Abstract
The aim of this paper is to suggest a new approach in producing architectural knowledge through the realm of discourse by systematizing the social and spatial clues within science fiction literature. In this sense, the departure point is the notion of interdisciplinarity, which expresses the relationship of modern research methods with several other disciplines. Considering the potential of interdisciplinary aspect of architecture, the scope of this paper is several parallel aspects between architectural discourse and the spatiality of literature proposed through the case study of J. G. Ballard’s novel High Rise. In this sense, an architectural research on the phenomenon of modernity reading the “literary space” throughout High Rise is realised. The above-mentioned parallelism in terms of the discourse of modernity within architectural theory is developed from the idea of considering the overlapping of social processes of science fiction texts and architectural discourse: cognition and representation of the world, and social interaction. Finally, the conclusion to be explored is the possibility of inserting a further knowledge to the realm of architectural discourse helping to structure the identity of it through interdisciplinary media of literary texts, in particular through the extrapolative aspect of science fiction literature.
Keywords
interdisciplinarity, architectural discourse, science-fiction literature, J. G. Ballard
Citation
Ultav, Z. (2006) Reading Science Fiction Novels As An Architectural Research Method: The Case Study Of J. G. Ballard’s High Rise, in Friedman, K., Love, T., Côrte-Real, E. and Rust, C. (eds.), Wonderground - DRS International Conference 2006, 1-4 November, Lisbon, Portugal. https://dl.designresearchsociety.org/drs-conference-papers/drs2006/researchpapers/29
Reading Science Fiction Novels As An Architectural Research Method: The Case Study Of J. G. Ballard’s High Rise
The aim of this paper is to suggest a new approach in producing architectural knowledge through the realm of discourse by systematizing the social and spatial clues within science fiction literature. In this sense, the departure point is the notion of interdisciplinarity, which expresses the relationship of modern research methods with several other disciplines. Considering the potential of interdisciplinary aspect of architecture, the scope of this paper is several parallel aspects between architectural discourse and the spatiality of literature proposed through the case study of J. G. Ballard’s novel High Rise. In this sense, an architectural research on the phenomenon of modernity reading the “literary space” throughout High Rise is realised. The above-mentioned parallelism in terms of the discourse of modernity within architectural theory is developed from the idea of considering the overlapping of social processes of science fiction texts and architectural discourse: cognition and representation of the world, and social interaction. Finally, the conclusion to be explored is the possibility of inserting a further knowledge to the realm of architectural discourse helping to structure the identity of it through interdisciplinary media of literary texts, in particular through the extrapolative aspect of science fiction literature.