Are sex and architecture related? Are some buildings "male" and others "female"?
Yes, of course, some architects are male and some are female. But what of the buildings?
Does a Victorian cottage, dolled up in gingerbread, seem "female"? Is a rough-hewn stone castle "male"? How would you describe the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey?
The questions might strike you as a bit absurd, but many serious architecture scholars are looking closely at the relationship between architecture and human anatomy and human sexuality.
This photo tour explores several ways we can think about architecture, sex, and gender.
Some architecture critics believe that "female" architecture is architecture that seems to express femininity. There is something womanly about the building's shape, size, proportions, color, or texture.
Curved shapes may suggest the womb. Perhaps you long to crawl inside the building and curl into a fetal position.
The dumpling-shaped Explanade in Singapore has a round shape that might be called feminine.
0 comments:
Post a Comment