Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ACU-AHvE (Multiculturalism in the work of Aldo and Hannie van Eyck. Rethinking universalist notions in architecture.)
Période du rapport: 2021-02-01 au 2023-01-31
This research explains the development of a multiculturalist discourse in European post-war architecture (50-60s). It analyses how inclusive architectural practices were born in the 1950s and the 60s, informed and inspired by anthropological texts at the time, an episode of the history of architecture which was yet to be thoroughly analysed and clarified. From today’s perspective and following current debates on multiculturalism, the interest in non-European architecture needs to be interpreted as an act of de-contextualisation and exotisation, where power relations remained unchanged. The research identifies the grammars of identity/alterity that were at play, of utmost interest for today’s society, a globalised world where multiple voices coexist.
Specifically, it has focused on the work of the Dutch architects Aldo and Hannie van Eyck (1918-1999), who built their theoretical framework by merging modern architecture, prewar avant-garde and the artistic production of non-Western cultures. In order to do so, it was necessary to introduce a method that uses the Van Eyck family house as a starting point for the analysis. Inside their house, it still remains the Van Eycks’ full ethnographic and modern art collection, library, travel pictures, drawings and conference slides. The finding of the house constitutes a shifting point in the study of the Van Eycks’ thinking, a great amount of new information that this research disentangles and presents to a broader public.
Overall, the research scrutinises the blending of anthropology, non-western and modern art in Aldo and Hannie van Eyck’s work in a novel way where space, inhabitants, political ideas and ways of living merge to shape a multiculturalist notion of society and architecture. The analysis of the new information casts new understandings on Van Eyck’s oeuvre and the development of a multiculturalist world-view that catalysed the transformation of European Post-War architecture, an example of open and inclusive design practices, respectful of social context and embracing differences and identity, thus of utmost academic value for society and illuminating the historical background and dynamics of current debates.
Specifically, it has focused on the work of the Dutch architects Aldo and Hannie van Eyck (1918-1999), who built their theoretical framework by merging modern architecture, prewar avant-garde and the artistic production of non-Western cultures. In order to do so, it was necessary to introduce a method that uses the Van Eyck family house as a starting point for the analysis. Inside their house, it still remains the Van Eycks’ full ethnographic and modern art collection, library, travel pictures, drawings and conference slides. The finding of the house constitutes a shifting point in the study of the Van Eycks’ thinking, a great amount of new information that this research disentangles and presents to a broader public.
Overall, the research scrutinises the blending of anthropology, non-western and modern art in Aldo and Hannie van Eyck’s work in a novel way where space, inhabitants, political ideas and ways of living merge to shape a multiculturalist notion of society and architecture. The analysis of the new information casts new understandings on Van Eyck’s oeuvre and the development of a multiculturalist world-view that catalysed the transformation of European Post-War architecture, an example of open and inclusive design practices, respectful of social context and embracing differences and identity, thus of utmost academic value for society and illuminating the historical background and dynamics of current debates.
The first stages of the research project were spent on courses on Qualitative Methods, with a special focus on Historical Re-Enactments and experiential approaches. I've also participated on educational activities to test the application of these methods, the elective "Architectural Ethnography" which led to the exhibition "Visies op Bouwlust Vrederust" held in Den Haag in collaboration with policy makers. In September 2021, I co-organised (D10.2) the 2021 Jaap Bakema International Conference at Het Nieuwe Instituut Rotterdam and Faculty of Architecture (TU Delft), "The Observers Observed: Architectural Uses of Ethnography". The cross-disciplinary outreach of the project has received particular consideration. I've participated in research sessions organised by the Research Centre for Material Culture and organised the symposium (D9.5-D10.4) “Rethinking Universalist Notions in Modern Architecture” at the Leiden Volkekunde (Ethnographic Museum), with scholars from different fields (anthropology, sociology, art history). Another important aspect was my participation in the 13th edition of the María Lugones Decolonial Summer School by University College Utrecht, with over 21 day-sessions.
The case-tudy part of the research involved extensive visits to the field to create complete catalogue of the Van Eyck Collection; numerous interviews to the Van Eyck family, colleagues, art dealers, and art collectors; digitisation of Van Eyck lectures on ethnographic art, travel films and images. In short, the application of the learnt methods, leading to several conference contributions (D9.1 D9.3) a book chapter on Van Eyck and Bo Bardi's engagement with non-Western cultures (D9.4) invited lectures on Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, and Politecnico Milano, and a journal publication at The Journal of Architecture (D9.2). I've also communicated my results to the general public on a public event held at Matadero Madrid (10.3).
