A Counter-Canonical Reading of Vitruvius: Towards a Woven Theory of Architecture
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Dortdivanlioglu, Hayri
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Abstract
This dissertation offers a rereading of Vitruvius’s architectural theory through a counter-canonical lens. Vitruvius remains a stable figure in architectural discourse and education, his treatise, De architectura, standing alongside other canonical texts. The persistent and varied presence of Vitruvius’s treatise underscores the complexity and pliancy of his theory, prompting this twenty-first-century inquiry. This study claims that the modern understanding of Vitruvius is primarily defined through varying engagements with two constructed dichotomies. The first contrasts Vitruvius’s concepts of fabrica and ratiocinatio, deepening the division between the manual and intellectual operations of architectural design. This separation privileges design as purely an intellectual product of architects. The second differentiates between the Vitruvian canon and Vitruvian theory. The canon employs reductive methods to simplify and systematize Vitruvius's principles into a clear, prescriptive set of concepts. In contrast, Vitruvian theory uses interpretative approaches that embrace the ambiguities, inconsistencies, and gaps in Vitruvius’s teachings, reflecting the dynamic and evolving nature of his architectural theory.
This study challenges the Vitruvian canon by adopting a counter-canonical framework informed by poststructuralist theories, Actor-Network Theory (ANT), and embodied-making theories. This framework enables a rereading of De architectura that challenges the privileged and exclusionary dichotomies to deconstruct the authority of the canon and reveals a woven theory of Vitruvius. The study employs a mixed methodology combining historical analysis, close reading, etymological analysis, and conceptual mapping to achieve this. By reframing Vitruvian theory through the metaphor of weaving, this dissertation illustrates the interwoven nature of practice and theory, proposing a comprehensive understanding of architectural design that bridges historical perspectives with contemporary theoretical approaches. It contributes to the ongoing questioning of architecture’s disciplinary foundations to enrich architectural education and discourse with a woven theory of Vitruvius.
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2024-07-26
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Dissertation