Just over a hundred years have passed since the first publication (1923) and the second, most widely spread, and “classic” edition (1924) of arguably the most influential book-manifesto of 20th century architecture, Le Corbusiers’ Vers une Architecture / Toward an Architecture. This anniversary provides an opportunity to look not only at one significant pillars of architectural thought of the last century, but also at the form, impact and destiny of other manifestos in this cataclysmic era. With the passage of a hundred years, it is possible to examine and study both the form and content of the book, its influence on ways of thinking and doing architecture in subsequent century, its immediate reception at the time of its publication, in the following decades as well as the responses of today and, last but not least, its parallels in current architectural writings.
As is generally known, the book Toward an Architecture is a collection of shorter texts mostly published previously in the revue l’Esprit Nouveau, with only a few newly written texts gradually added. The book offers unique insight into Le Corbusier’s thinking and his way of constructing arguments, which in subsequent decades, thanks to the wide reach of the book, spread far across the architectural world and influenced it heavily. Understanding the book and the thinking it conveys helps to understand many of the intellectual and theoretical issues of the architectural world and its discourse up till today. In parallel with the book, a general dissemination occurred of specific ideas and arguments that soaked into the practices of thinking and designing in different countries and regions and influenced many architects.
Many other manifestos, shorter or longer, were produced in the 20th century. Some had only a brief impact, others lasted for decades. It is enough to mention Aldo Rossi’s Architecture of the City or Robert Venturi’s “gentle manifesto”, Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture. Although Rem Koolhaas’ remark from his first book-manifesto Delirious New York: “How to write a manifesto … in an age disgusted with them?” might be a widespread reaction, manifestos in various forms are still written and published, and their thinking, proposals, visions influence – often in an unpredictable and unexpected way – methods of thought and design in the architecture of our time.
This thematic issue offers an opportunity to explore the legacy of Le Corbusier’s book from different views and perspectives, as well as the form and destiny of other manifestos of the last century.
Submissions may touch on the following topics:
– What kind of thinking animates Toward an Architecture or later offspring of the long manifesto tradition?
– The context, time and place of Le Corbusier’s book and later manifestos
– Sources, inspirations, predecessor of Toward an Architecture or later manifestos
– Analysis of the form and content of the book
– The impact of Toward an Architecture on a local and/or global level, its influence on other manifestos and its overall impact
– Later manifestos, their influence, structure, way of thinking, similarities or differences compared to Toward an Architecture
– Contemporary architectural manifestos, inspirations, influence
– A period without manifestos? The relevance of manifestos today
– The “spirit of the manifesto” in today’s architecture writing, thinking and teaching
Editor:
Jiří Tourek,
Department of Theory of Art and Artworks, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University in Prague
Deadlines:
Call published 31. 1.2025
Deadline for abstracts 28.2.2025
Notification of acceptance 15.3.2025
Deadline for full papers 1.6.2025
Journal published 12.2024