Question: Many cultures use architecture to express or reinforce power and authority. Select and fully identify two works of architecture. The works must come from two different cultures, one of which must be from beyond the European tradition. Discuss how each work conveys power and authority.
The Iatmul people of Papua New Guinea lived in communities based on kinship. The men’s ceremonial house was the social center of the villages. The house was open only to men to discuss and lead their villages. The Iatmul ceremonial men’s house in East Sepik, Papua New Guinea is monumental compared to the houses in the village. Its size augments its political and cultural importance. The saddle-shaped roof of the house represents the ancestors’ protective mantle. Throughout the house’s interior and exterior decoration are symbols representing male and female ancestors. The comparatively immense size of the men’s house shows where the power belonged in the Iatmul society.
Like the Iatmul’s ceremonial men’s house, the palace that Louis XVI built at Versailles asserts the king’s power with its size. Versailles dwarfs the men’s house with its quarter mile long length. It took an army of architects, decorators, sculptors, painters, and landscape architects to create Louis’s greatest symbol of absolute power and authority. Along with the expansive palace, Louis also demanded the construction of a satellite city to house the palace’s workers and government officials. The construction of the palace ensured that all of his opponents would be under his supervision. The axes of the town further declare Louis’s power by intersecting in the king’s bedroom.
The Iatmul people of Papua New Guinea lived in communities based on kinship. The men’s ceremonial house was the social center of the villages. The house was open only to men to discuss and lead their villages. The Iatmul ceremonial men’s house in East Sepik, Papua New Guinea is monumental compared to the houses in the village. Its size augments its political and cultural importance. The saddle-shaped roof of the house represents the ancestors’ protective mantle. Throughout the house’s interior and exterior decoration are symbols representing male and female ancestors. The comparatively immense size of the men’s house shows where the power belonged in the Iatmul society.
Like the Iatmul’s ceremonial men’s house, the palace that Louis XVI built at Versailles asserts the king’s power with its size. Versailles dwarfs the men’s house with its quarter mile long length. It took an army of architects, decorators, sculptors, painters, and landscape architects to create Louis’s greatest symbol of absolute power and authority. Along with the expansive palace, Louis also demanded the construction of a satellite city to house the palace’s workers and government officials. The construction of the palace ensured that all of his opponents would be under his supervision. The axes of the town further declare Louis’s power by intersecting in the king’s bedroom.
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