Kostas Tsiambaos – författare

In this book, Tsiambaos redefines the ground-breaking theory of Greek architect and town planner Constantinos A. Doxiadis (The Form of Space in Ancient Greece) and moves his thesis away from antiquity and ancient architecture, instead arguing that it can only be understood as a theory founded in modernity. In light of this, the author explores Doxiadis’ theory in relation to the work of the controversial Greek architect Dimitris Pikionis. This parallel investigation of the philosophical content of Doxiadis’ theory and the design principles of Pikionis’ work establishes a new frame of reference and creates a valuable and original interpretation of their work. Using innovative cross-disciplinary tools and methods which expand the historical boundaries of interwar modernism, the book restructures the ground of an alternative modernity that looks towards the future through a mirror that reflects the ancient past.From Doxiadis’ Theory to Pikionis’ Work: Reflections of Antiquity in Modern Architecture is fascinating reading for all scholars and students with an interest in modernism and antiquity, the history and theory of architecture, the history of ideas and aesthetics or town planning theory and design.

The book focuses on specific case studies from modern and postmodern architecture where animals stand out as agents that contribute to a broader political, cultural, and environmental critique.The various entangled, convoluted animal references and representations are not only seen as products of the architects’ sublimation but also as critical reflections of the architects’ active civic engagement and their role in the intellectual environment of their times. Such an interpretive charting of animals in architecture comes to define an alternative, contemporary field of research for architectural history, theory and criticism, which is also in dialogue with current scholarship in the fields of animal studies, posthumanism, and environmentalism. Le Corbusier’s ravens and donkeys, Hassan Fathy’s oxen and ibises, Dimitris Pikionis’ doves and goats, Yona Friedman’s dogs and unicorns, Superstudio’s horses and monkeys, Lina Bo Bardi’s snakes and spiders, John Hejduk’s lions and centipedes… Why do these animals appear and in which context? What is their latent philosophical and ideological content? In which ways do they express critical stances against modernity? How do they relate to founding myths and cultural identities? What kind of unconscious doubts, resistances and anxieties do they cover?The book will be of interest to scholars and students of architecture and urban planning, as well as to those interested in human-animal relations in the fields of art history, history of ideas and critical theory.