Building Bridges: The Modes of Architecture

Abstract

The crossing of borders between architecture and literature has been scrutinized under various scopes. However, the two media types are rarely studied together in terms of “architectural ekphrasis”. The aim of this chapter is to elaborate on this notion by investigating the modes of architecture. To achieve that goal, the author counts on architecture as a medium, as suggested by Patrick Schumacher. Since the limited amount of architectural media traits that are likely to be satisfactorily transmediated by literature are not fully identified by the parameters of already consolidated pictorial models, the author also uses Elleström’s model for analyzing media transformations. The four modalities of media, along with their qualifying aspects, are the backbone of an interpretative framework proposed to explore the presence of architecture in literature. The chapter also leans on the notions of embodiment and perspective.