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Project

Sabbatical Fredie Floré: Reframing Knoll International: Exploring Intersections of Architecture, Design and Business History

The sabbatical period is primarily focused on research, in particular on preparing two publications and exploring the associated avenues for further research.
a) Knoll International: book project at the intersection of architecture, design and business history
In 2017, together with Cammie McAtee, I published the internationally well-received edited volume The Politics of Furniture (Routledge). The production of this book revealed that there is a layered and politically charged story about the expansion of the American multinational Knoll outside the US that can provide new insights into both local design and
architectural histories as well as in the history of the company itself. I'm working on a new book project on this topic with McAtee. First ideas have been submitted and presented
at two international conferences (Docomomo 2020 and CAA 2021). I presented a paper on a potential Belgian case at the DHS/EAHN conference 'Building-Object/Design Architecture: Exploring Interconnections' (2019). The sabbatical period will allow the book project to be worked out in concrete terms, to conduct additional archival research, to engage authors and to apply for funding.
b) Architecture & Bureaucracy, special issue of Architectural History (A1-journal, SAHGB)
In October 2019 I organized the international conference 'Architecture and Bureaucracy: Entangled Sites of
Knowledge Production and Exchange' (http://www.architectureandbureaucracy.be/).
Starting from a selection of the presented papers, we submitted a special issue proposal to Architectural History, the peer-reviewed journal of the SAHGB. The magazine is
interested and has mapped out a concrete timeline that largely overlaps with the requested sabbatical period. The sabbatical period will allow the production of the special issue to be closely monitored and the deadlines to be met. The production of the paper facilitates the perpetuation of new international collaborations that have arisen in the context of the congress.

Date:1 Oct 2021 →  30 Sep 2022
Keywords:Knoll International, architecture, bureaucracy
Disciplines:Architectural history and theory, Interior architecture not elsewhere classified