4CITIES graduate Mohammad Hammash (C03) and his Stripping Architecture co-founder Filip Momikj have recently published a new book: The Urban Revolution – is a Fun Sketch. For the occasion, Field Notes asked Mohammad a few questions.
What is the book about?
The book discusses the significance of urban and architectural critique in shaping our urban environments. We have noted that the urban critique is often marginalized and it is occurring “post-festum”. More so it predominantly circulates within professional circles only. Our aim is to institutionalize architectural critique and learn to visualize and communicate complex urban phenomena and solutions in an engaging and thought-provoking manner that is accessible to the broader public.
The format is unusual. Why did you make the book this way?
There are two major factors that determined this format. First of all, this is our first book, and we don’t consider ourselves writers. We definitely want to express many thoughts in an extensive written format, but at the same time we acknowledge the responsibility that comes with writing. We recognize that writing is not an easy task. Therefore we approached to this book as a stepping stone towards publishing more written works.
Secondly, we wanted to create a book where people could engage with illustrations, not instantly, but in a way that encourages spending time on two pages as if reading a book. This led to our “stripping sketch” method, where one illustration is explained through decoding a framework of small diagrams and illustrations. We believe this is more effective in engaging people with content, promoting self-learning rather than preaching.
Were you inspired by other books?
To be honest, we haven’t seen other books that present content in this way, but we’ve always admired how children attentively engage with simple illustrations. It’s fascinating how they absorb the entire image, much like adults do with text. One of our inspirations came from the TV show “Ozark”, where each episode begins with a diagram of four simple sketches foreshadowing the episode’s content. We found this intriguing as it encourages connecting different dots and creating personal stories from the explicitly shown narrative.
Who should read this book and what do you hope they get out of it?
We understand that content is typically tailored for specific niches or target groups to maximize reach. In this context, the book is particularly interesting for architects, architectural students, urban planners, and urban designers. However, we also recognize the need to reach a certain level of commonality to appeal to a broader audience and introduce urban planning concepts. This book is for anyone curious about the secrets of the cities. If you care about your city, then this book is for you.
The Urban Revolution – is a Fun Sketch is available at Stripping Architecture, Waterstones, Amazon, and many other booksellers.
