High Modernism in Theory and Practice: Karel Teige and Tomáš Bat'a

Slavic Review ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 428-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica E. Merrill
Keyword(s):  
Cultural History ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
City Planning ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Architectural Theory ◽  
Avant Garde ◽  
High Modernism ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Political Differences ◽  
Definition Of

This article compares Tomáš Bata's development of Zlín as a company town with the architectural theory of Karel Teige. Despite political differences— Bat’a was a champion of “American” capitalism, Teige a leader of the leftist avant-garde—they had unexpectedly similar ideas about architectural design and city planning. The article uses James C. Scott's definition of high modernism as a starting point to explain these commonalities, historically contextualizing the two men's thinking as a specific iteration of this ideology. Both, for instance, paradoxically sought to incorporate liberal, democratic values (typical of the rhetoric of state building in interwar Czechoslovakia) into their authoritarian plans. This analysis helps explain subsequent, socialist architectural developments, in which Teige's theory and Bat’a's practices were combined. In this, the article contributes to an understanding of Czechoslovakia's post-1948 cultural history not in terms of impositions from Moscow, but as building on native institutions.

Cinematic Intermediality

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Theory And Practice ◽  
The Other ◽  
Moving Image ◽  
Avant Garde ◽  
Digital Era ◽  
Art Form ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
World Cinema ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Probing Questions

As a fundamentally hybrid medium, cinema has always been defined by its interactions with other art forms such as painting, sculpture, photography, performance and dance. Taking the in-between nature of the cinematic medium as its starting point, this collection of essays maps out new directions for understanding the richly diverse ways in which artists and filmmakers draw on and reconfigure the other arts in their creative practice. From pre-cinema to the digital era, from avant-garde to world cinema, and from the projection room to the gallery space, the contributors critically explore what happens when ideas, forms and feelings migrate from one art form to another. Giving voice to both theorists and moving image practitioners, Cinematic Intermediality: Theory and Practice stimulates fresh thinking about how intermediality, as both a creative method and an interpretative paradigm, can be explored alongside probing questions of what cinema is, has been and can be.

Sustainable urban land use: Definition, theoretical basis and review of morphology aspect concepts

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-170
Author(s):  
Ranka Gajić
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Theoretical Basis ◽  
Urban Land ◽  
Urban Land Use ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Urban Planner ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Spatial Entities

The topic of sustainable urban land use compared to the world theory and practice has almost not been elaborated by the professionals in Serbia. This paper's starting point is that it is important to analyze and apply this topic, not only for the master plan level but also for the more detailed levels of planning and for smaller spatial entities/complexes in the cities, focusing on the morphological implications of sustainable urban land use as the topic relevant from the architect/urban planner point of view. After the definition of the notion of sustainable urban land use and the theoretical basis has been defined in the introductory explications, followed by a brief review of that topic's presence in Serbia, the point of view has been explained - namely, focusing on one single aspect (morphology) followed by a review of relevant criteria of other aspects of sustainable urban land use (economical, ecological and social aspects). The conclusion derived by synthesis represents the recommendation for a possible practice/methodology for planner's approach to the sustainable urban land use from the viewpoint of the morphology aspect.

scholarly journals The Future is Curatorial!  Reconceptualising Curation Through  Material Culture

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Reuben Schrader
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Subjective Experiences ◽  
The Public ◽  
The People ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Active Processes ◽  
Analytical Approaches

