Ethics & Aesthetics of Architecture & the Environment Conference 11-13 July 2012, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne
INQUIRY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY TURKISH ARCHITECTURE itecture, Department of Architecture e-mail:
[email protected]
1.
INTRODUCTION
Turgut Cansever (1920-2009) has a unique position in modern Turkish architecture of the twentieth century due to the line of inquiry that he maintained as an architect and thinker. Cansever was cognizant of the fact that a novel design approach can be cultivated together with a novel discourse (Tanyeli, 2007, p. 193). His in-depth readings in the fields of art, literature, philosophy and religion constitute a ground for him to base his architectural discourse. His deep knowledge on Islamic culture and t play a key role in the way Cansever comprehends architecture. He strongly criticizes the consequences of , which in his view led to neglect of traditional values in the creation of built environment. Despite his emphasis on a return to tradition, it would be a misinterpretation to say that he is a historicist. He , as underlined by Turkish (Tanyeli, 2007, p. 193). Islamic thought oriented Cansever towards an ontological inquiry, and architecture is at the center of this inquiry. He made a re-interpretation of the power and responsibility of architecture through the lens of the philosophy of Islam. A key question raised by him is how a comprehensive understanding of human-world relationship can enhance an awareness of the responsibility and the merit of architecture --to order human comprehension of wholeness, of the unity of being. This paper aims to understand the framework references of the critical role Cansever maintained in the twentieth century Turkish architectural thought by delineating a picture of his ontological and ethical inquiry. For the purpose of this paper, examined under certain themes that can be discerned in his architectural discourse. 2.
ARCHITECTURE
OR THINKING AND MAKING OF
Cansever wants to think about and experience life, culture, art and architecture all elements of social and personal life- in a holistic way shaped around an axis that is defined by the religion of Islam. He envisions a holistic framework that encompasses not only abstract and concrete elements formed by human beings, but also whatever exists in nature (the realm of all assets, in an ontological sense 2007, p. 192)
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Ethics & Aesthetics of Architecture & the Environment Conference 11-13 July 2012, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne The Islamic comprehension of being constitutes the basis through which Cansever examined the relationship of human beings with the world in general and with architecture in particular. Architecture is defined by him universal belief and value systems reflected in a high level of perception, knowledge 1997, , 2005). He argued that architecture can only . The belief of unity in the Islamic religion tevhid-- depends on the idea of being and of the forces of being. It points to an understanding that covers all aspects of being that exist in a continuous harmony. Tevhid is informed by the consideration that everything in the world is in a constant change and everything finds its own form of expression in a natural process; the only thing that is stable is the ( 2006, p. 30). It is argued that the understanding of tevhid allows us to establish a conscious relationship with our world in the unity of place and time. Cansever attributed a major role to architecture in the development of such a conscious relationship lives. Buildings, neighborhoods and cities inform conception and architectonic formations. He stated: she designs for herself in the society, city, world and the universe, and the design she develops for her environment, home, neighborhood, city, country At the point of the architectural expression of such an approach, Cansever referred to the Ottoman-Turkish architectural values, which for him humanistic, dignified, elegant, modest and monumental expressions of a 1992, p. 43). Ottoman cities and traditional Turkish settlements appear to him by virtue of the harmony and integrity of the built and natural environments, indicating a commitment to the tehvid principle. The emphasis Cansever put on the grasping of being through its unity become the basis of his critique against the heritage of Cartesian dualism in Western culture. He criticized how the dualities, between humanity and nature, body and mind, self world. His ideas on the modernization process in Turkey have such a critical background. He commented on a lack of the integrity of meaning that resulted in this modernization process, which was evident in every domain of life, from the spiritual unity of individual to the unity of the built environment (Cansever, 1997, p. 88). Tanyeli (2007, p. 192) not confined to the impact of western culture on Turkey, but rather pointed to a widespread problem in the Western world as well. The idea of modernization that Cansever advocated was not equal to complexity of non-
seems to be agreed by Cansever, for whom modernization process in a country should respect the cultural and historical experiences of people, and allow the internalization of local values and their translation to the contemporary world. Cansever emphasized that our 2
Ethics & Aesthetics of Architecture & the Environment Conference 11-13 July 2012, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne cultural heritage that was different from the heritage of western culture and the issue of how it could be translated into contemporary world was an important problem confronting the 20th century Turkish architecture (Tanyeli, 1991, p. 82). He (1992, p.167) contended that the western mimicry, to use his own words, were dominating Turkey from the beginning of the twentieth century. 3.
