Christian Frost – författare

Historically the urban festival served as an occasion for affirming shared convictions and identities in the life of the city. Whether religious or civic in nature, these events provided tangible expressions of social, cultural, political, and religious cohesion, often reaffirming a particular shared ethos within diverse urban landscapes. Architecture has long served as a key aspect of this process exhibiting continuity in the flux of these representations through the parading of elaborate ceremonial floats, the construction of temporary buildings, the ‘dressing’ of existing urban space, the alternative occupations of the everyday, and the construction of new buildings and spaces which then become a part of the background fabric of the city.This book examines how festivals can be used as a lens to examine the relationship between city and citizen and questions whether this is fixed through time, or has been transformed as a response to changes in the modern urban condition. Architecture, Festival and the City looks at the multilayered nature of a diverse selection of festivals and the way they incorporate both orderly (authoritative) and disorderly (subversive) components. The aim is to reveal how the civic nature of urban space is utilised through festival to represent ideas of belonging and identity. Recent political and social gatherings also raise questions about the relationship of these events to ‘ritual’ and whether traditional practices can serve as meaningful references in the twenty-first century.

Historically the urban festival served as an occasion for affirming shared convictions and identities in the life of the city. Whether religious or civic in nature, these events provided tangible expressions of social, cultural, political, and religious cohesion, often reaffirming a particular shared ethos within diverse urban landscapes. Architecture has long served as a key aspect of this process exhibiting continuity in the flux of these representations through the parading of elaborate ceremonial floats, the construction of temporary buildings, the ‘dressing’ of existing urban space, the alternative occupations of the everyday, and the construction of new buildings and spaces which then become a part of the background fabric of the city.This book examines how festivals can be used as a lens to examine the relationship between city and citizen and questions whether this is fixed through time, or has been transformed as a response to changes in the modern urban condition. Architecture, Festival and the City looks at the multilayered nature of a diverse selection of festivals and the way they incorporate both orderly (authoritative) and disorderly (subversive) components. The aim is to reveal how the civic nature of urban space is utilised through festival to represent ideas of belonging and identity. Recent political and social gatherings also raise questions about the relationship of these events to ‘ritual’ and whether traditional practices can serve as meaningful references in the twenty-first century.

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.

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.

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