Interwoven Lines of Violence and Care: Exercises in Drawing, Reflection, and Telling Stories

Lines are not just an object of ontological investigation, but a lens to look at the processes of image-making, designing and world-making that architects engage with in their practices. In this chapter, a theoretical investigation of drawing is tested through pedagogical tools for shifting professional practices of architects. The work is grounded in the context of the contemporary, Danish, architectural standards of practice as well as the ‘Parallel Societies Law,’ which targets “non-western” social housing areas for forced evictions, demolition and redevelopment. The chapter will be articulated with opportunities for readers to reflect, analyze and experiment with more caring ways of drawing. The theory, case study and pedagogies emerge from embodied field research. At its heart, it is an embodied, practice-based exploration into the ethics of architectural practice. It asks questions of agency, collaboration, authorship and situatedness, through the tool of the line.