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FROM THEORETICIANS VIEWS ON THE SUBJECT OF MONUMENTALITY AND VISIONARY PROJECTS TO ARCHITECTURE OF THE SPECTACLE

J. Kotz

Abstract

The current work takes the issue of views of theoreticians and visionaries of art and architecture relating to the category of the monumentality and monumental architecture, in which what is monumental reflects. These categories have always been specific phenomenon being particularly difficult to be analyzed. But when undertaken, historically and culturally specific episteme has been reflected in such analysis. Retrospection of different views presented in the work and formulated, inter alia, immediately after World War II hecatomb, in this case, quite contradictory, demonstrates the inability of their authors, particular in defining the essence of monumental architecture based on the convergence of their positions. Nevertheless, among the views of specific authors cited the position of Siegfried Giedion should be highlight, who in his opinion stressed the special relationship with the monumental architecture and ritual space. Unity of “people, architectural form and symbols” and of the urban center as the place of this unity are postulated by Siegfried Giedion; emphasis given to the correspondence that occurs between community, its experiences and performance-what he names the demonstration of social expression in space of the Centre – all this leads us to the archetype of ritual space understood as this what constitutes the conceptual core of the monumental architecture. But then, Giedion, perceives the future of monumentality in relation to civic centers as places bound with festivity and consumption – found as a new social form of organization. Architecture went this way achieving architectural spectacle. Visionary projects of Superstudio, Rem Koolhaas’ final diploma project and, at last, Land art works suggest another way in which monumentality may occur. The prospects for monumentality, in the opinion of the author, might be found in Superstudio’ denial of current form of consumption leading to reduction of the human need for artifact to symbolic objects – either “flags or talismans” or “monuments” and may be correlated with social crisis situations.

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