John Hejduk’s Pursuit of an Architectural Ethos

Authors

  • Martin Søberg

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7480/footprint.6.1-2.753

Abstract

Reflected, artistic practices and design-based research are drastically expanding fields within architectural academia. However, the interest in uniting theory and practice is not entirely new. Just a few decades ago, before a ‘death of theory’ was proclaimed, questions of architectural epistemology, of the language(s) of architecture, were indeed of profound interest to the discipline.

This essay returns to and examines the investigatory practices of John Hejduk in an attempt to identify a poetic method asserting difference through repetition and primarily grounded in the medium of architectural drawing; a method which, when approached on a more general and conceptual level, might even have the potential to inform design-based architectural research today. The author argues that the conceptual framework of such a method is not a theoretical pursuit of logos, but more a matter of character – an embracing pursuit of an architectural ethos.

Author Biography

Martin Søberg

Martin Søberg is a PhD Fellow at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Architecture. His doctoral research focuses on reflected artistic practices and the medium of the architectural sketch. He holds a research degree (mag.art.) in art history from the University of Copenhagen and has worked as Head of Communications at SLA Architects.

Downloads

Published

2012-01-01