Apart : towards the dissolution of the negative dialectic found in artistic exhibition through the adaptive reuse of the Sunnyside Post Office into an art complex

Abstract

Through the consideration of Adorno’s theory of ‘negative dialectics’ the existing society of art is in a state of alienation. This idea considers units of similarity abstracted from one another and thereby establishing an opposition; a negative dialectic relationship between creatives. “Instead of belonging to the world, man put himself rationally and critically opposite it...“ (Jencks & Baird, 1969, p. 216). The concept that a future can exist free from alienation lends toward a future of collaborative community considered within the context of cultural production. Culture is not merely the manifestation of the human mind into a creative material medium; it is also a mechanism of interaction developed through social behaviour such as a custom or an idea. Kristeva’s construct, ‘the abject’ (that which is neither subject nor object), is used to define the scope of this project. Producing culture using space is not defining object in space nor is it defining subject in space. The triadic interaction between object, subject and abject is important in understanding the cultural system within the built environment. This is conceptually intended to manifest the communal identity of creatives within the host building. Considering the explicit (whereby knowledge and social interaction are produced) and implicit (which considers action between object and subject) relationships reinforces the argument. The understanding of the relationship between cultural media and mediators is to be explored spatially in the adaptive reuse of the Sunnyside Post Office into a production house and exhibition space, utilising social applications to defining a model for a creative cohesion.