Tilburg University Authenticity and architecture Anderson, Robert

249 Pages·2017·16 MB·English

by  Rob Anderson

Tilburg University
Authenticity and architecture
Anderson, R.C.
Publication date:
2014
Document Version
Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record
Link to publication in Tilburg University Research Portal
Citation for published version (APA):
Anderson, R. C. (2014). Authenticity and architecture: Representation and reconstruction in context. Tilburg
University.
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Authenticity and Architecture
Representation and Reconstruction in Context

Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor
aan Tilburg University,
op gezag van de rector magnificus,
prof. dr. Ph. Eijlander,
in het openbaar te verdedigen ten overstaan van een
door het college voor promoties aangewezen commissie
in de Ruth First zaal van de Universiteit

op maandag 10 november 2014 om 10.15 uur

door

Robert Curtis Anderson
geboren op 5 april 1966 te Brooklyn, New York, USA
Promotores:
prof. dr. K. Gergen
prof. dr. A. de Ruijter

Overige leden van de Promotiecommissie:
prof. dr. V. Aebischer
prof. dr. E. Todorova
dr. J. Lannamann
dr. J. Storch

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Robert Curtis Anderson

Authenticity and Architecture
Representation and Reconstruction
in Context

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Cover Images (from top to bottom):

Fantoft Stave Church, Bergen, Norway
photo by author
Ise Shrines, Geku, Secondary Structure, Ise-shi, Japan
photo by author
King Håkon’s Hall, Bergen, Norway
photo by author
Kazan Cathedral, Moscow, Russia
photo by author
Franklin Court, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
photo by Mark Cohn, taken from: UPenn Almanac, www.upenn.edu/almanac/volumes

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

Table of Contents
Abstract
Preface
1 Grand Narratives and Authenticity
2 The Social Construction of Architecture
3 Authenticity, Memory, and Truth
4 Cultural Tourism, Conservation Practices, and Authenticity
5 Authenticity, Appropriation, Copies, and Replicas
6 Authenticity Reconstructed: the Fantoft Stave Church, Bergen, Norway
7 Renewed Authenticity: the Ise Shrines (Geku and Naiku), Ise-shi, Japan
8 Concluding Discussion
Appendix I, II, and III
I: The Venice Charter, 1964
II: The Nara Document on Authenticity, 1994
III: Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, 2003
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
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

Abstract
Architecture is about aging well, about precision and authenticity.1
- Annabelle Selldorf, architect

Throughout human history, due to war, violence, natural catastrophes,
deterioration, weathering, social mores, and neglect, the cultural meanings of various
architectural structures have been altered. This continuous change in our social
environments is evidenced by the destruction of countless cities during WWII, the
terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in NYC, and in recent memory by the
damage and loss created by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the Philippines,
to name just a few. Our environments are constantly being altered, and these changes
contribute to the disruption of our sense of continuity, our memories, and our shared
meaning. Our reactions to these changes and the subsequent construction of multiple

1 David Netto, “The Form Mistress”, Wall Street Journal, April 28, 2011,
online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704495004576265481351056202, (accessed on
September 3, 2013).
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narratives also vary according to the layers of cultural, historic, and artistic identity that
have been disrupted. Among the various aspects of life, that have been challenged, are
our perceptions of the authentic. We ask ourselves: What is now the “real”? What is
the same as it once was? What has been made false? What has been erased? What
is fantasy or fiction? What is our shared history?
What do we mean when we look at buildings and claim them to be authentic,
real, or original? In asking this question, we begin to challenge the notion of authenticity
and its various interpretations. Furthermore, what we come to identify as authentic in
architecture and culture is rarely very original, and more often comprised of
reconstructed narratives and a collusion of collective memories created to serve certain
cultural, political, and artistic purposes. These competing claims and definitions are
especially important to understand the multiple perspectives presented, and in
challenging biases, fixed constructs, and preconceived meanings.
While collective memory and archival evidence may be primary sources for
constructing the meanings of architectural structures and settings, sometimes
repression and forgetting are required. In such cases, people reduce or omit portions of
their complex histories to a single narrative for many reasons, including touristic appeal.
Their traditions, history, and cultural events may be selectively omitted or marginalized,
thus, suppressing the richness that came before.
Of particular interest to this research are the varying layers of relationships found
in collective memory, archival evidence, and invented traditions. This research
examines how they intersect in the creation (and re-creation) of the target’s identity,
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history, and significance. To what extent does the target achieve authenticity? In
considering these complex issues, the preliminary focus will be on a number of
architectural examples in America, Europe, and Asia that address varying aspects of
authenticity through reconstruction and restoration. This initial investigation will then
culminate in an in-depth exploration of the notion of authenticity in relation to the Fantoft
Stave Church in Norway and the Ise Shrines in Japan.
By studying these seemingly disparate examples, I hope to generate a discourse
in the design community, primarily, as to both the merits (and lack thereof) of various
representations and reconstructions in their respective contexts, and the nature of
authenticity.

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