The Institute of History of Art, Architecture and Urbanism
Institutio Historiae Architecturae, Artis et Urbis
‘Among the most sinister phenomena in intellectual history is the avoidance of the concrete. It could very well be that our fate is contingent on certain hard knowledge that we do not yet have.’ (Elias Canetti)
The pleasure of thorough historical research is a distinguishing feature of the Institute of History of Art, Architecture and Urbanism. Stressing the historical dimension of our world, the members of the Institute verify facts and half-facts and question the textbook stories that have been written before, deconstructing the specific agenda’s that colored them. Accurate accumulation and precise analysis of scholarly knowledge is an absolute premise for valid historical knowledge. Striving at objectivity, the historian achieves positions that are well-anchored within existing bodies of knowledge. He does not have a solipsistic or autobiographical vision nor is he subjective to the latest fashions of enquiry. Within the Institute historians of different breed nurture and cultivate the memory of architectural traditions. They advocate a view that is both sobering and challenging and see it as their task to investigate and monitor the state and conscience of a discipline among other disciplines. The historical project the historian can stand for is looking back in order to maintain a kaleidoscopic and open view of the future. Without memory mankind would be lost and the architect would drift in a world of mere unrelated facts and events. He would be a victim to ‘genial’ inspirations. With her publications – and with her teaching activities – the Institute wants to provide a con-science of the existence of the architectural and relating disciplines and provide a tool for understanding the world a little better. One of the purposes of historical research is to reveal the complexities and contradictions within historical constructions and to expose the dangers of an operational attitude that wants to reduce history to a simple toll for future interventions. Even if history is structureless we cannot avoid isolating stable images but we should be conscious of its partiality. Others can benefit from the work of the historian and enhance the reflective activity.
