsu
• Archilab (Orleans, 1999,2001,2003) / Through R&Sie(n) / Stephanie Lavaux, Jean Navarro
• French Pavilion of Biennial of Architecture of Venice in 1990, 1996, 2000 and 2002 (year that they refused for political reasons) / Through R&Sie(n)
• International Pavilion of Biennial of Architecture of Venice in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2010 both international[65] and the Austrian Pavilion.[66] and Pallazo Bembo in 2014 and 2018.[67]
• Biennial of Chicago / 2015 / Oct-Jan / [68]
• Biennial of Istanbul / 2016 / Oct-Jan /
• FRAC Orleans / 2016-17 / Nov-March / "S/He would rather do FICTION MAKer" / 1000 m2 Retrospective / [69]
• Triennials of Echigo Tsumari / Japan / 2003 and 2018
• Multiple events in Bangkok / 2015-18 / mythomaniaS / New-Territories Lab, Biennial, Tars.
• The Arts and the Future / 2019 / Mori Tower / Tokyo / 'an Architecture of MOODs'

• Web site - New-Territories