Mirka Borek

To Karl Mannheim: ‘information’ is the unfiltered 'a priori' data scattered all around us; ‘knowledge’ is the selective organisation of data into narratives; ‘total ideology’ is the belief framework of a defined group; and ‘utopian thought’ is any proposed value system whose implementation would mean the deconstruction of the reality in which it was thought up. The latter two terms are determined by established systems of knowledge dissemination. In 'Ideology and Utopia' (1929) Mannheim argues political thought, and therefore social evolution, is closely tied to education. This sentiment was shared by city planner Patrick Geddes when in 1915 he proposed civic exhibitions of place-based knowledge in every city to assure the sufficient education of voters; place-based education of the masses to optimise representational democracy.

'The Cartography of Utopia' is a design research project exploring the social theories of Mannheim through a Geddesian architecture, situated in Cumbernauld. This thesis positions Karl Mannheim’s social theories in space, creating political apparatuses to sponsor the sharing of place-based knowledge and ideological positions. Located in Cumbernauld, the proposed intervention aims to investigate how networks of information, knowledge, and ideological dissemination can be architecturally rooted in the urban fabric.