PHOTOGRAPHING ARCHITECTURE

Course Objectives:

The objectives of this course include

• Enriching students’ familiarity with how architecture reflects the cultural and political developments of the period and how those defined the discipline of architecture and photography;
• Promoting students’ understanding of the relationship between the built environment and visual representation;
• Developing critical thinking and enhancing analytical skills of students for an overall comprehension of architectural/urban forms.

Course Content: This course investigates the interrelated relationship between architecture and photography. It examines the history of this relationship through key topics, such as the documentation of modern architecture and city planning, historic preservation, new trends in architecture, and the creation of canonical buildings from the invention of photography in the nineteenth century to the present day. The case studies are drawn from various parts of the world, situated in their political, social, and cultural contexts. Students will get acquainted with the canonical buildings and pivotal figures in the history of photography as the course progresses. The course is conducted mainly as a workshop. Students are required to present photographs on the weekly topics, accompanied by brief research that will be discussed in class collectively. Students will conduct a research project at the end of the semester.