Architecture and Cultural Continuity - by Christian Frost (Paperback)

About the Book

"Bridging together architecture and festival, ritual and community, past and present, Architecture and Cultural Continuity provides an interdisciplinary philosophical framework for evaluating architecture as experience rather than uniquely form. Utilising primarily the Festival of San Giovanni as a site of study, establishing the importance of cultural depth to architecture, both through its participation in such ritualised events, as well as when it is the background to everyday life. Global case studies - from Turkey to Japan, and from a range of different time periods - highlight how architecture can prioritise community and belonging. Will appeal to researchers in architectural history and theory and cultural studies"--

Book Synopsis

Architecture and Cultural Continuity explores a dynamic way of viewing architecture - arguing that all architecture is best evaluated through active experiences in relation to cultural traditions of community and belonging, space, ritual, and setting.

A work in three parts, the book first analyses in-depth the Festival of San Giovanni in Florence, an annual series of celebrations involving the entire city. Tracing its history from its Roman origins via the Renaissance through to contemporary times, this case study is used to explore ideas of continuity and tradition and how these shape and are shaped by architecture and the city. Part 2 gathers theoretical tools from philosophy, anthropology, and performance studies to offer a framework for the appraisal of architecture - whether engaged in festival or simply part of the background to everyday life - as experience rather than form. The final part presents historic and contemporary case studies to explain the theory in practice, from Lord Leighton's House in London to Beit Beirut in Lebanon, and from Salisbury's medieval Chapterhouse to the contemporary Australian Parliament building.

Written for architectural theorists, historians, and designers alike, this book will allow the reader to assess architecture in a way that re-addresses aspects of history often obscured by post-enlightenment thinking, and reveals an architecture rooted in cultural traditions better able to contribute to the diverse communities of the future.

Review Quotes

"In this beautifully illustrated book, Christian Frost has produced a work of great erudition and imagination, a provocative tour de force, exploring the cultural potential of architecture through the ages through the idea of the festive." --Maximilian Sternberg, University of Cambridge, UK

"Through an investigation into the relationship between architecture and festival, Architecture and Cultural Continuity seeks to offer new insights into the ways architecture throughout history has adapted to, and modified, its setting while also reinforcing aspects of cultural continuity ... Hopefully, the book will find a wide readership, challenge some prejudices, and spark some debate." --The Architectural Historian Magazine

About the Author

Christian Frost is Professor of Architecture and Head of Research in the School of Art, Architecture & Design at London Metropolitan University, UK.