ARCHITECTURE AND THE CONCEPTION OF BEING A work of art is a projection of the artistic product. The decision the artist makes while engaged in his artistic endeavor is determined by his conception of being and of the hierarchy of its forces. So, art is a discipline within the realm of ethics-religion. Sense of responsibility and consistency of behavior, developing from the consciousness of the unity between the perception of form and being, is the step which transforms the human creature into a human being. Therefore, during the architectural design process, the totality of issues involved in the perception of being should be fully considered. The unity of the forces and commandments of being determines existence and its continuity. This unity is different and more than the summation of the forces and the commandments of being. It is all encompassing and sublime. It protects the continuation of existence. Everything can exist only if it obeys the purposes, forces and commandments of creation. Submission to the will of this all-encompassing unity, is the natural attitude of the human being as (Cansever, 1981, p. 8)
This quotation elucidates the major references of the system of thought that Cansever tried to develop throughout his career. It highlights the conception of being and of the universe that framed his thinking and making of architecture. It opens the way for an attempt to understand that he contextualized architecture into an ontological context. Cansever considered architecture as the major intervention of human beings on the form and appearance of the world. For him, architecture has a responsibility of ordering and improving the relationship between humans and Being (Cansever, 1997, p. 97). Therefore, an understanding of architecture apart from the consciousness of the unity of being is incomplete. , architecture forms as a synthesis of all categories of the unity of being: . Architecture is the temporal reflection of a transcendental order (Turan, 1998, p. 97). Architecture is (Tanyeli, 2007, p. 192). Like the categories of being, architecture has many layers; it should address and respond to all layers of life. Thus, the architect should be in search for achieving a harmonious unity among these layers. That is to say, a harmonious unity between all layers of architecture was indispensable for the maintenance of its success for Cansever: One of the things that I want to do is, by carefully fulfilling the requirements of the layer of material assets that covers construction materials, technology, world of ideas and of faith, by examining the realities of the social, economic 3
Ethics & Aesthetics of Architecture & the Environment Conference 11-13 July 2012, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne and biological layers of being and fulfilling their requirements, by meeting the needs of biological layer of being such as sun and shadow, and by providing the calmness and peace entailed by our psychological layer of being, moving slowly, to deliver mass collectivities, which can take additional independent tectonics, to a decorative attribute. This is the essence of style. (Cansever, 1992, p. 214)
Images 1, 2 and 3. Turkish History Institute building, Ankara, by Turgut Cansever that received the Aga Khan Award in 1980.
Cansever (1992, p. 213) was in a constant search for He reflected on architectonic formation --from the smallest detail to the unity of building and its environment-- as a process developing on the basis of decisive principles that resulted in a re-interpretation of traditional knowledge and all information concerning building materials and construction techniques, the physical, geographical and cultural qualities of a place and the human element, 2006, p. 27). Architecture comes into being as the reflection of all these categories at the same time as the coming into being of architecture results in a conscious organization of the relationship between humans and Being (Cansever, 1997, p. 95). 4.
ARCHITECTURE, INDIVIDUAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND BEAUTIFICATION OF THE WORLD
In , the key to the establishment of a conscious relationship between humans and B As aforementioned, what transforms a human creature into a human being, in his words, is consciousness of the unity between the perception of form and bein 1981, p. 8). This major characteristic of individuality most It signifies a human condition 4
Ethics & Aesthetics of Architecture & the Environment Conference 11-13 July 2012, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne and unde extension of God in the wor Accordingly, a human being, for Cansever, is responsible and has the ability to protect the beauty of the world --muhafaza-- and to beautify it in his attempt to order the environment: man should be respectful to others, to nature and to being. He should develop an architectural environment which will enable him to perceive the greatness of the all-encompassing unity.
