The Apocalypse of John: the architectural symbolism of visual exegesis

A hermeneutic literary criticism of the last text of the New Testament canon can be complemented by an architectural criticism of metaphorical and rhetorical structures and plots, presented as an ultimate resolution to fundamental problems, posed both by the kerigma and by the Hellinised religious experience of the Old Testament (apocalyptic and epistolary genres). The text of the Revelation has staging structures that imply its performative reading, and suggested radical eschatological ways of resolving conflicts allow for equally radical exegetic methods, with a feminist orientation, for example. Analytical metaphors that we have employed, taken from the arsenal of art history, such as ‘polyptich’ or ‘non-figurative painting’, prompt us to use an experimental paradigm of diagrammatics: a visualization of compositional schemata as the equivalents of a cognitive apparatus. The hearer/reader has the opportunity to set off on an eschatological journey with the author of the Revelation but also to have an epistemological walk with its exegetes and commentators.

WORLD TREE, FERTILITY SYMBOLS AND STATUS SYMBOLS IN THE TRADITIONAL RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE OF THE CENTRAL BUDZHAK

Talk about the rich arsenal of decorative and artistic variations in the traditional living architecture, consider the symbolism originated in the traditions. The decorative equipment of residential buildings is determined by the indicator of the quality and originality of the glorification of the national culture, which will support the relevance of the development of cultural development and illumination of symbols. About the formulation of architectural and artistic plastics of facades and a look through the prism of architectural symbolism, about reading the information code embedded in symbols, is known in the monographs of A.O. Kadurinа. The creation of links between elements of ornamental motifs, as well as visual and morphological regularities - in the scientific works of I.A. Yurchenko. Problems of ethnic self-identification in the multicultural space and the root of art methods in the architectural design of the middle ground - the article of O.M. Tyurikova. Purpose of the article: to conduct a detailed and comprehensive analysis of symbol complexes in the traditional architecture of central Budzhak: the tree of the world, symbols of fertility and status. The image of the tree of the world and the symbols of natural elements (sun, water, earth, midwife) immediately formed a group of symbols of the universe (65.2%). Prior to the symbols of fertility (28.3%), the following are included: fruit, steams, wheat, grapes, kits, garlands of leaves, kits and fruits, vases with kits and fruits. Status symbols (6.5%): heraldic lines, cartouches with initials and the date the house was built. People's majstri introduced the first and most important ideas of the establishment of the world, the greatness of the ministers of Vsesvit, as well as the power of natural forces. The presentation of the decorative and artistic features of various symbols and symbols in the traditional architecture of central Budzhak encourages design with elements of ethno-art traditions. The location of the symbols (the tree of peace, symbols of fertility and status), both on the house itself and in the middle of the estate, is determined by the idea, meaning, as well as constructive and compositional features.

‘Le geste architectural’; Symbolism and authority in the case of the Centre Beaubourg

Architecture seems often imbued with the notion of “gesture.” The term is mentioned in abundance both when architecture is seen as a discipline and when it is seen as a social practice. Arguments about it can be found in an artefact as well as in an act of design. In this context it may be revealed as an object to be claimed (i.e., a fetish), or stand for a trace or a carrier of meaning. Thus, in a wider scope, gesture may be discussed as a persistent – if not necessary – theme in the field’s culture. This essay examines “gesture” as a mediator between society (including culture and power) and the practice of architecture. This will be discussed within the framework of the competition for the Centre Beaubourg (later known as Centre Georges Pompidou). The heated discourse revolving around the expression “le geste architectural,” including the proposal to design the building literally as an open hand and thereby as a gesture of offering, will be explored. We will thus show how “gesture” simultaneously creates a multifaceted existence: at once as a token of validity and a symbol of truth and beauty, as well as representing the very danger of banality. Furthermore, we will show how the Centre itself – to which was attributed the character of a feat – becomes a “political gesture” carrying the sperm that spawned the type of “heroic architecture” that is so distinctive to the Fifth Republic. Finally, we will revisit “gesture” as a token taking part in a conundrum where the modern ideal ends up substituting genuineness with genius ; and we will see this binary relationship in connection to all the “gestures” we discuss in the case of the Centre Beaubourg. On these premises we will propose that, before we ask to define “gesture” by its content, it is important to see it first and foremost for what it does ; namely, that it acts as a nominator, and thereby as a mediator, and even a weaver, of the collective between architecture and society. This shift in perspective is critical, as it reveals that gesture plays a more dynamic role than any doctrine would like to have it. Ultimately, we hope to show that gesture can be seen as taking an integral part in the very fabric of architecture, instead of merely playjng a role in one of its many histories. This essay is based on existing literature as well as original research conducted in the archives of the Centre Georges Pompidou – to which we extend our gratitude for the access.

