Alison Smithson’s work is known as intrinsically linked to that of her husband and work partner, Peter Smithson, with whom she worked at their studio, founded in 1950 in London. Besides their common work, there is a large body of material developed by Alison alone. This paper aims to focus on the specificity of Alison’s contribution, looking at her individual work, developed with her own signature. The Alison Margaret Smithson (AMS) name marks many critical works, publications, articles on both the Alison & Peter Smithson studio as well as on other material such as the reporting the work of Team 10, of which the Smithsons were among the founders and Alison, more specifically, the spokeswoman. Alison was in charge of writing about the activities of the group, Team 10, from its emergence, as direct participant, recording all the moments, editing the texts and disseminating the ideas throughout the publications. Her role was also crucial in promoting the project work developed with Peter, pointing out both the research and the design significance. Ideas and projects were published in several versions, each time highlighting certain aspects, often repeating issues. Alison’s persistence builds their role within the architectural and cultural environment, which was not only British but also European. ‘We live in a book culture’, wrote Alison. The well documented critical thinking is mainly due to Alison’s work, which constructed a consistent theoretical and narrative trace.

Towards a Thread of Thought: Alison Margaret Smithson’s writings

COMO, Alessandra;SMERAGLIUOLO PERROTTA, LUISA
2018-01-01

Abstract

Alison Smithson’s work is known as intrinsically linked to that of her husband and work partner, Peter Smithson, with whom she worked at their studio, founded in 1950 in London. Besides their common work, there is a large body of material developed by Alison alone. This paper aims to focus on the specificity of Alison’s contribution, looking at her individual work, developed with her own signature. The Alison Margaret Smithson (AMS) name marks many critical works, publications, articles on both the Alison & Peter Smithson studio as well as on other material such as the reporting the work of Team 10, of which the Smithsons were among the founders and Alison, more specifically, the spokeswoman. Alison was in charge of writing about the activities of the group, Team 10, from its emergence, as direct participant, recording all the moments, editing the texts and disseminating the ideas throughout the publications. Her role was also crucial in promoting the project work developed with Peter, pointing out both the research and the design significance. Ideas and projects were published in several versions, each time highlighting certain aspects, often repeating issues. Alison’s persistence builds their role within the architectural and cultural environment, which was not only British but also European. ‘We live in a book culture’, wrote Alison. The well documented critical thinking is mainly due to Alison’s work, which constructed a consistent theoretical and narrative trace.
2018
9789610501350
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11386/4726769
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