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Work in text and images: Sigfried Giedion's Space, Time and Architecture , 1941–1967

2015; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 20; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/13602365.2015.1069371

1466-4410

Gregor Harbusch,

Architecture and Art History Studies

AbstractSigfried Giedion's Space, Time and Architecture, first published in 1941, is not only one of the most influential twentieth-century pieces of architectural historiography, but also an important example of the author's work processes. To this Swiss Modernist, arranging texts and illustrations on book pages was at least as important as the contents of a book. This paper traces the genesis of Giedion's Space, Time and Architecture along four lines. First, the development of theme and choice of illustrations; secondly, the progressive layout; thirdly, the author's role; and fourthly, the preparation of revised editions. This will reveal that in aesthetic terms the layout reflects the argumentational rigour of the text. The synergy of textual and pictorial discourse is essential to the international influence this book has had. The paper is based on material from Giedion's estate held by gta Archives at the ETH, Zurich. The difficult ‘transatlantic’ production process during the Second World War entailed a lot of letter-writing, often about specific details, and this correspondence is a valuable research find. In addition, Giedion's estate contains many other materials, from complete typescripts, including revisions, and concept papers to pictorial collections. AcknowledgementsI thank Reto Geiser and Daniel Weiss for stimulating discussions and invaluable leads, Pepper Stetler for her editorial work and the anonymous peer-reviewers for their engagement and helpful comments.Translated from the German by Jill Denton, Berlin.NotesThis is a revised, extended and peer-reviewed edition of a text originally published in German as ‘Arbeiten an Wort, Bild und Buch. Das Beispiel Space, Time and Architecture’, in, Werner Oechslin, Gregor Harbusch, eds, Sigfried Giedion und die Fotografie. Bildinszenierungen der Moderne (Zurich, gta Verlag, 2010), pp. 126–41.1. Gropius, letter to Giedion, Cambridge, 23/12/1937: original emphasis. All the letters referred to in this essay are held by the gta Archives at the ETH Zurich (Archives of the Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich). Most of them belong to the estate of Sigfried Giedion, certain others to the CIAM Archives. All of Giedion's and the émigrés' correspondence used in this essay was written in German.2. Giedion, letter to Gropius, Zurich, 18/01/38.3. P. Tournikiotis, The Historiography of Modern Architecture (Cambridge, Mass., London, The MIT Press, 1999), pp. 14f.4. Ibid., p. 224.5. On the analysis of this book from the art history and historical perspective, cf., for example: S. Georgiadis, Sigfried Giedion. Eine intellektuelle Biographie (Zurich, gta Verlag, 1989), pp. 111–165; S. Kostof, ‘Architecture, You and Him. The Mark of Sigfried Giedion’. Daedalus, 105 (1976), pp. 189–204; V. Magnago Lampugnani, ‘Una storia della storia dell'architettura del XX secolo/A History of the History of Architecture of the Twentieth Century', Rassegna, 8 (1986), pp. 18–29; D. Mertins, ‘Nicht buchstäblich. Der Transparenzbegriff bei Sigfried Giedion', ARCH+, 30 (1998), pp. 106–111; A. P. Molella, ‘Science Moderne. Sigfried Giedion's Space, Time and Architecture and Mechanization Takes Command’. Technology and Culture, 43 (2002), pp. 374–389; J. Posener, ‘Zu Sigfried Giedions “Raum, Zeit, Architektur” (1965)’, in, idem, ed., Aufsätze und Vorträge 1931–1980 (Braunschweig/Wiesbaden, Vieweg, 1981), pp. 85–89; A. Schwarting, ‘“Der Sieg des neuen Baustils”. Geschichtskonstruktionen und Geltungsansprüche in der Architektur der Moderne', in, A. Brodocz, et al., eds, Institutionelle Macht. Genese, Verstetigung, Verlust (Cologne, et al., Böhlau, 2005), pp. 197–211; P. Tournikiotis, The Historiography of Modern Architecture, op. cit.6. With regard to