Abstract

In all its history, architecture has always been linked to power, Ralph Waldo Emerson said; “The most striking monuments of the past, from, the pyramids to capitol, were shaped by architects who were close to concentrations of great power and who were trusted with the great commissions.” We claim that architecture is still being devised (intentionally or unintentionally) as one of the capillaries of the modern democratic governments to transmit its power to society, but the question is, in what way? Mainly architecture wields its power through emphasizing individualization and at the same time extending its power over individuals by promoting the identical themes and mass culture that reject the past, which is shared in their own collective memory, and hence exercises totalization. Henri Lefebvre writes, “[R]epressive space wreaks repression and terror even though it may be strewn with ostensible signs of the contrary (of contentment, amusement or delight).” In this paper we will examine how and in what way individuals are affected by the emission and transmission of power through architecture, and we will analyze modern architectural themes by a quick comparison to the pre-modern era, and in reference to the two most important themes of modernity: freedom and individuality.