Architecture and Surrealism

In a world where 'smart' objects can talk to each other and a gun can be printed with a desktop 3D printer, the conditions for contemporary design are nothing if not surreal. The long-standing interaction between architecture and Surrealism is being reinvigorated by the technological paradigm shift that makes the protocols, concepts and otherworldliness of Surrealism more relevant to architects than the dogmas of architectural modernism. This book charts the development of this fertile relationship, revealing how these ideas are being put to use by contemporary architects in extraordinary ways.

It opens with an introduction on the precursors of Surrealism in the Baroque and Rococo periods, moving into the 20th century through the Symbolists and Dadaists. The four main chapters present the interplay between architecture and Surrealism through the key concepts of the body, the interior space, the house, alternative realities and the environment. Each chapter presents a stunning spectrum of images and features contemporary work that shows the lasting influence of the movement.

In an era of wearable technology and big data, the fascinating possibilities for new worlds, new buildings and new spaces are creating the most exciting futures our architects face. Architecture and Surrealism will show the way.