The chronotopological emergence from the spatial narrative to performance

Abstract

The discipline of architecture often benefited from literary narratives while developing new designing and representation methods. The richness of the descriptions in literary narratives triggers the different strata of our perception and may enrich our space production strategies. In line with this opinion, Umberto Eco’s novel The Name of the Rose was examined architecturally and the transition process from literary narrative to spatial narrative was investigated in the present study. The concepts representation, narrative, sign, time, and space constitute the conceptual framework of the research.The aim is to examine the relationship dynamics behind the signs regarding time-space based on Bakhtin’s concept of chronotope, to enrich the parameters used in the design environment, and to develop a more responsive possibility of architecture.The Name of the Rose was chosen due to the historical references it comprises,the abundance of its potentials in the fields of intertextuality and semiotics, and the fact that the literary text was also adapted to a motion picture.A new architectural design strategy was developed by bringing out the relationship between the chronotope layers being the signs of time-space phenomena. In conclusion, it was understood that the literary narrative does not only include descriptions regarding space but also knowledge regarding time and the knowledge of fictional text was evolved into a new method of production by the transformation of this knowledge into parameter used in spatial design.The study aimed to transform the textual performance of the novel “The Name of the Rose” into a spatial performance. © 2022 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.