Self-Awareness of Soviet Lithuanian Architects in Their Creative Power and Social Significance

Dijokienė, Dalia; Navickienė, Eglė; Riaubienė, Edita

doi:10.3390/buildings12010001

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 11 publications

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“…On these grounds, Wolf D. Prix, a co-founder of Coop Himmelb(l)au, observes that in the past, an architect was proud to be an artist, and an artist was proud to be an architect; nowadays it is different, even the opposite, architect-artist has become almost a curse word (Frick, 2017). However, Lithuanian architects from the eldest generation, influenced by the ideas of modernism, tend to romanticize and idealize the role of the art-creator (Dijokienė et al, 2022), while discussions about the potentially anti-social nature of architecture as an artwork are more prevalent among the younger generation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Art-Creator towards Moderator: Roles of Lithuanian Architects

Navickiene

2023

ACE: Architecture, City and Environment

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L'article tracta de l'autoreflexió dels arquitectes lituans sobre els seus rols professionals i les seves transformacions des de mitjans del segle XX, abastant el sistema soviètic fins al 1990 i l'entorn neoliberal després. El paper d'un arquitecte es defineix com els motius, les aspiracions i els modes de pràctica d'un professional basat en un sistema de valors. La identificació dels rols es basa en entrevistes en profunditat semiestructurades realitzades el 2015-2021 amb 33 arquitectes lituans destacats que es van graduar d'estudis d'arquitectura el 1950-2009 i eren actius en la pràctica o en l'àmbit acadèmic. Les entrevistes es van analitzar segons el mètode d'anàlisi temàtica. Es van identificar i caracteritzar sis rols professionals d'arquitectes lituans en parelles polaritzades com els rols de ‘creador d'art’ i ‘artesà’, els papers de ‘líder’ i ‘proveïdor de serveis’, i els papers de ‘moderador’ i ‘empresari’. Els primers rols en parelles tenen connotacions emocionals i valoratives positives, mentre que els segons estan devaluats. En l'autodeterminació personal d'un arquitecte, els rols no apareixen en la seva forma pura, sinó combinats. L'evolució dels rols va estar determinada per la ideologia modernista i les transformacions posteriors al canvi de règims polítics el 1990. Mentre que els arquitectes modernistes soviètics van emfatitzar els papers de creador d'art i líder en la construcció, els joves arquitectes van revisar de manera crítica aquests rols i es van centrar en el paper de moderador. La divulgació dels rols professionals explica els xocs de valors i reaccions en la ideologia i la pràctica professional. The article deals with the self-reflection of Lithuanian architects on their professional roles and their transformations since the mid-20th century, encompassing the Soviet system until 1990 and the neoliberal environment afterward. The role of an architect is defined as a value system-based professional’s motives, aspirations, and modes of praxis. The identification of the roles is based on semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted in 2015-2021 with 33 prominent Lithuanian architects who graduated from architectural studies in 1950-2009 and were/are active in practice or academia. The interviews were analysed according to the method of thematic analysis. Six professional roles of Lithuanian architects in polarised pairs were identified and characterized like the roles of ‘art-creator’ and 'craftsman', the roles of ‘leader’ and ‘service provider’, and the roles of 'moderator' and ‘businessman’. The first roles in pairs have positive emotional and evaluative connotations, while the second ones are devalued. In the personal self-determination of an architect, the roles appear not in their pure form, but in combination. The evolution of roles was determined by the modernist ideology and the transformations following the change of political regimes in 1990. While Soviet modernist architects emphasized the roles of art-creator and leader in construction, young architects critically revised these roles and focus on the role of moderator. Disclosure of professional roles explains the clashes of values and reactions in the professional ideology and practice. El artículo aborda la autorreflexión de los arquitectos lituanos sobre sus roles profesionales y sus transformaciones desde mediados del siglo XX, abarcando el sistema soviético hasta 1990 y el entorno neoliberal posterior. El papel de un arquitecto se define como los motivos, aspiraciones y modos de praxis de un profesional basado en un sistema de valores. La identificación de los roles se sustenta en entrevistas semiestructuradas en profundidad, realizadas entre 2015 y 2021, a 33 destacados arquitectos lituanos que se graduaron en estudios de arquitectura entre 1950 y 2009 y estuvieron/están activos en la práctica profesional o en el mundo académico. Éstas fueron analizadas con el método de análisis temático. Se identificaron y caracterizaron seis roles profesionales de los arquitectos lituanos en pares polarizados: los roles de ‘creador de arte’ y ‘artesano’, de ‘líder’ y ‘proveedor de servicios’, y de ‘moderador’ y ‘hombre de negocios’. Los primeros roles en pareja tienen connotaciones emocionales y valorativas positivas, mientras que los segundos están devaluados. En la autodeterminación personal de un arquitecto, los roles no aparecen en forma pura, sino combinados. La evolución de los roles estuvo determinada por la ideología modernista y las transformaciones que siguieron al cambio de regímenes políticos en 1990. Mientras que los arquitectos modernistas soviéticos enfatizaron los roles de creador de arte y líder en la construcción, los arquitectos jóvenes revisaron críticamente estos roles y se centraron en el papel de moderador. La divulgación de los roles profesionales explica los choques de valores y reacciones en la ideología y la práctica profesionales.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Art-Creator towards Moderator: Roles of Lithuanian Architects

