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"Critical theory is distinctly designed in such a way that it must constantly update itself. In other words, the practice of critical theory must continually think its own historicity as part of the very work which it purports. In contrast, thus far many `aftertheory' positions have ignored their own historical determinations. Alternatively, being post-critical in the sense of more-than-critical would mean working through and exceeding the critical, calling into question the very grounds of the critical—its conditions and contexts, its histories and forms of authority.”
—K. Michael Hays, Manifold 1
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was a Rice University based journal of architectural theory that responded to “Post-Criticality” in architecture by seeking new grounds for theoretical inquiry that supersede the traditional constructions of “critical” thought while still providing a forum for philosophical discussion and sociopolitical analysis. The journal’s mission was three-fold: first, to question what “theory” is, what its ever-shifting value is, and how it can be reconstituted to maintain its relevance to architecture today; second, to question the formal and philosophical assumptions underpinning contemporary design; third, to develop a plurality of new voices and positions in the discussion of architecture.
