This research is dedicated to a future vision of the body in architecture, questioning the contemporary relationship. between the human and the architectural flesh. Conceptually it delves into the arena of disgust on which the aesthetic flesh is standing, and it explores new types of 'neoplasmatic' conditions in which the future possibility of a neo-biological flesh is lying. Through the analysis and design of a variety of projects, Flesh is proposed as a concept that extends the meaning of skin, one of architecture's most fundamental metaphors. It seeks to challenge a common misunderstanding of skin as a flat and thin surface. In a time when a pervasive discourse about the impact of digital technologies risks turning the architectural skin ever more disembodied, the aim of this thesis is to put forward· a thick embodied flesh by exploring architectural interfaces that are truly inhabitable. Today's architecture has failed the body with its long heritage of purity of form and aesthetic of cleanliness. A resurgence of interest in flesh, especially in art, has led to a politics of abjection, changing completely traditional aesthetics, and is now giving light to an alternative discussion about the body in architecture. Different concepts of Flesh are investigated in this thesis. This is not just concerning the architectural and aesthetic, but also the biological aspects of flesh. More than derived from scaled-up analogies between biological systems and larger scale architectural constructs, Synthetic Neoplasms are proposed as new semi-living entities. These 'neoplasmatic' cr·eations are identified as partly designed object and partly living material, in which the line between the natural and the artificial is progressively blurred. Hybrid technologies and interdisciplinary work methodologies are thus required, and lead to a revision of our current architectural practice.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:504601 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Dobbert Pereira Da Cruz, Marcos Alexandre |
| Publisher | University College London (University of London) |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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