The House of Common Affairs (HOCA) is a new, smashing journal about the Fourth Estate Utopias. It provides an opportunity to challenge the niche and yet popular field that exists in the overlap between design and journalism. HOCA invites a more diverse range of voices into the conversation with the aim to promote an international and interdisciplinary exchange of ideas, as well as knowledge. It seeks to offer a space for critical thinking with the aim of provoking further developments in this field.

Cloisterf*ck is the second issue of HOCA and is about the role of architecture in relation to journalism. Blending architecture and journalism has the potential to counter propaganda and ‘fake news’. Some of the featured projects bring fresh hope that a new wave of fact-centred practices can convince the public, bring forth justice, and, once again, hold those in power accountable. The rest of the interviews offer a broader set of questions about contemporary architectural practice in relation to current affairs as well as critical views on architectural research.

Contents
‘Aesthetic Truth Work: Mixing Architecture with Journalism’ by 
‘Q&A on Architecture + Current Affairs’ interview with 
‘Smokescreen’ by  / Bora Erden & Matt Cortright
‘Tears Topography’ by 
‘Data: the New Black Gold’ by 
‘Land of Hope’ by  / Aikaterina Myserli & Henk Hartzema
‘Charting a Lean Middle Ground’ interview with James Dixon 
‘Sustainable Architecture Avant la Lettre’ interview with Luc Deleu 
‘Architecture is Always Late’ interview with 
‘Lasting Glow’ by 
‘The City Library for Common Collections’ by Mayssa Kanaan
‘The Future is Non-Binary’ interview with Christoph a. Kumpusch (Forward-slash)
‘Queering Crossrail’ by Francesca Rausa
‘Schrődinger’s City’ by Alexander Findley
Forum 3: ‘Bogged Down in Cementics’ with Anne Boddington, Enok Gåsland, John Zhang, Lenka Hámošová, moderated by Paula Minelgaitė

Published by House of Common Affairs
Softcover
108 pages
103 x 195 mm
ISSN 2632448202