In 2021, I participated as an Invited Lecturer at FAD Universidad Finis Terrae (Chile), teaching an online series (14 sessions) that explores the anthropologisation of architectural discourse and that was uploaded to Youtube (D10.1) with over 50k views. I've also collaborated with De-Colonial Scholars on an on-going projects (Special Number for the Architecture and Culture Scientific Journal), and developed several scientific publications on a postcolonial revisit of the Van Eyck Collection, currently under review (D9.6). We are currently re-working the found materials for an exhibition at the Het Nieuwe Instituut, revisiting the Van Eyck Collection from today's perspective (D10.5)
The case-tudy part of the research involved extensive visits to the field to create complete catalogue of the Van Eyck Collection; numerous interviews to the Van Eyck family, colleagues, art dealers, and art collectors; digitisation of Van Eyck lectures on ethnographic art, travel films and images. In short, the application of the learnt methods, leading to several conference contributions (D9.1 D9.3) a book chapter on Van Eyck and Bo Bardi's engagement with non-Western cultures (D9.4) invited lectures on Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, and Politecnico Milano, and a journal publication at The Journal of Architecture (D9.2). I've also communicated my results to the general public on a public event held at Matadero Madrid (10.3).
In 2021, I participated as an Invited Lecturer at FAD Universidad Finis Terrae (Chile), teaching an online series (14 sessions) that explores the anthropologisation of architectural discourse and that was uploaded to Youtube (D10.1) with over 50k views. I've also collaborated with De-Colonial Scholars on an on-going projects (Special Number for the Architecture and Culture Scientific Journal), and developed several scientific publications on a postcolonial revisit of the Van Eyck Collection, currently under review (D9.6). We are currently re-working the found materials for an exhibition at the Het Nieuwe Instituut, revisiting the Van Eyck Collection from today's perspective (D10.5)
There have been earlier attempts to study Aldo van Eyck’s relation with vernacular art and cultures, most notably the research by F. Strauven (1998) and K. Jaschke (2011), but they lacked the full archival sources to tackle the issue. This research uncovered new information inside the Van Eycks’ family house, where it still remains their vernacular and modern art collection, library, travel pictures and conference slides. This information has been used for the study of Van Eyck’s multicultural and trans-disciplinary references, and shows that previous contributions have often overlooked an important aspect of the Van Eycks' engagement with cultures others than his own, namely a long-lasting practice of non-Western art collecting that started in the late 30s and continued all through the second half of the twentieth century. There was previously not a thorough exploration of their art collecting practices and their relationships with their knowledge production, nor there is a critical revision of these practices from a postcolonial perspective, an omission which has led to a set of misconceptions on the Van Eycks and their oeuvre, and to an inaccurate representation of their interest in anthropology.
This research has proven that their roles as collectors, tourists and “ethnographers” need to be taken into consideration, that their contribution to the field of architecture becomes unreadable without a proper and critical look at their engagement with cultures other than their own. Ultimately, art collecting was an activity extensively performed by the Van Eycks from the 40s, leading to the unfolding of an extensive network of actors —art dealers, art galleries, museums, collectors, artists— and ideas —universalism, multiculturalism, primitivism— that made a long-lasting impact on their architectural thinking and, beyond, on international post-war architectural discourse.
The research has also approached Van Eyck Collection from a post-colonial perspective, via an analysis of the processes of Othering that were at play. This has shown that, while the Van Eycks' engagement with non-Western cultures might initially be seen as a positive “learning-from” endeavour, it also undoubtedly had many problematic elements. The research thus introduces a de-colonial/post-colonial lens that helps unravel the processes and problematics of the anthropologisation of post-war architectural discourses, finding guiding principles that are of utmost societal implication in our globalised societies and economies, where questions of restitution and epistemic de-colonisation are in the spotlight.
This research has proven that their roles as collectors, tourists and “ethnographers” need to be taken into consideration, that their contribution to the field of architecture becomes unreadable without a proper and critical look at their engagement with cultures other than their own. Ultimately, art collecting was an activity extensively performed by the Van Eycks from the 40s, leading to the unfolding of an extensive network of actors —art dealers, art galleries, museums, collectors, artists— and ideas —universalism, multiculturalism, primitivism— that made a long-lasting impact on their architectural thinking and, beyond, on international post-war architectural discourse.
The research has also approached Van Eyck Collection from a post-colonial perspective, via an analysis of the processes of Othering that were at play. This has shown that, while the Van Eycks' engagement with non-Western cultures might initially be seen as a positive “learning-from” endeavour, it also undoubtedly had many problematic elements. The research thus introduces a de-colonial/post-colonial lens that helps unravel the processes and problematics of the anthropologisation of post-war architectural discourses, finding guiding principles that are of utmost societal implication in our globalised societies and economies, where questions of restitution and epistemic de-colonisation are in the spotlight.