The expression of movement in architecture

Abstract

‘Movement’ in Architecture can mean different things, and the idea of ‘expressed movement’ has, alone, been variously conceived. This article attempts to distinguish between these notions and propose a taxonomy. Two general categories are defined: ‘contained movement’, where it is not the architecture that is thought of as moving, but the eye, mind, imagined body or forces; and ‘represented movement’, where there is an implication or illusion that the architecture is in motion. It is argued that different kinds of movement often work together. These ideas are illustrated and situated through a brief historiographical survey, first outlining the tradition of discussing expressed movement in western architecture, then extending to writings on the arts and architecture of India. An analysis of movement in Indian temple architecture is put forward in order to demonstrate how an interpretation of a particular kind of architecture in terms of specific movement patterns can be substantiated, primarily by communicating these patterns unambiguously through visual means. Finally, current thinking about architectural movement is touched upon. It is suggested that openness to the diversity of conceptions of how movement is expressed may both sharpen the analysis of architecture and extend the possibilities for its creation.