The architecture of alienation
Subtitle: the political economy of professional education
By: David Clarke ; with an introduction by David Watkin ; and a foreword by Stephen P. Dresch.
Publisher: Transaction Publishers
Published: 1994
Place of publication: New Brunswick, N.J
Language: eng
Number of pages: 203
Subjects: Architecture -- Study and teaching -- United States; Architecture and society -- United States -- History -- 20th century; Architecture -- Study and teaching -- France; Architecture and state -- France
Description: The debate over architecture has been raging for years and shows no signs of abatement. These entertaining, yet serious essays combine constructive irony with confrontational drama. Clarke traces the origin of the malaise of modern architecture to schools of architecture themselves, both in the United States and in France. He is also critical of contemporary artists, and laments the fact that modern art has now lost its connection to architecture.

Clarke believes that contemporary architects have alienated the public with hideous buildings, and this disaffection will eventually result in the destruction of their profession.

Architecture's demise originates in its progressive insulation from and independence of its sociocultural context. There is no public consensus or constraint to which architectural imperatives must conform. Clarke urges renewed recognition of the interdependence of architecture and society, and of the humanities and architecture. Chapters in The Architecture of Alienation include: "Investment vs. Consumption Spending in U.S.

Architectural Education"; "French Revolutions: Architecture and the Government"; "The Marketplace and the Academy"; and "Frank Lloyd Wright and the Laffer Curve.".

Architecture and Alienation is an important cross-cultural commentary on the state of Western architecture, art, and education today, and Clarke's essays provide a fruitful focus for examination in American and European contexts alike. This engagingly written work will be enjoyed by educators, sociologists, and professionals and students in the art and architectural fields.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.