Architectures of Hiding: Crafting Concealment | Omission | Deception | Erasure | Silence

Architecture is a space of concealment and unconcealment, where its making and agency are both hidden and revealed. This book argues for a critical study of hiding in the context of architectural processes, urging the understanding of inherent opportunities, power structures, and covert strategies related to their hidescapes. Examples explored in the book cover a broad range of geographic and cultural contexts, disclosing hidden aspects of architectural meaning.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 31 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Architecture is a complex realm that encompasses a profound interplay between concealment and revelation, lethe and alêtheia, enclosure and disclosure. It manifests as a space where the processes of its creation and agency are simultaneously hidden and revealed, creating a tantalizing paradox. This book seeks to amplify narratives that often go overlooked, silenced, and unacknowledged within and by architectural spaces, histories, and theories. It argues for the necessity of conducting a critical study of hiding within the context of architectural processes. By delving into the inherent opportunities, power structures, and covert strategies associated with hiding, whether they be socio-cultural, geo-political, environmental, or economic, this book aims to understand the intricate relationships between these hidescapes—the constructed landscapes of our built environments that actively participate in the architectures of hiding.

Architectural spaces, in their multifaceted nature, offer themselves as powerful apparatuses for diverse forms of hiding and un(hiding). Through a comprehensive exploration of examples and creative works presented in the interviews enclosed within the interludes of this publication, the book seeks to uncover hidden aspects of architectural meaning across a broad range of geographic and cultural contexts. It investigates the imaginative intrigue of concealing and revealing in design processes, alongside the moral responsibilities and ethical dilemmas inherent in crafting concealment through the making and reception of architecture.

In conclusion, architecture is a realm that invites us to explore the depths of concealment and revelation, challenging our perceptions and illuminating the intricate relationships between the built environment, society, and the human psyche. By studying hiding within the context of architectural processes, we can gain a deeper understanding of the complexities of our world and the role that architecture plays in shaping our experiences.

Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032412320