One chapter, one photo – part 1

For "Bavarity" I had the opportunity to select about fifty photographs. They are featured in color in the digital and physical print editions of the book. The image in chapter one displayed here shows the Wieskirche in Bavaria. I took the photo myself in the fall of 2011. The chapter deals with space as text and particularly how we can "read" the built environment. The question is how to approximate this notion in the case of the Free State of Bavaria. The premise for answering this question was to have a closer look at text that illustrates the milieus of Bavarian rural and urban life. This is the case in the work of playwright and actor Franz Xaver Kroetz. His theater plays depict how people deal with conflicts between traditional and modern ways of life. The plays are very specific in terms of the spatial dimension and character of these conflicts. Kroetz calls out the derelict farmhouses and modern urban districts in which his characters experience their individual crises. In terms of architectural theory, the related conflict between tradition and modernity refers to a time of transition in the creation of architecture in Europe. This transition refers to the distinction between traditional craftsmanship and industrial mass production. Once we become aware of the distinction between traditional and modern ways of life, craftsmanship and industry, and how they define the character of architectural design, we can begin to read and understand the built environment.

The chapter on space as text was published in the book "Bavarity – Coping with Crisis in the Space of Building Culture" and is available from Springer Spektrum and all booksellers.