Images 4, 5, and 6. The Institute of Nautical Archeology, Bodrum, by Turgut Cansever, 1988.
In explaining the beautification of the world as the responsibility and privilege of human being, Cansever (1981, p. 10) underscored the way the individual is glorified and liberated as occurs in centralized solutions- the development of individuals in Islam. He stated an has the choice and responsibility to join the act of Individual freedom -irade- in a world that is constantly changing is fundamental. Everything in the world is continuously changing but a consciousness of change can be acquired by comprehending the all-encompassing unity, which is stable. What unfolded through the consciousness of individuality and of individual freedom envisioned by Islam, for Cansever, was also the formation of a social life. The development of individuality was seen as a prerequisite of social context, since th nature and with his community collectivity (Cansever, 1981, p. 11). For Cansever (1981, p. 10), social space, and can perfect their own individ the beautification of the world becomes both an individual and social responsibility, leading to a cumulative attempt. The architect key role in the beautification of the world remains at the centre The idea of architect he had in mind is the one who arrived at the consciousness of being an individual, became aware of the responsibility of ordering the relationship between humans and Being, and is willing to join the act of the protection and the beautification of the world. As a conscious individual, the architect has freedom and capacity that would help shape the formal and stylistic qualities of architectonic formations. Yet, the freedom of the 5
Ethics & Aesthetics of Architecture & the Environment Conference 11-13 July 2012, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne architect resides in his attempt to achieve a creative translation of traditional and local values to the contemporary condition without surrendering merely to a formalist or stylistic imitation or repetition. The contribution of architecture to the beautification of the world should be harmonious with the forces of a transcendental order, which all human-made tectonics are part of. 5.
ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS Man comes into being with the formation of environmental consciousness and responsibility. (Cansever, 1992, p. 41)
is an attempt of achieving permanence in a constantly changing world and, thus, every artifact is an intervention to the natural environment. He argued that human-made artifacts are inescapably incompl ge and Nevertheless, the architect is also able to endow the nature and the world through his artifacts, provided that he comprehends the nature, and the divine force that creates both nature and human beings. In that case, a building becomes, essentially, the representation of an environmentally conscious attempt to beautify the world and of living in a beautiful world. Environmental consciousness, for Cansever, constitutes the first stage of a human opment as it is emphasized in Islam and all Islamic cultures (Cansever, 1992, p. 42). In this perspective, the creation of the built environment is to be harmonious with forces of . The human condition of seeing oneself as part of an all-encompassing unity bring about a responsibility not to neglect other elements that are part of this unity.
Images 7 and 8. Demir Holiday Village, Bodrum, by Turgut Cansever that received the Aga Khan Award in 1992.
environmental consciousness has important implications for an objective of re-integrating the human being with nature. He contended that the distance between the two has been widened in modern urbanization and architectural policies. Within this perspective he criticized the in Turkey of the 19th and 20th centuries, for bringing about an alienation of human being from his environment and a loss of responsibility towards comprehending and beautifying the 6
Ethics & Aesthetics of Architecture & the Environment Conference 11-13 July 2012, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne environment. Once again, Cansever valued part of the Ottoman-Turkish cultural history and highlighted concern for the notion of privacy, its potential for intense experiences of gardennature and neighborhood-society relations, humanistic, solemn, modest and monumental expressions of the transcendental being and the way Ottoman-Turkish architecture encouraged the inhabitants to comprehend the supremacy and beauty of being in every moment (Cansever, 1992, p. 43). 6.
