Walls have mouths
architectural emblems in the Glasgow City Chambers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36399/GroundingsUG.6.230Keywords:
Architecture, Architectural History, Glasgow, City Chambers, Sculpture, Power, EmblemAbstract
Architectural sculpture may often be overlooked or dismissed as mere aesthetic embellishment, but on closer examination, important messages may be contained within it. Specifically, it can be used in a uniquely emblematic way to project certain ideologies of power. This emblematic process involves the recombination of various fragmented signs and allusions into new forms by the viewer to arrive at a meaning. It is argued that such a process is employed extensively in the architectural sculptures of the Glasgow City Chambers building as a powerful tool to communicate Victorian ideals of power and value. The power of the emblem in architecture can only be appreciated through a multi-disciplinary approach, incorporating architectural, historical and literary methodologies.
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Copyright (c) 2013 Kirsten Somerville
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