The Fair-line And The Good Frontage: Surface And Effect
by Stephen Walker /
2018 / English / PDF
5.2 MB Download
This book offers an extended consideration of the fairground
showfront. It combines archival material, contemporary examples
of fairs, and a sustained theoretical engagement with influential
philosophies of surface, including recent work by Avrum Stroll
and Andrew Benjamin, as well as the nineteenth century author
Gottfried Semper. Semper’s work on the origin of architectural
enclosure ―formed from woven mats and carpets― anticipates the
surface and material history of the showfront. Initial chapters
introduce these philosophies, the evolution of showfronts, and
the ways in which individual fairground rides and attractions are
arranged to form an enclosing boundary for the whole fair. Later
chapters focus on issues of spectacle and illusion, vast
‘interior’ spaces, atmosphere, crowds and surface effects.
Informed by a wide range of work from other design and cultural
studies, the book will be of interest to readers in these areas,
as well as architecture and those curious about the
fairground.
This book offers an extended consideration of the fairground
showfront. It combines archival material, contemporary examples
of fairs, and a sustained theoretical engagement with influential
philosophies of surface, including recent work by Avrum Stroll
and Andrew Benjamin, as well as the nineteenth century author
Gottfried Semper. Semper’s work on the origin of architectural
enclosure ―formed from woven mats and carpets― anticipates the
surface and material history of the showfront. Initial chapters
introduce these philosophies, the evolution of showfronts, and
the ways in which individual fairground rides and attractions are
arranged to form an enclosing boundary for the whole fair. Later
chapters focus on issues of spectacle and illusion, vast
‘interior’ spaces, atmosphere, crowds and surface effects.
Informed by a wide range of work from other design and cultural
studies, the book will be of interest to readers in these areas,
as well as architecture and those curious about the
fairground.