The Anaesthetics of Architecture by Neil Leach

The Anaesthetics of Architecture by Neil Leach

In this short, intentionally polemical book, Neil Leach draws on theideas of philosophers and cultural theorists such as Walter Benjaminand Jean Baudrillard to develop a novel and highly incisive critiqueof the consequences of the growing preoccupation with images andimage-making in contemporary architectural culture.

In this short, intentionally polemical book, Neil Leach draws on the ideas of philosophers and cultural theorists such as Walter Benjamin and Jean Baudrillard to develop a novel and highly incisive critique of the consequences of the growing preoccupation with images and image-making in contemporary architectural culture. The problem with this preoccupation, Leach argues, is that it can induce a sort of numbness, as the saturation of images floods the senses and obscures deeper concerns. This problem is particularly acute for a discipline such as architecture, which relies heavily on visual representation. As a result, architects can become anaesthetized from the social and political realities of everyday life. In the intoxicating world of the image, the aesthetics of architecture threaten to become the anaesthetics of architecture. In this culture of aesthetic consumption, this culture of the cocktail, meaningful discourse gives way to strategies of seduction, and architectural design is reduced to the superficial play of empty, seductive forms.

Neil Leach is a Professor at Tongji University, FIU and EGS. He has also taught at Harvard, AA, Columbia, Cornell, DIA, USC and SCI-Arc. He has published over 30 books, including Rethinking Architecture (Routledge 1997), Designing for a Digital World (Wiley, 2002), Digital Tectonics (Wiley, 2004), Camouflage (MIT Press, 2006), Digital Cities (Wiley, 2009) and 3D Printed Body Architecture (Wiley, 2017). Philip F. Yuan is a Professor and Ph.D Advisor at Tongji University. He is also the founding partner of Archi-Union and Fab-Union with achievements in the research and discovery progress of digital design and intelligent construction areas in China. He has published 7 books, including Fabricating the Future (Tongji University Press, 2012), Scripting the Future (Tongji University Press, 2012), and From Diagrammatic Thinking to Digital Fabrication (Tongji University Press, 2016).

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780262621267
ISBN 10	0262621266
Title	The Anaesthetics of Architecture
Author	Neil Leach
Series	The Anaesthetics Of Architecture
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	MIT Press Ltd
Year published	1999-03-15
Number of pages	120
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable