METAPHORISING ARCHITECTURE FROM GOD’S CITY TO LATECAPITALIST METROPOLIS: POWER SYMBOLS AS DETERMINANT TOOLS OFARCHITECTURAL CONTEXT THROUGH HISTORY

Abstract

Historically sectional style readings in architecture, instinctively brings out discussions on consistency discussions as well. Many studies aim to find the origins of this consistency on various fields just as socio-cultural backgrounds or geographical codes. Even if architecture has always developed strong connections with socio-cultural and economical dynamics, trying to find origins merely on these fields without examining socio-cultural and politic power symbols behind, would be attenuating the representation area of architectural rhetoric through ages.  According to this point of view, if architecture is to be considered as an expressional hyper-plane of socio-cultural dynamics, certain power symbols could create a solid level for reading historically sectional architectural contexts. Taking prima facie indicators as the starting point, a reasoning discussion with semotic examination from superficial level to the bottom of the origins, becomes the main methodology of this reading.  Variable power symbols through ages make it possible to construct analogies between religional, political and economic codes which affected architectural discourses directly. While connections start with abstracted metaphorical forms of religion based on god-architect analogy from prehistoric to modern ages, main power symbols seem to be religion based authorities commonly. Nevertheless, Industrial Revolution seems to be the breaking point as taking the major role of capitalism based on socio-politic tendencies which changes socio-cultural needs irreversibly and turns the analogy of godarchitect upwards towards postmodernism.  This study aims to consider power symbols as an active component of architectural context and to methaporise major effects of power symbols on architectural styles through the history of architecture.