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From agit-prop to free space : the architecture of Cedric Price
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From agit-prop to free space : the architecture of Cedric Price

by Stanley Matthews, Blanche Craig

This book examines the early work of architect Cedric Price, focusing on unrealised projects such as the Fun Palace and the Potteries Thinkbelt. It draws on archival material to analyse his theories of adaptable, socially interactive architecture in post-war Britain.

Accession 9795 ISBN 9781904772521 Publisher Black Dog
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Identity

name→ title
From agit-prop to free space : the architecture of Cedric Price
vernon_id
13582
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9795
vernon_slug
from-agit-prop-to-free-space-the-architecture-of-cedric-price-stanley-matthews

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production_date
2007 {copyright}
object_type
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object_status
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brief_description
Cedric Price proposed radically new concepts of architecture and redefined the ways in which the architect might enhance human life, extend human potential and promote social change. Price perceived architectural possibilities amidst the apparent cultural anarchy of post-war Britain where many pundits and social critics saw only the waning of an old order. Forsaking tradition, he dealt with variable structures, firmly believing in impermanent constructions designed for continual change; that architecture should "enable people to think the unthinkable"." 'From Agit-Prop to Free Space: The Architecture of Cedric Price' tells the story of Price's architecture, how his thinking expressed the changing character of life and society, and how his work has shaped architectural discourse today. It focuses specifically on two of Price's major unrealised works. The Fun Palace and The Potteries Thinkbelt. Not buildings in any conventional sense, these two projects were instead socially interactive machines, highly adaptable to the shifting conditions of their time and place." "From Agit-Prop to Free Space is the result of extensive research based on vast quantities of unpublished archive material, including letters, memos, notes, drawings and interviews. It paints a portrait of an architect who was a true radical, and who overturned conventional ideas of what architecture means, having a major impact on architecture across the world from Japanese Metabolism to High-Tech.

Subjects & people

authors→ author (initial fill only)
Stanley Matthews, Blanche Craig
tags→ tags
Architecture, Art, Arts, Persons, Social sciences, Civilisation, Sociology, Social history, Design, Creation (Literary, artistic, etc.), Architectural design, Professional employees, Employees, Space (Architecture), Architecture -- Composition, proportion, etc., Architecture, Modern, Architects, Social change, Architecture -- Philosophy
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Cedric Price (English, b.1934, d.2003)
subject_objects
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Topics and Themes