The Architecture of Psychoanalysis: Spaces of Transition

by Jane Rendell

How do external material environments and the inner world of emotion, memory and imagination influence each other? In this thought-provoking book, Jane Rendell explores how architectural space registers in psychoanalysis. She investigates both the inherently spatial vocabulary of psychoanalysis and ideas around the physical 'setting' of the psychoanalytic encounter, with reference to Sigmund Freud, D.W. Winnicott and André Green. Building on the innovative writing methods employed in Art and Architecture and Site-Writing, she also addresses the concept of architecture as 'social condenser'―a Russian constructivist notion that connects material space and community relations. Tracing this idea's progress from 1920s Moscow to 1950s Britain, Rendell shows how interior and exterior meet in both psychoanalysis and architectural practice. Illuminating a novel field of interdisciplinary enquiry, this book breathes fresh life into notions of social space.

Genres: Architecture

312 pages, Paperback

Published April 28, 2017

About the author

Jane Rendell is Lecturer in Architecture at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL.

Reviews

[Stu Napier · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly interesting read, and a welcome introduction to psychoanalytic theory in relation to architecture. The intertwined narratives presented by the author ebb and flow across the boundaries separating psychoanalytic theory, architectural examples, and personal experiences - a fitting reminder that our experiences in designing and inhabiting architecture are influenced by both psychological trauma and personal experiences, and are indeed inseparable, no matter how much we may compartmentalise and isolate each from the other.