CHAPTER 3 ARCHITECTURE AND IDENTITY
3.3 RITE AND MYTH
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Plate 15: Lincoln Memorial, Washington (Vale, 1992: 7)
It can be concluded that semiology and meaning is dependent on tradition and memory and is best viewed in the context of time, place and the human dimension. Symbolic value and meaning are closely linked to human perception since symbols and meaning cannot exist without
preceptors. Furthermore, the symbolic value and meaning is also dependent on the preceptor’s past experiences and associations with a particular symbol or sign. Therefore, the question that arises is what symbols and forms would be appropriate in the making of meaningful architecture and built environments. In a polarized landscape like South Africa where memory and past experience can be on opposite ends of the spectrum, how then will certain symbols and forms be received and perceived by the masses?
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bringing pride incurred through working together to achieve a common goal. As a result political practices (elections, political discussions, legislatives, courts and administration) much like rituals reaffirm the faith in the “fundamental rationality and democratic character of the system”.
The collective participation reassures the masses that the political system is designed to translate the needs of the individual into public polity (Edelman, 1967: 16-17).
Myth, on the other hand functions with symbols. Bottici clarifies that myths and symbols do not correspond and that not all symbols are myths. Cassirer believes it is some kind of “enchanted mirror” while linguistics state that it is “a world of signs and images”. Psychologists have described myth as “a product of the unconscious” while philosophers say it is “a form of
primitive philosophy” (Bottici, 2007: 4). Bottici however, explains that myth is more than a mere tale because many tales are not mythical. He states that myth is not a legend either since not all myths are legends and vice versa. Blumenberg defines myth as not just a product but a process of a continuous “reworking of a basic narrative core or mythologem” (Bottici, 2007: 5-7). Myth though functions in much the same way as rituals, they are however dissimilar, although rite and myth reinforce each other. Edelman says that myth is learned not through stories but the actual living in a society that believes in it (Edelman, 1967: 18). Barringer, on the other hand states that myth is neither arbitrary nor simply ornamental but has meaning. “Myth expresses and reveals cultural values” but only when viewed in their original cultural context. She reinforces her point by saying that the interpretation of a given myth is reliant to its context- physical, historical, religious, political and social whereby the context determines the meaning of images. In other words, the same myth can mean different things in a different context (Barringer, 2008: 2).
Oliver believes that myths, beliefs and religion among other things are the concepts “though which man comes to terms with the phenomena of the world of his existence”. They determine how he sees the world- people and things which exist in his environment (Oliver, 1975: 9)
In Ancient Greece, myths were an integral part of their history, with gods often the subject of such; having complete control over the daily lives of the citizens- health and wealth. Religious practises such as sacrificial rituals as well as the need to respect and honour the gods were often explained in terms of myths and narratives about deities. However, not all myths are religious and not all religious practises are connected to mythological narratives. Myth and religion were
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the raison d’être for many examples of Greek art throughout history however politics did play an important role in many public projects. But before the Hellenistic period (c. 323-31 B.C), many Greek sculptures had religious connotations while architecture sculpture was composed of mythological figures including Greek divinities and/or mythological narratives (Fig. 5)
(Barringer, 2008: 1-2). Political myth and religious myth went hand in hand in ancient societies whereas in contemporary societies, there is a clear distinction since in a democratic setting, the role of political myth has become more prominent (Bottici, 2007: 6-7).
Fig. 5: West pediment, reconstruction Temple of Zeus, Olympia (Barringer, 2008: 15)
Sociologist Weber says that modern politics are more rational and bureaucratic since there is little influence of myths and symbols. Suffice to say the role for myths and symbols has been lessened in favour of identity politics and the renewed interest in nationalism. The mythical and symbolic dimensions of power have in recent decades been replaced with the symbolic
dimension of social phenomena (Bottici, 2007: 3). Similarly, Kuran feels that myths and rituals much like symbolism and its visual application are not as relevant today as it was in the past due to among other factors, colonization, western industrialization and technological advancements (Katz, 1980: 92).
In conclusion, myths and rituals are not the same but similar. Myth is a narrative while ritual is a symbolic act. In addition, myths are not symbols and vice versa however, they function in a same way. Myths use symbols and have meaning; their interpretation is dependent on context whether physical, historical, political or social. They reveal clues of the cultural context from which they emerged therefore, the same myth can mean something in one context and something else in another, much like symbols and meaning.
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So, although myths and rituals were highly regarded in ancient societies, their use in the contemporary setting is questionable if not irrelevant.