The ‘Darchive’ is described by organisers as encompassing “that parallel universe of unofficial, off-narrative, idiosyncratic, subjective, irrational, nonsensical deeply held and/or otherwise private, personal, secret, hidden, or concealed material that ultimately guides our individual and collective practice — our actions and interactions — yet somehow remains outside of it…”

The day included 20 quickfire presentations, four participatory workshops, and a shared conversation over a potluck lunch, and was produced with the support of pre:fab 2023 sponsors Groupwork, Lamplight Books, Flight Coffee, and Florets bakery.

Presenter and attendee Joseph McAuley had this to say:

Kei te mihi mātou ki te rōpū rawe, ko Prefab me tō rātou kaupapa, The Darchive — 2023 Conference. Kei te mihi hoki ki ngā ringa wera, ngā kaikauhau me ngā tāngata āwhina maha, tēnā koutou.

Ko Mutukāroa te maunga, ko mānukanuka o Hotunui te moana, ko Tāmaki te awa.

Ko Te Rōpū Hāhi Mihingare te hapū, ko Hemi Hemara te tangata, ko Hōhepa ahau.

I was incredibly lucky to have been an invited speaker at this year’s pre:fab conference [Detecting] The Darchive: highlighting the undeclared, undiscussed, and unacknowledged elements of architectural practice — the things that make alternative practice alternative.

This is a particularly interesting kaupapa for an industry where so much of the making, thinking, and feeling that constitutes architectural practice remains undiscussed, an industry where practitioners who strive to bring elements of these darchives to light are too often dismissed as radicals, naive about the ‘real’ world. But as fellow Darchive presenter Katie Braatvedt commented in her recent profile: “the ‘real’ world is […] an arbitrary construct of commerce and social hierarchy”; ‘Real’ or not, the darchive is there.

“But as fellow Darchive presenter Katie Braatvedt commented in her recent profile: “the ‘real’ world is […] an arbitrary construct of commerce and social hierarchy”; ‘Real’ or not, the darchive is there.”

This conference was one of those rare occasions where our darchives were welcome. From whisky glass conversations after work, to the backstories of a graduate and wild adventurer who became President of Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZIA, and to the lack of toi Māori in our industry and education.

These series of short talks by invited guests were an incredible breath of fresh air compared to the typical conference format of long-winded presentations that showcase a few completed projects photographed from multiple angles with an expectation for others to attempt to repeat them (albeit with a lesser degree of success). These conferences never inspire anything more than repetition and regularly forefront exotic projects and budgets that don’t translate to practice in Aotearoa.

“Although foreign star-chitects and conferences draw a competitive quantity of attendees, [Detecting] The Darchive had a quality second to none that left me with a sense of optimism for our industry’s future and I look forward to attending again next year.”

The pre:fab team had gone beyond basic formats to showcase a truly aspirational architectural conference composed of short talks, exhibitions, workshops, and plenty of coffee and food! The various workshops replaced typical fermented social lubricant to aid whakawhanaungatanga with collaborative designing, wānanga, and surprisingly meaningful abstract poetry. The support this conference gave to kaupapa Māori is a privilege for those presenting and those seeking understanding.

Architectural conferences reliant on, and exclusive to, a few international architects rarely reflect the progressive parts of an industry that prides itself on improving its relationships with mana whenua and commitment to Te Tiriti. Although foreign star-chitects and conferences draw a competitive quantity of attendees, [Detecting] The Darchive had a quality second to none that left me with a sense of optimism for our industry’s future and I look forward to attending again next year.

As I concluded in my mihi at the conference; ‘We as an industry are not short of great ideas to support great futures, but opportunities like this [The Darchive] for all of us to share them and bring them to light are rare.’ 

Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā rā tātou katoa.

Joseph McAuley