<p>Objects, though the material stuff of curating, occupy a peripheral role in curatorial theory and practice. Art and museum curating both promote relational and ideological positions that centre on certain people, excluding less prominent participants and objects alike. Although all these groups have been examined at length for their discursive qualities, their active processes are still mostly unclear. Developments in material culture theory suggest the need for re-evaluation of the relationship between objects, curators, and audiences, based on these processes. This dissertation is an attempt to construct a concept of curating that begins with objects, the circumstances in which they take part, and the effects they have on the people around them. This investigation into the operations of people and things approaches the subject with an interdisciplinary eye, drawing upon art history, media studies, material culture studies, sociology, anthropology, and other fields. They are linked by a strongly qualitative methodology, which incorporates the researcher's own subjective experiences with a conceptual framework derived from Deleuze and Guattari and Bruno Latour. The use of a rhizomatic perspective based on movement, emergence, and opportunity opens up a series of alternative methodological and analytical approaches. With these tools, four creative works are examined and discussed as singular objects and guides to further generalisation. The research suggests a degree of complexity and potential within objects that is rarely considered. Peoples' interactions with objects mean they share in that potential, opening up the static and structured roles previously addressed. A series of curatorial practices are derived from these findings, expanding the definition of 'curator' by allowing for the exercise of distinct curatorial functions beyond the institution. This dissertation serves as a starting point for a democratic reconceptualisation of curating, based on processes rather than end points, involving the public as curatorial agents.</p>

scholarly journals Utu

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Benjamin Tunui
Keyword(s):  
Architectural Design ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Design Experiment ◽  
Architectural Theory ◽  
Spatial Level ◽  
Surface Ornamentation ◽  
Mapping Techniques ◽  
Design Experiments

<p>Contemporary Māori architecture in Aotearoa is rapidly becoming ‘mainstreamed’ within a New Zealand architectural idiom. However, Māori architecture has been narrowed down to surface ornamentation, a handful of motifs and exhausted narratives. This dissonance is owing to the fact that Mātauranga Māori is not at the iho (core) of Māori architecture at a formal and spatial level. Consequently, this thesis aims to expand Māori architectural theory and practice by proposing that elements of tikanga Māori can be understood both formally and spatially in ways that generate new architectural possibilities. The research was conducted as an iterative design process. Three parts of the pōwhiri process are mapped for their underlying spatiality, both in the physical and meta-physical worlds. The ephemera are translated through a design methodology which reveals what these patterns could mean for contemporary Māori architecture. The three rituals: karanga, wero and hongi are explored as a series of design experiments which follow the same workflow. Each design experiment developed a range of different architectural techniques for expressing tikanga Māori. The use of speculative drawing/ mapping techniques is the principal way in which the spatiality of the ephemera is excavated and interrogated. The following research is not tied to an architectural site. The architecture is not based within a specific context, rather it is born of context, conceiving an architecture of the ephemeral and atmospheric qualities of ritual. This research acknowledges the Māori concept of tuakana-teina (elder sibling-younger sibling) knowledge exchange and draws a parallel with architectural design methodology. This thesis suggests a method of speculation for future generations of architectural designers in Aotearoa to build upon with their own whakaaro (thoughts).</p>

A shape grammar approach to contextual design: A case study of the Pol houses of Ahmedabad, India

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 845-861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neeta Rajesh Lambe ◽  
Alpana R Dongre
Keyword(s):  
Architectural Design ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Shape Grammar ◽  
Architectural Theory ◽  
Architectural Style ◽  
Cultural Experience ◽  
Contextual Design ◽  
Derivation Method ◽  
Row Houses

In architecture, context refers to the surrounding area or setting in which the building is placed. In architectural theory and practice, context plays an important role in proposing architectural vocabulary. Since the mid-20th-century, creating harmony with traditional context amidst growing development has been a major concern and interest of designers. Contextualism theory in architecture refers to the relationship between new buildings and the existing surroundings while addressing the issue of fitting new to old structures together to achieve congruence and continuity. The analysis of traditional architectural style significantly influences a designer’s decision-making process when adopting contextual design approach. In this study, a shape grammar approach is proposed to create a harmonious environment through the generation of new designs based on the grammar of existing architectural style without curbing the designer’s creativity. This paper demonstrates the pattern-generating quality of traditional Pol row houses of Ahmedabad, India. The grammar of the traditional Pol house forms the architectural context for the new in-fill development in the area. The shape grammar approach to architectural design is examined as a process of interpreting the context as socio-cultural experience through rule schema when addressing the issue of contemporary demands and needs. Here, shape grammar is explored as a tool to analyse the existing design through the generation of new designs. The grammar differs from the previous work in terms of the derivation method and identification of the clues for rule schema in the Indian context. This method has been examined in the process of resolving the issue of unsympathetic development by providing design variations within the grammar for in-fill development to derive spatial clues for generation of new designs, which would be argued as the first step towards achieving aesthetic congruence.

