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Abstract
This thesis is an argument for the development of a sound material method in architecture. In order to establish what constitutes a sound material method for artistic production, an historical survey is made of architecture, fine arts and literature in the 20th century. The primary method of research used is the critical analysis and comparison of artistic methodologies. Key sources in this analysis are Walter Benjamin's The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, and The Author as Producer.
It is found that artistic methods that use modern materials and methods creatively can be learned from to inform an architectural method. The final chapter outlines an initial attempt to demonstrate the research in what is called a Recombinant Architecture methodology. Of particular interest are new techniques advanced for (1) the use of modern materials, (2) the architect's relationship with manufacture, (3) the architect's interface with labor, and (4) architectural drawing.
