The influence of traditional African art on African architecture.
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Date
2010-07-14
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Abstract
Traditional African Art does not simply beautify the environment, but rather transmits laws, moral codes and history; communicates between people and the spirit world; and also signifies wealth and status. It includes all of life – birth, initiation, work, marriage, childbirth, death and afterlife.
African Architecture, like other aspects of the culture of Africa, is exceptionally diverse. Many ethno-linguistic groups throughout the history of Africa have had their own architectural traditions. The architecture of Africa has been subject to numerous external impacts from the earliest periods for which evidence is available.
The traditional arts of Africans have an influence on African Architecture. The art is expressed through architectural elements like doors, walls, columns, fenestration, roofs, finishes, furniture and furnishings, etc. The forms, spaces, materials and architectural features of buildings in Africa can portray the culture, history and art of Africans. The transition in the cultures and arts of Africans over the years has also reflected in their architecture. The construction technology and finishes used for buildings can be related to the works of arts and crafts of Africans.
Architecture and art are interrelated in some ways and they are both affected by the rapid advancement of the world’s technology and development. I will be hoping to find the relationship that exists between Traditional African Art and African Architecture through the evaluation of some African buildings which exhibit rich African art and culture.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Department of Architecture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture on November, 2010.