To celebrate the release of A New Material Interpretation of Twelfth-Century Architecture, we are hosting a book launch at our stall at the IMC 2024 Book Fair.
Join author Jason Crow to celebrate this remarkable book, enjoy a special conference discount and snack on stroopwaffles brought directly from Amsterdam.
We hope to see you there!
Tuesday 2nd July, 2-3pm AUP/Arc Humanities Press stand at the IMC Book Fair Parkinson Court, University of Leeds
Today, we perceive Gothic cathedrals as light-filled forms representing the sacred. The colored light projected from brightly-colored stained glass windows onto the walls and floors of these buildings suggests the presence of divinity. Suger (1081–1151CE), the abbot of the monastery of Saint-Denis, is credited with originating Gothic architecture. However, focus on form and structure has elided attention to the material out of which medieval churches were made. When Suger describes the early church he was replacing, he says that the gold and gems it contained beamed outwardly with a gleaming light that filled the eye. When he restored his church and filled it with the shining souls of his ecclesia, he repeated God’s divine act of creation. His restored church imitated the precious stones that could be shaped and polished to reveal divine light. By crafting stone, Suger fulfilled the divine plan to make heaven on earth.
Dr. Jason Robert Crow is a senior lecturer at Monash University and a licensed architect. His research focuses on the impact of technological changes on material ontology and artisanal epistemology. Understanding these changes assists in defining the role of craft in architectural design.
