Territorial inscription: Drawing as incision in speculative architecture

This text comments on a drawing research project which uses dissection as a method for producing speculative architecture. The anatomical cut and the architectural section converge in an act of controlled violence upon the production of a speculative organic form. For Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and the series of dissection drawings presented here, flesh is not merely the material of the organic body; flesh is seen as both body and world, as the organic body is not external to the world but an integral part of it. By aligning the architectural section with anatomical and botanical dissections, this research positions architectural drawing as an agent of transformation rather than a mere documentation of form. In these drawings, the traditional architectural section-line is not an abstract geometrical tool but a compositional force – a method for opening up the question of form to speculation. The act of cutting produces openings during the practice of drawing and thus opportunities for various references to come together. Anatomical details intersect with botanical structures, architectural elements and mythological references, allowing the section line to simultaneously cut through matter, history and meaning. Engaging with Jacques Derrida’s notion of différance and Merleau-Ponty’s understanding of chiasm , this drawing research foregrounds the generative nature of the incision, revealing how drawing operates within a structure of overlapping ambiguity. This pursuit is a deliberate rejection of architecture’s tendency towards fixity and certainty, enabling observations through drawing and bringing to the surface the ever-shifting relationships between disciplines.