Abstract:
The progression of avant-garde throughout history has influenced many cities in architecture, art and culture, having culminated in the emergence of radical social reforms. Avant-garde directly translates from French as the ‘vanguard’, the fundamental phenomenon involving the break within the dominant programmatic norms of both art and cultural practices. Through the influence of cultural medium from architectural imagery, constructivism, exhibition and advertising the projection of the late avant-garde illustrated the future development from Post-Modernism to Deconstructivism. The architects of the time developed visual and representational techniques specifically for engaging with urban environments within the architectural movement, throughout the late avant-garde these architects all seemed to explore the nature and utilisation of the social conscious-ness within space. The thesis aims to interrogate critical approaches to architectural representation of late avant-garde in the 20th century through media, and the influences within the projection of contemporary design practice that we see today. These strategies are established through transitional environmental systems to create a new typology of an arts centre, which integrates the educational, recreational and working facilities to be geared towards generating and exposing the artistic practices of the avant-garde. The study proposes a design for a new outlook on an avant-gardist art centre by re-interpreting the radical movements as a concept which is always evolving to achieve success or failure. The design becomes something which pushes the boundaries of the expected, through interrogating the programme, the architecture becomes a catalyst temporary in nature and in constant change adapting to its time. The social norm is dynamic as the architecture seeks to challenge this evolving status quo, interpreting the surroundings through social diversity, spatial arrangements and transitional programming.