Collage: From Abstract Art to Architectural Creation
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This article explores the development of collage from its roots in abstract art, particularly Cubism and Dada, which transformed collage from a technique of visual cut-and-paste into a symbolic and critical tool. These ideas led to the adoption of collage as a conceptual mechanism in contemporary architectural design, integrating spatial composition, cultural meaning, and user experience. The study analyzes three case studies: Casa Curutchet by Le Corbusier (Modernism), Exodus by Rem Koolhaas (Postmodernism), and Uneven House by Fala Atelier (Contemporary), using qualitative methods alongside theoretical frameworks including Representation, Phenomenal Transparency, Complexity and Contradiction, Aesthetic Judgment, and Disjunction. The findings indicate that collage is not merely an artistic technique but operates as a design language, capable of conveying abstract ideas, layering spatial experiences, and inviting open interpretation. Collage reflects contemporary social dynamics through compositions that do not require complete coherence, transforming uncertainty into aesthetic value. This study affirms collage’s role as a conceptual mechanism that connects physical form, cultural context, and user emotion while posing new questions about the role of collage in the future of architecture.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The articles published in the Journal of Architecture, Design and Construction are the intellectual property of the Faculty of Architecture, Urban Design and Creative Arts, Mahasarakham University.
References
Christenson, M. (2019). Theories and practices of architectural representation: An overview. Routledge.
Goodman, N. (1976). Languages of art: An approach to a theory of symbols (2nd ed.). Hackett Publishing.
Joanelly, T. (Ed.). (2019). 2G No. 80: Fala. Koenig Books.
Kant, I. (2007). Critique of judgment (J. C. Meredith, Trans.). Oxford University Press. (Original work published 1790)
Koolhaas, R. (1996). Exodus, or the voluntary prisoners of architecture. In M. Colomina (Ed.), Rem Koolhaas: Conversations with students (pp. 10–25). Princeton Architectural Press. (Original work created c. 1972)
Le Corbusier. (1986). Towards a new architecture (F. Etchells, Trans.). Dover Publications. (Original work published 1923; English translation first published 1931)
Rowe, C., & Koetter, F. (1978). Collage city. MIT Press.
Rowe, C., & Slutzky, R. (1963). Transparency: Literal and phenomenal. Perspecta, 8, 45–54.
Sadler, S. (2005). Archigram: Architecture without architecture. MIT Press.
Shields, J. A. E. (2014). Collage and architecture. Routledge.
Tschumi, B. (1994). Architecture and disjunction. MIT Press.
Venturi, R. (1966). Complexity and contradiction in architecture. The Museum of Modern Art.
