Architecture and the othe[r]eal

Abstract

This paper presents a reading of the Northern Cape Legislature (by Luis Ferreira da Silva Architects, 1998) as a form of Magical Realist design, where the limits of established design (i.e. contemporary architecture) are extended through the inclusion of numerous extraordinary elements, which refer to extraordinary contexts. Following Wilson (Zamora and Faris, 1995: 219-233), it will be argued that literary Magical Realism relies upon a spatial structure, where narrative components of the magical and of the real are presented as though they inhabit different realms, or spaces, albeit intertwined. This narrative/spatial analogy allows for easy translation into motifs of architectural design. The paper will present a theoretical discussion on Magical Realist literature and architecture, and will discuss Magical Realist strategies that inform the Northern Cape Legislature, namely: propinquity, hesitation, hypertrophy- metamorphosis, and imaginative conversation.