Authenticity in Architecture
In partnership with Boston Design Week, the SCC presents
The Fantoft Stave Church and Issues of Authenticity in Architecture
Robert (Rob) Curtis Anderson, PhD
Throughout human history the cultural meanings of various architectural structures have been altered. This continuous change in our social environments through wars and natural disasters contributes to the disruption of our sense of continuity, memories, and shared meaning, and challenges our perceptions of the authentic. Rob Anderson will comparatively cite various examples in America, Europe, and Asia, against the context of the Fantoft Stave Church, in Bergen Norway, to discuss the merits (and lack thereof) of various representations and reconstructions and the nature of authenticity in architecture.
About Rob Anderson
Rob Anderson completed his Master of Arts in History and Theory from the Architectural Association (AA), in London, received a Bachelor of Architecture from the Boston Architectural Center, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Massachusetts College of Art. From 2008 to 2010, Rob worked on his PhD course work with the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts, researching issues related to reinvention, originality, plagiarism, and appropriation in art and architecture. In 2014, however, he completed his final dissertation work with Tilburg University, in the Netherlands, examining many of his earlier coursework and research issues in the context of the social construction of space. His dissertation is titled: “Authenticity and Architecture: Representation and Reconstruction in Context”. Rob is also a trained artist and designer, an historian of architecture, interior design, and art, and has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Japan. In 2007, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to travel to Poland and Russia, researching art and architectural education. Rob continually gives tours for Ptown Tours and Boston By Foot, has led tours through the Walter Gropius House, and has taught at many universities in the Boston area. PhD, SAH, EAHN, CAA, NCIDQ Certified, and Fulbright Scholar.
