Archi-Mimesis as a Design Doctrine

Abstract

This study was based on a discussion of the relationship between mimesis and architectural design. Mimesis was accepted as one of the oldest and most basic concepts of artistic and literary efforts, a method to learn and produce a representation of reality from ancient periods to today. However, mimesis is not simply used as imitation, even in ancient periods. Mimesis has a strong relationship with various parameters like the physical material reality of the world, the era, the things the era brings, and the worldview, knowledge, and experience of the designer. In this context, this study is based on the theorem of the internalization of the objective world in the designing process and the mimetic approach in the designing process by including individual approaches in the creation process. To test this theorem, a workshop, conceptualized as "Archi-Mimesis," and accepting mimesis as creative designing doctrine, was organized. We describe Archi-Mimesis as mimesis or re-representation of the architecture, which is different from other nature-based methods like biomimetic, through the interface of mimetic methods maintained by considering reality through the creativity of architectural design and innovation oriented structure.

Architecture Taking Shape Between Nature and Culture: The Primitive Hut as a Man-Made Creation

“…Mimesis not only re-presents or re-narrates architecture but justifies and legitimizes the discipline as an act of emulation. From ancient times to today, as an artistic and literary effort and a method to learn and a representation from reality, mimesis brings multiple parameters from the material reality, worldview and knowledge according to the evolving era (Demirkan et al, 2019). Thus, the performative dimension of mimesis resonates between the architectural object and environment, which keeps a reference between such interaction with the adaptive characteristics of culture as a creativere-creation to learn by anthropocentric domination of nature.…”