Anuradha Chatterjee

Please describe yourself and your areas of interest.

My research on Ruskin, which has culminated in many book chapters and journal articles, and the recent book John Ruskin and the Fabric of Architecture (Routledge, 2017), has brought forth Ruskin’s theory of the adorned wall veil, which has made a definitive mark in architectural theory, as a competing perspective on the topic of textile and architecture, a field that has till now been so completely dominated by Gottfried Semper’s theories. Ruskin’s fundamental proposition that architecture is surface also prompted me to consider surface as the building block of architecture, and therefore advocate four new surface typologies in architecture (urban surface; surface as an integrated element; surface as optically and physically transient; and as design method). My research on Ruskin, surface, textile, and architecture is now taking a new turn as I develop virtual reconstructions of certain medieval buildings based on Ruskin archives making his way of looking at architecture widely available to public.

Why did you become a Companion of the Guild?

I decided to become a Companion of the Guild to advance the contemporary relevance of Ruskin's theories of visuality, architecture, and imagination through my research and teaching projects, and convey the importance of these ideas to the generation of emerging architects and designers.

Web links: anuradhachatterjee.wixsite.com/architecture, authors.taylorandfrancis.com/authors/i16124-anuradha-chatterjee