Final Chord and ‘Die Neue Welt’: The Mise-en-scène of Aufbruch1

Chapter 5 ("Final Chord and 'Die Neue Welt': The Mise-en-Scène of Aufbruch")examines the only film from Sirk's German period to depict twentieth-century urban life. In the prologue that the director added to the existing script, two antithetical aesthetics appear to underscore the philosophical and political disparities that distinguish a democratic New York from a Fascist Berlin. Because the architectural symbolism of each of these cities may be read both positively and negatively (from a Modernist and a National Socialist point of view), after outlining the main arguments on either side, the author then attempts to resolve the vexed question of which metropolis offers the most desirable "New World" of the future, based upon the formal and narrative evidence that is provided by the film.

Architectural Ruins and Urban Imaginaries: Carlos Garaicoa’s Images of Havana

Contemporary Cuban artist Carlos Garaicoa juxtaposes photographic images of Havana’s architectural ruins with timidly articulated drawings that trace the outlines of the dilapidated buildings in empty urbanscapes. Each of these fragile drawings, often composed of delicate threads adhered to a photograph of a site after demolition, serves as a vestige of the sagging structure that the artist photographed prior to destruction. The dialogue that emerges from these photograph/drawing diptychs implies the unmooring of the radical utopian underpinnings of revolutionary ideology that persisted in the policies of Cuba’s Período especial (Special Period) of the 1990s, and suggests a more complicated narrative of Cuba’s modernity, in which the ambiguous drawings—which could indicate construction plans or function as mnemonic images—represent empty promises of economic growth that must negotiate the real socio-economic crises of the present. This article proposes that Garaicoa’s critique of the goals and outcomes of the Special Period through Havana’s ruins suggests a new articulation of the baroque expression— one that calls to mind the anti-authoritative strategies of twentieth-century Neo-Baroque literature and criticism. The artist historically grounds the legacy of the Cuban Revolution’s modernizing project in the country’s real economic decline in the post-Soviet era, but he also takes this approach to representing cities beyond Cuba’s borders, thereby posing broader questions about the architectural symbolism of the 21st-century city in the ideological construction of modern globalizing society.

Symbolic Meaning of Lamoholot’s Traditional Architecture in Ile Ape, Lembata Island, East Nusa Tenggara

<div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span>Besides climate, economic, politic, social and cultural factors, belief/religion factor has an influence on the shape and meaning of traditional house. Lamaholot tribe’s traditional house in Ile Ape, Lembata Island is rich of architectural symbolism. The relation between the shape and the physical symbolic meaning willbe described in this articles. Through qualitative approach, it isfound that the space structure of Lamohot’s traditional house is the manifestation of social stratifications status and community’s belief system, both horizontally and vertically. </span></p><p><span>Keywords: Shapes, meaning, architecture elements of traditional house, Lamaholot tribe. </span></p></div></div></div>

SYMBOLIC MEANING OF LAMOHOLOT’S TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE IN ILE APE, LEMBATA ISLAND, EAST NUSA TENGGARA

<p align="left"><strong><em>Abstract</em></strong></p><p><em>Besides climate, economic, politic, social and cultural factors, belief/religion factor has an influence on the shape and meaning of traditional house. Lamaholot tribe’s traditional house in Ile Ape, Lembata Island is rich of architectural symbolism. The relation between the shape and the physical symbolic meaning willbe described in this articles. Through qualitative approach, it isfound that the space structure of Lamohot’s traditional house is the manifestation of social stratifications status and community’s belief system, both horizontally and vertically.</em></p><p><em>Keywords: Shapes, meaning, architecture elements of traditional house, Lamaholot tribe.</em></p>