Drawing with Numbers: Geometry and Numeracy in Early Modern Architectural Design

2003 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 448-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Carpo
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Architectural Design ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Italian Renaissance ◽  
Architectural Theory ◽  
Architectural Drawings ◽  
Medieval Architecture ◽  
Classical Architecture ◽  
General Aspects

Precision in building was pursued and achieved well before the rise of modern science and technology. This fact applies to the classical tradition as well as to medieval architecture, and is particularly evident in architectural drawings and design from the Italian Renaissance onward. In this essay, I trace the shift from geometry-the primary tool for quantification in classical architecture- to numeracy that characterizes Renaissance architectural theory and practice. I also address some more general aspects of the relation between technologies of quantification and the making of architectural forms.

scholarly journals ARCHITECTURAL AND DESIGN SCENOGRAPHY MODEL

2020 ◽  
pp. 258-263
Author(s):  
E. Turikova ◽  
◽  
V. Titinov ◽  
O. Pogorolev ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Architectural Design ◽  
Component Composition ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Environment Interaction ◽  
Visual Contact ◽  
Contact Conditions ◽  
Architectural Practice ◽  
Production Processes ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Organization Of Production

The paper focuses on the development and description of an environmental scenography model. The presented material seeks to characterize the concepts included in the complex of “architectural and design scenography”, to identify and summarize thestructural-component composition of thearchitectural and design scenography. The paper is based on the synthesis of the conceptual framework of stage scenography and environmental approach in the design of the architectural environment. Based on the specific experience of architectural theorists and practitioners who experimented in stage scenography, organization of production processes outside the theaters, the parallels were drawn between the theory and practice of environmental and stage scenography.In view of the foregoing, the nomenclature of environmental scenography has been clarified and expanded. It was found that the architectural and design scenography is implemented in the formation of visual impressions as part of various scenarios of user and environment interaction. At the same time, the environment and its components are “mobile substance”, which is perceived in dynamics, in the course of its interaction with users, in spatial amplifications, metamorphoses, overlapping of “pictures”, etc. With a scenographic approach to the design of the architectural environment, the organization of various connections comes to the fore for a variety of visual contact conditions between the environment and the user.The paper describes the concept of “architectural and design scenography” (ADS), outlines the scope of its application in the architectural design, emphasizes the priority of visual perception, provides examples of the mutual enrichment of the scenographic and architectural practice. The definition of ADS as a type of artistic design of the architectural environment aimed at creation of its graphical-plastic image, and the definition of the visual and aesthetic significance of the environment image are clarified. The main functions of the environmental scenography are listed: character,acting functions and designation of the scene.The structural-component composition of the ADS includes 3 compositional systems, 3 architectonic levels, 4 content-related levels, means of expression, composite components, and stages.

scholarly journals Utu

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Benjamin Tunui
Keyword(s):  
Architectural Design ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Design Experiment ◽  
Architectural Theory ◽  
Spatial Level ◽  
Surface Ornamentation ◽  
Mapping Techniques ◽  
Design Experiments