juxtaposed images in other publications by Giedion, cf.: S. von Moos, ‘Die Industriekultur und der “eilige Leser”. Giedion, Mumford und die Ikonographie der “Machine Age”’, in, A. Beyer, et al., eds, Hülle und Fülle. Festschrift für Tilman Buddensieg (Alfter, VDG, 1993), pp. 359–397.7. H. Dilly, ‘Lichtbildprojektion. Prothese der Kunstbetrachtung', in, I. Below, ed., Kunstwissenschaft und Kunstvermittlung (Gießen, Anabas, 1975), pp. 153–172.8. Giedion, letter to Moholy-Nagy, Zurich, 15/01/41.9. Giedion, letter to Bayer, Davos, 03/01/41.10. Giedion, letter to Gropius, Zurich, 14/01/41.11. Ibid.12. Purtell, letter to Giedion, Boston, 14/01/41.13. P. Tournikiotis, The Historiography of Modern Architecture, op. cit., p. 22.14. S. Giedion, Space, Time and Architecture. The Growth of a New Tradition (Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 1941; 1st edition), pp.11–19.15. P. Tournikiotis, The Historiography of Modern Architecture, op. cit., pp. 45f.16. S. Georgiadis, Sigfried Giedion, op. cit., pp. 157–162.17. Giedion, letter to David T. Pottinger (Harvard University Press), Zurich, 12/19/40 and letter to Bayer, Zurich, 16/09/40.18. K. Medici-Mall, ‘Diskutieren über Monumentalität', in, idem, ed., Fünf Punkte in der Architekturgeschichte. Festschrift für Adolf Max Vogt (Basel, Berlin, Boston, Birkhäuser, 1985), pp. 276–293; S. Giedion, ‘The Need for a New Monumentality', in, P. Zucker, ed., New Architecture and City Planning (New York, Philosophical Library, 1944), pp. 549–568.19. Bayer, letter to Giedion, unknown location, December, 1938.20. Giedion, letter to Moholy-Nagy, Cambridge, 19/12/38.21. O. Lugon, ‘Neues Sehen, Neue Geschichte. László Moholy-Nagy, Sigfried Giedion und die Ausstellung Film und Foto', in, W. Oechslin, G Harbusch, eds, Sigfried Giedion und die Fotografie. Bildinszenierungen der Moderne (Zurich, gta Verlag, 2010), pp. 88–105.22. Ibid., G. Harbusch, ‘Bauen in Frankreich, 1928', pp. 184–187.23. S. Giedion, Bauen in Frankreich. Bauen in Eisen. Bauen in Eisenbeton (Leipzig/Berlin, Klinkhardt & Biermann, 1928), unnumbered page [preface].24. Cf. J. Krausse, ‘Architektonische Montage und die Genese einer Informationsarchitektur', ARCH+, 40 (2008), pp. 54–59; the original German term is Buch-Regie.25. M. Chambers, G. F. Chanzit, eds, Herbert Bayer. Collection and Archive at the Denver Art Museum (Washington, University of Washington Press, 1988), p. 72.26. S. Giedion, Bauen in Frankreich. Bauen in Eisen. Bauen in Eisenbeton, op. cit., unnumbered page [preface].27. Giedion, letter to Bayer, Zurich, 16/09/40.28. Joseph Hudnut, letter to Giedion, Cambridge, 20/05/41.29. M. Hall, Harvard University Press. A History (Cambridge, Mass., London, Harvard University Press, 1986), pp. 80f.30. Ibid., quoted from pp. 66–68.31. S. Georgiadis, Sigfried Giedion, op. cit., p. 111.32. On the relationship of Giedion's work to that of Mumford, cf., S. von Moos, ‘Die Industriekultur und der “eilige Leser”’, op. cit.33. S. Giedion, Bauen in Frankreich. Bauen in Eisen. Bauen in Eisenbeton, op. cit., p.1; S. Giedion, Space, Time and Architecture (1941), op. cit., pp. 5f.34. A. M. Vogt, ‘Interpretation im 20. Jahrhundert. Sigfried Giedion: Inszenierung der Avantgarde', in, idem, ed., Adolf Max Vogt. Schriften. Die Hunde bellen, die Karawane zieht weiter (Zurich, gta Verlag, 2006), pp. 268–272.35. Giedion, letter to Moholy-Nagy, Cambridge, 19/12/38.36. Giedion, letter to Van Eesteren, Zurich, 16/05/38.37. Giedion, letter to Gropius, Frauenkirch-Lengmatt, 08/08/38.38. S. Giedion, Space, Time and Architecture (1941), op. cit., p. 227.39. Ibid., p. 322.40. Ibid., p. 2.41. S. Giedion, Bauen in Frankreich. Bauen in Eisen. Bauen in Eisenbeton, op. cit., pp. 59–65.42. Cf., T. Jokinen, B. Maurer, ‘Alvar Aalto und die Schweiz. “Der Magus des Nordens” und seine Zauberlehrlinge', in, idem, eds, ‘Der Magus des Nordens'. Alvar Aalto und die Schweiz (Zurich, gta Verlag, 1998), pp. 45–105.43. Gropius, letter to Giedion, Cambridge, 02/08/63.44. Well worth reading on this is: J. Posener, ‘Zu Sigfried Giedions “Raum, Zeit, Architektur” (1965)’, op. cit.