LIVED ARCHITECTURE AND THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF INDIVIDUALITY cultures, wherein human being is considered as a creature possessing the ultimate realization of the responsibility of beautifying the world, preserved from affections and unconscious orientations, architecture is the main branch of art representing that cultures; architecture in which human beings are not reduced to the state of spectators and in which life and culture are
In consideration of architecture as the most important lived, Cansever searched for an architecture that does not distance itself from human beings or make them passive spectators (Cansever, 1997, p. 190). He believed that the rather active relationship between human beings and architecture resides in becoming aware of the individuality of oneself: environment as much as he contributes to its formation. Then, a will of beautifying it arises. He comprehends the architecture that he increasingly and more deeply realizes; he enjoys it, lives with it and improves it; even he evolves wit 190)
Bodrum, by Turgut Cansever that received the Aga Khan Award in 1980. 7
Ethics & Aesthetics of Architecture & the Environment Conference 11-13 July 2012, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne Within the direct relationship between the creation of built environment, our comprehension of being and perception of the world, human-made artifacts cannot be conceived merely as material products that fulfill the functional requirements of our lives. Cansever maintained that they play great part in the formation of our idea ion of being in animated architectural artifacts and settlements shaped through Islamic principles, he explained that comprehensive perception of the environment is possible when an object, be it a tectonic, is perceived by the eye of a moving 2006, p. 32). Architectonic formation should be in a way that would enable human beings to perceive the environment as a whole, in order to allow and encourage them comprehend the unity of being. Cansever differentiated t, for him, is the one that is harmonious, based on human scale and does not dominate the individual. Architecture, in his view, should make us conscious of the unity between perception of form and being and help us to interact with our environment and the world in a conscious way. The realization of human beings' freedom would be a The beautiful, liberating and livable attributes of architecture envisioned by Cansever concerns not only the tectonic qualities of a building like form, details, materials, but also its relationship with its surrounding environment. What is at issue is the anchoring of a building to a specific site by interpreting the references of the site and translating them to the design and construction of the building. The physical, topographical and cultural particularity of a context should inform architecture. In this way, architecture becomes harmonious with its environment, rather than establishing superiority over it. In the view of Cansever, it is all these qualities that would render architecture durable in space and time. 7.
CONCLUSIVE REMARKS
By way of conclusion to this paper it becomes clear that the approach to architecture proposed by Cansever essentially stem from a meta-perspective. He draws a profile of a human individual arising from the comprehension of the unity of being, of individual consciousness and of the world. The right and responsibility of human beings to order and beautify the world becomes a natural consequence of the conscious relationship they establish with the world. Cansever translated all these considerations to the realm of architecture and probed the task and power of the architect, as a conscious human being, in the creation of the built environment. He envisioned the unity of being as a frame of reference to comprehend architecture. He maintained that as the material and temporal reflection of a transcendental order, architecture should be harmonious with all forces of this order. There seems to be an external rule for good architecture. Morality becomes a to situate the thinking and making of architecture (Koutsoumpos, 2007, p. 4). Starting from a transcendental level, Cansever moved towards the levels of individual and society. The unity of being, as the precondition of achieving individual 8
Ethics & Aesthetics of Architecture & the Environment Conference 11-13 July 2012, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne consciousness, is considered to pave the way toward a sense of responsibility and capacity of human beings for ordering their surroundings, namely of the w is also a contribution to the formation of collective social space in the world. For Cansever all these are among the responsibilities of the architect. Beautifying the environment and forming collective social space would enhance the formation of a vision of existence and the universe, as it would enable human beings to obtain a place in the world. Criteria for good action are at the center of the responsibility, both as a professional and a human individual. In situating architecture to the context of ethics, it becomes clear that approach is informe as well (Koutsoumpos, 2007, p. 4). Cansever related the act o architect] to pursue the good, bringing to mind the Aristotelian concept of -potentiality and personal habit, and deliberate either on it or about how to reach it (Wall, 2003, p. 319). Good is defined through a transcendental order. It should be the s transcendental order and translate it to built forms. REFERENCES Aristotle, 1962, book VI, 1140b, quoted in Wall, J., 2003. Phronesis, Poetics, and Moral Creativity. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, (6), pp. 317-341. (Turgut Cansever Item) Sanat Ansiklopedisi , v. I. Istanbul: YEM Publications, pp. 324-25. Rethinking Modernity and National Identity in Turkey. The University of Washington Press. Modernism and National Building: Turkish Architectural Culture in the Early Republic. The University of Washington Press. Cansever, T., 1997, Kubbeyi Yere Koymamak (Not Putting the Dome Down). Cansever, T., 1992. (Reflections on the City and Arc Cansever,T., 1981. Turgut Cansever: Thoughts and Architecture Cansever, T., 1997,
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