The Re-educational Centre: Beauty Through the Lens of Imperfection

Abstract

This thesis proposes a reorientation of the Westernised (now Globalised) notion of Beauty which aligns with the perfection that has come to condition the perception of the world today. The significance of technological advancement and the idealised perfection mindset of contemporary society has set a specific standard for aesthetics which impacts our everyday lives both psychologically and environmental sustainability. This idealised perfection has caused many to procure newer and shinier material goods to satisfy their emotional needs. The ultimate goal of pursuing beauty and obtaining beautiful objects is to achieve satisfaction and happiness, but when this is aligned with unattainable or unrealistic standards of perfection this causes contrary effects. According to the book ‘Emotionally Durable Design’, such behavior not only puts stress on our limited natural resources but also causes disappointment and dissatisfaction as this will lead to an endless cycle of desire resulting in the “hedonic treadmill” effect.

Hence,

“The crisis of unsustainability is not one of energy and materials alone, but the crisis of behavior”- Jonathan Chapman.

This thesis also begs the question: if perfection is aligned with the beautiful, does that make imperfection aligned with the ugly? And why can’t imperfection be beautiful? These ideas are explored through a series of media studies that question the representations of imperfection through modes of fixing (via kintsugi), photography and collaging, and the practice of wabi-sabi. These experiments culminate in a response to a theoretical design brief: a reeducation centre in Warkworth Cement Work intertwined with a surreal narrative, that seeks to create provocation and contemplation regarding the matter of aestheticisation with the ruined cement factory being repurposed. This thesis sets out to challenge the conventional mode of aesthetics, where imperfection as beautiful is re-presented as a more sustainable sociocultural ideology, and specifically, what role architecture can play to reorient the preconceived notion of beauty.