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Art-Itecture: Exploding The Boundaries Between Art And Architecture, Lauren Gallow

Lauren L. Gallow

In his 1970 book Experimental Architecture, Archigram co-founder Peter Cook writes, “In this century there have been several occasions when science, technology and human emancipation have coincided in a way that has caused architecture to explode.” This image of an exploding architecture can be read in several ways: as a challenging of architecture’s disciplinary boundaries, as a new idea of architecture altogether, or as a building literally exploding into fragmented pieces because of its perceived obsolescence. No matter the specific interpretation, Cook’s statement captures a widespread yet often overlooked trend of the twentieth century wherein architects and artists attempted to …