Issue no. 1: In—stability
Submission Deadline
September 15, 2022
Extended Deadline
October 14, 2022
In this first issue of Hyphen, we will address the concept of instability. Although architectural production has always necessitated a degree of fundamental confidence—or, arguably, even optimism—the fact remains that the basic conditions against which we must carry out our work remain in constant flux. Uncertainty, that is, is among the only certainties in life. We cannot ignore the profound instability of our present milieu: the looming proposition of a post-pandemic scenario, world economies in free fall, the rampant spread of misinformation, politically polarized societies, and myriad social and environmental injustices, to name but a few, represent a complex and often daunting map of action by which architects might aspire to rethink the scope of our discipline. These challenges have rendered the task of envisioning the near future all the more pressing and raised (or resuscitated) urgent and essential questions about the role of the architect.
How will we live together in the future? How will new materialities influence a contemporary (and future) understanding of construction? How will we transmit and receive information? How will changes in forms of organization and labor impact the production of the built environment? How will architecture interact with socially divided communities?
It is precisely this fundamental unknowing that lends urgency to architectural research in all its forms, and around which the inaugural issue of Hyphen aspires to open a productive conversation, hosting provocations that identify, interrogate, or problematize the space between stability and instability.
The editors of Hyphen
Download the Call for Papers Issue no. 1 full brief
Submissions Instructions
All content should be submitted electronically to hyphen@psu.edu.
Submissions should be bundled as a single hi-res PDF file, including text (English, approx. 2,500-3,500 words for essay submissions, plus footnotes, works cited, etc.) and visual content (PDF layout should indicate the general sequence of images, and include captions and credit lines). Submissions should adhere to APA Style guideline.
Authors whose work is selected for inclusion will be contacted for final text file (Word Document or Rich Text format) and high-resolution image files (uncompressed TIFF format [300 dpi] for raster-based images, PDF format for drawings, diagrams, and other vector-based images). Please note that Hyphen does not pay for intellectual property rights for material appearing in the journal. As such, contributors will be required to provide proof of all permissions for the reproduction of images and other content at the time of selection. In keeping with the interdisciplinary and speculative spirit of this new publication, the editors also welcome and encourage the submission of interviews, photographic essays, experimental drawings, and other alternative mediums. These will be assessed based on their relevance to the issue’s core theme(s). The length and format of such submissions will be approached on a case-by-case basis.
In the body of your submission e-mail, please include a brief summary contextualizing the content of your proposed contribution in relation to the issue theme, as well as a brief bio (approx. 150 words) for inclusion in the final publication.