Archifashion — Architecture and Fashion
“Of course there is a lot of fluidity now between art, architecture and
fashion – a lot more cross-pollination in the disciplines, but this isn’t
about competition, it’s about collaboration and what these practices
and processes can contribute to one another.” – Zaha Hadid –
The term "archifashion" is ambiguous. It can be understood more specifically as an architecture conscious of its striving for change. The documented attitude justifies a relationship between fashion and architecture
concerned primarily with functions, aesthetics and rationale rather than
one that attempts to deal with a non-ideological, neutral field.
For progressive-minded architects of the nineteenth century and their
twentieth-century successors, it seemed essential to create a unified
architectural style that would reflect its age, just as previous styles had
reflected theirs. Also, in the great historical periods artists had not been
free to choose the style in which they worked. Their mental and creative
horizons had been circumscribed by a range of forms that constituted
their entire universe.
The artist came into a world already formed. Two polar positions can be applied to modern tradition is undeniable. But the line between them is hard to define. The new age must exhibit the cultural totality characteristic of all historical periods. Hence, we cross the
boundaries of the fields of studies and the audience. The Symbolists held that art should not imitate appearances but should reveal an essential underlying reality. But I believe that it should also be visually pleasing and functional.
The book consists of number of projects and essays that can be read either
as self-contained narratives or as part of a larger whole, each dealing
with a cluster of related themes reflecting an important moment in the
confrontation of architecture and fashion.
ARCHIFASHION ILLUSTRATION
We live our lives made up of a great quantity of isolated instants. So as to be lost at the heart of a multitude of things. (From the Double Dream of Spring, 1970.)