<p>Contemporary Māori architecture in Aotearoa is rapidly becoming ‘mainstreamed’ within a New Zealand architectural idiom. However, Māori architecture has been narrowed down to surface ornamentation, a handful of motifs and exhausted narratives. This dissonance is owing to the fact that Mātauranga Māori is not at the iho (core) of Māori architecture at a formal and spatial level. Consequently, this thesis aims to expand Māori architectural theory and practice by proposing that elements of tikanga Māori can be understood both formally and spatially in ways that generate new architectural possibilities. The research was conducted as an iterative design process. Three parts of the pōwhiri process are mapped for their underlying spatiality, both in the physical and meta-physical worlds. The ephemera are translated through a design methodology which reveals what these patterns could mean for contemporary Māori architecture. The three rituals: karanga, wero and hongi are explored as a series of design experiments which follow the same workflow. Each design experiment developed a range of different architectural techniques for expressing tikanga Māori. The use of speculative drawing/ mapping techniques is the principal way in which the spatiality of the ephemera is excavated and interrogated. The following research is not tied to an architectural site. The architecture is not based within a specific context, rather it is born of context, conceiving an architecture of the ephemeral and atmospheric qualities of ritual. This research acknowledges the Māori concept of tuakana-teina (elder sibling-younger sibling) knowledge exchange and draws a parallel with architectural design methodology. This thesis suggests a method of speculation for future generations of architectural designers in Aotearoa to build upon with their own whakaaro (thoughts).</p>

American Studies—Beyond the Crisis?: Recent Redefinitions and the Meaning of Theory, History, and Practical Criticism

Prospects ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 53-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guenter H. Lenz
Keyword(s):  
American Studies ◽  
The United States ◽  
International Perspective ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Social ◽  
Theoretical Thinking ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Practical Criticism

Since its beginning, the American Studies community has been remarkably uneasy about the role and meaning theoretical thinking about its premises and objectives should have in its work. Even more than the individual disciplines in the humanities and the social sciences, the American Studies movement has again and again felt compelled to justify its existence and its aims, to develop a “method” or “philosophy” for its pursuits. But these attempts at theory more often than not have resulted in a glorification of practical or substantive work, or in an identification of its rationale with a few books by its major scholars. In the most recent time of “crisis,” the traditional opposition of “theory” to “practice” seems to have been confirmed, in one way or another, not only on a national scale but in its international perspective. In a recent interview, Henry Nash Smith, using two articles by young German scholars as a starting point, endorsed the old view that “practice is much more important” in America and that, “almost by instinct, in this country we are less, far less theoretical than the Germans.” It should be mentioned that, ironically, contributions to a theoretical definition of American Studies became far more numerous in the United States just when the younger German scholars began to turn from theoretical debates to substantive work, which shows that Smith's “instinctual” distinction actually prevents us from realizing the fundamental historical differences in the development and the significance of the interaction of theory and practice in the two countries.

scholarly journals The Future is Curatorial!  Reconceptualising Curation Through  Material Culture

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Reuben Schrader
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Subjective Experiences ◽  
The Public ◽  
The People ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Active Processes ◽  
Analytical Approaches

<p>Objects, though the material stuff of curating, occupy a peripheral role in curatorial theory and practice. Art and museum curating both promote relational and ideological positions that centre on certain people, excluding less prominent participants and objects alike. Although all these groups have been examined at length for their discursive qualities, their active processes are still mostly unclear. Developments in material culture theory suggest the need for re-evaluation of the relationship between objects, curators, and audiences, based on these processes. This dissertation is an attempt to construct a concept of curating that begins with objects, the circumstances in which they take part, and the effects they have on the people around them. This investigation into the operations of people and things approaches the subject with an interdisciplinary eye, drawing upon art history, media studies, material culture studies, sociology, anthropology, and other fields. They are linked by a strongly qualitative methodology, which incorporates the researcher's own subjective experiences with a conceptual framework derived from Deleuze and Guattari and Bruno Latour. The use of a rhizomatic perspective based on movement, emergence, and opportunity opens up a series of alternative methodological and analytical approaches. With these tools, four creative works are examined and discussed as singular objects and guides to further generalisation. The research suggests a degree of complexity and potential within objects that is rarely considered. Peoples' interactions with objects mean they share in that potential, opening up the static and structured roles previously addressed. A series of curatorial practices are derived from these findings, expanding the definition of 'curator' by allowing for the exercise of distinct curatorial functions beyond the institution. This dissertation serves as a starting point for a democratic reconceptualisation of curating, based on processes rather than end points, involving the public as curatorial agents.</p>

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