The Architecture of the Illusive Distance

Download or read book The Architecture of the Illusive Distance written by Arlene Thompson and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-04-24 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focusing on three secular institutional building types: libraries, museums, and cinemas, this book explores the intricate interplay between culture and architecture. It explores the cultural imperatives which have seen to the formation of these institutions, the development of their architecture, and their transformation over time. The relationship between culture and architecture is often perceived as a monologic relationship. Architecture is seen to embody, represent and/or reflect the values, the beliefs, and the aesthetic ideals of a culture. Ameri argues that this is at best a partial and restrictive view, and that if architecture is a cultural statement, it is a performative one. It does not merely represent culture, but constructs, reifies, and imposes culture as the unalterable shape of reality.