Was (is) taking place a Nomadic Practice?

Abstract

Rosi Baidotti argues that in late neo-liberal capitalist society the nomadic subject is too easily equated with the "hyper-individualism" traits of advanced capitalism and conflated with "quantitative multiplications," rather than "qualitative differences and multiplicities." During the events and projects implemented by the feminist group taking place between 2000 and 2012, the nomadic subject was a key figuration that inspired discursive and material interventions into architectural and public institutions. Taking these interventions as starting point this paper is adapted from a transcript of a conversation presented at Architecture and Feminisms and focuses on a critical examination of a strand of feminist practice, spanning three decades, including Matrix, WAFER and taking place. In dialogue with these practices, the paper explores the demands on practice and subjectivities a nomadic mode of thinking and acting produces while questioning if these are still radical positions within feminist spatial practice today.