The Temple Of Involuntary Thought

Abstract

When contemplating the nature of theatre in the current age, a spectrum of differentia present themselves for dissection. The characteristics that compel investigation range from being extremely practical, to entirely existential. Why are things the way they are? The evolution of theatre is replete with intrigue, and architecture (insofar as it is the act or process of constructing an edifice), has been present for much of theatre’s variegated history. However, it is modern critical analyses of theatre that provide the most fertile ground for the imagination. According to Antonin Artaud, “staging is theatre far more than a written, spoken play. This word—staging—is soaked with architectural nuance, and encompasses the method of presentation of a performance, as well as the structure in/on which the performance takes place. The Temple of Involuntary Thought is transient architecture performed as a theatrical event. For millennia, storytelling and ritual have been instrumental in preserving the social fabric; versatile tools applied by mature members of a society to maintain a “network of expectations and obligations” in subsequent generations. Most historians espouse the view that theatre as we know it today traces its roots to one or both of these traditions. Yet, to define theatre is nontrivial. A given theatrical event rests somewhere on a continuum that ranges between the wholly necessary and the purely intentional. Imagine upon this continuum a certain type of event designed to prompt involuntary thought in a spectator by enveloping them in an event; a new ritual configured to invoke understanding through osmosis. It is for this type of event that the Temple is designed. The completed design is a series of crafted components orchestrated to integrate an articulate space from movement over time. The objective of the spaces is to induce speculation in the visitant; to activate cognisance in the acolyte. This thesis chronicles the inception and production of an architectural performance in three acts, to be exhibited as part of Artweek Auckland in October of 2018. Additionally, the writings describe various aspects of the relationship between design and fabrication pertaining to the creation of a set of architectural objects.