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Beyond Functionalism. How the Everyday and the Utopian Meet in Reused Parish Churches.
Boekbijdrage - Hoofdstuk
The parish churches of Flanders are under permanent
scrutiny. Most of the actors involved in the future of the
church buildings, however, happen to reason in very
‘functional’ terms. The main issue—or so it appears—is
to find the correct new ‘function’ for each parish church
in order for this ‘problem’ to be solved once and for all.
Building on field research and literature, this paper argues
that such a line of reasoning is at odds with the very
nature of church buildings. The parish church, this paper
holds, is a unique building because of its public
‘potential’. Not only does a parish church offer a possible
glimpse of utopia, it is also strongly connected with the
sphere of the everyday. The main argument of the paper
consists of theoretical and practical explorations that
connect the everyday with the utopian. Aspects of public
space, local engagement and the ‘autonomy’ of the
church architecture are the threads that are being stretched
between the everyday and the utopian. From a continuous
mediation between literature and practice, this paper
seeks to build a theory that, in its dealings with these
(old) buildings, is explicitly ‘church building related’,
rather than merely generic and simply ‘functional’. Thus,
the present situation—architecturally and socially—informs
possible futures for the church buildings.
Boek: Advances in Utopian Studies and Sacred Architecture
Pagina's: 259 - 268
Aantal pagina's: 10
ISBN:978-3-030-50764-0
Jaar van publicatie:2021
Toegankelijkheid:Closed