Navickiene

2023

ACE: Architecture, City and Environment

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The profile of Lithuanian architects in relation to the professional generations active today

Riaubiene,

Navickeinė,

Dijokienė

2023

LAA

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The research focuses on the professional profile of architects by analyzing their identity and creative principles. The aim is to explore the professional community of Lithuanian architects who are currently shaping the built environment, to identify their heterogeneity in terms of professional generations. The problem of the research is shaped by the current controversies in the field of architecture concerning the changing status, activities, and responsibilities of the architect. The relevance of the study lies in several aspects: the lack of in-depth sociological research on the professional community of Lithuanian architects; the attempt to verify and clarify the results of the semi-structured interview study Lithuanian Architects on Architecture, and the reflection on the global architectural situation and the new agenda for architectural design towards a high quality built environment. The study adopted a mixed methods research design. This involved the collection, analysis, and interpretation of both quantitative and qualitative data. This methodology is chosen because the research requires a complex and multifaceted approach to the phenomenon of architecture and the problems of architectural practice. It also allowed a larger group of research participants to be reached (450 respondents). The questionnaire contains 13 questions, each is structured in a multiple-choice format, with one option being an open-ended question. The questions are grouped under several themes: 1) the nature and fields of architectural practice and the concept of architecture; 2) the scope of practice and the allocation of professional time; 3) selfdetermination and professional loyalty; and 4) creative principles. Descriptive statistical methods were used to process the survey data. Content analysis and, to some extent, thematic analysis were used to analyze quantitative data from open-ended questions. The study highlights that the professional generations of architects analyzed follow the general trend of architecture, refuting the hypothesis that the approach of each generation is significantly different. However, it has been observed that the representatives of each generation show a particular attitude in a specific area, which indicates the dynamics of an attitude or predicts a change in the architectural community as a whole. The youngest generation of architects is an indicator of change. It is characterized by seeing a great diversity of aspects in architecture and architectural practice.

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Architects from Different Fields of Activities in Lithuania and their Specific Mindsets

Riaubienė,

Navickienė

2024

Architecture and Urban Planning

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The paper focuses on the heterogeneity of the Lithuanian architects’ community across different fields of practice, including building design, building design and other projects, urban design, interior design, and other underrepresented design or non-design activities. It is based on a sociological survey involving 450 practising architects in Lithuania. The study identifies the distinct attitudes of each activity group towards architecture, architectural practice, and professional paths, generalises the profiles of these activity groups, and detects shared similarities or discrepancies among them. Architects involved in building design and those working on building design and other projects tend to share similar attitudes, forming the foundational worldview of the architectural community due to their quantitative prevalence. Interior designers and architects engaged in underrepresented design or non-design activities demonstrate relatively autonomous approaches. The latter group may either stand-alone or cluster with urban designers. The divergences in attitudes may lead to miscommunication within the professional community.

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Self-Awareness of Soviet Lithuanian Architects in Their Creative Power and Social Significance

Cited by 5 publications

References 11 publications

From Art-Creator towards Moderator: Roles of Lithuanian Architects

From Art-Creator towards Moderator: Roles of Lithuanian Architects

The profile of Lithuanian architects in relation to the professional generations active today

Architects from Different Fields of Activities in Lithuania and their Specific Mindsets

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