Overview

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.

Full Product Details

Author:   Christian Frost
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.60cm , Length: 23.60cm
Weight:   0.862kg
ISBN:  

9781350411371

ISBN 10:   135041137
Pages:   336
Publication Date:   06 February 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements Introduction Part 1 – Festival, Culture and Experience 1. The Hermeneutics of Architecture and Festival 2. The Florentine Feast of San Giovanni – 24th June 3. The Origins and Development of the City of Florence 4. Culture, Representation, and the Flowering of Civic Festival Part 2 –Architecture, Culture and Experience 5. Architecture and Ontology 6. Civic Culture, Agonistic Order, and Resistance 7. Domestic Life Language, Knowledge, and Literature Part 3 – Case Studies 8. Architecture and the Rule of Movement: Hardwick Hall and the Pavillon Suisse 9. Architecture, Ornament, and Theatre: Weltenburg Abbey and the Rockefeller Centre 10. Architecture, Orientalism and Heritage: Leighton House and Beit Beirut 11. Architecture, Politics and Landscape: Salisbury Chapterhouse and The Australian Parliament Epilogue Index

Reviews

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 *

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 *

Author Information

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

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