The Big Scrapbook: The relational perspective of Alison Smithson

Authors

  • David Casino Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_zarch/zarch.2023207442

Keywords:

Alison and Peter Smithson, Scrapbook, Assembly, Fragment, Atlas, Relational

Abstract

The article explores the creative flexibility that Alison Smithson boasted in combining their design interests is presented through bi-dimensional works on paper that endowed their work with a powerful experimental, visual and artistic dimension. Through the screening of the surprising and thus far unrenowned document called The Big Scrapbook, we perceive the associative and relational sight that this architect deployed towards everything around her, thus constructing a particular imaginary of fragments with which to build new arguments and narratives. Inside this personal atlas of ideas called The Big Scrapbook, the apparently random juxtaposition of a series of images captured from varying times and significances places boosts new connections and creative processes. These novel relationships between pieces of images can be seen as the origin of certain pivotal interests intellectually underpinning the Smithsons’ designs.

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Author Biography

David Casino, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

David Casino holds a PhD in Architecture and a Master in Advanced Architecture from ETSAM, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. He is currently Associate Professor at the Architectural Design Department at ETSAM and member of the Research Group Cultura del Habitat. He has also taught in other institutions such as Universidad Europea de Madrid (2011-2019) and IE School of Architecture (2011-2013). He has carried out international research stays at TU Delft (2015-2016) and has written articles in the indexed journals RITA, REIA, and Cuaderno de Notas, among others. His PhD thesis Ground-Notations. Grounding Strategies in the work of Alison and Peter Smithson (International PhD cum laude) reflects his interest in the manipulation of the ground as a tactic of mediation between architecture and context. He has been co-editor of REIA (2014-2021) and curator of the DPA's lecture series argument#3 Making Matters (2019) on architectural production processes centered around the matter. In 2005 he founded ZZA zigzag arquitectura with Bernardo Angelini. The work developed in the studio has received numerous awards, including the Architecture Prize at the 11th Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism, as well as other important recognitions, such as those obtained at the AR+D Awards for Emerging Architecture, Ugo Rivolta European Architecture Awards, V Enor Architecture Awards and III Arquia Próxima Award. His work has been published in national and international publications such as AV, Arquitectura Viva, a+t, C3, The Architectural Review, Lotus, Area Magazine, or Summa+, and shown in different collective exhibitions.

References

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Published

2023-06-23

How to Cite

Casino, D. (2023). The Big Scrapbook: The relational perspective of Alison Smithson. ZARCH. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Architecture and Urbanism, (20), 98–111. https://doi.org/10.26754/ojs_zarch/zarch.2023207442

Issue

No. 20 (2023): New in-sights?

Section

Topic papers