I Templi del Tempo: The Development and Adaptation of Italian Catholic Architecture Through Time

2023 Pelliccia TRAVEL FELLOWSHIP EXHIBITION
FRI, APR 5 – WED, APR 24, 2024

GALLERY TALK & RECEPTION 
MON, APR 15, 2024
5PM
CAMPBELL Dean's Gallery & NAUG LOUNGE

For centuries, structures have been reworked and reused through internal renovations, additions, or external "façade lifts." Today, much of this work is known as "adaptive reuse," but the general practices in use today have existed since humans first started building. Building materials and entire spaces were reused to save money and resources ("sustainability", in today's terms) and to establish dominance. Stylistic changes were made to almost seamlessly combine original decoration with new ideas of beauty in order to appeal to later communities.
 
One of the clearest examples of this is in Catholic churches in Italy, where adaptation is tied to political motivations, the dominance of one religion, and a reverence for the past. Churches were built on top of and within existing houses, temples, and baths in the later Roman Empire. Throughout the next millennium, churches were improved and reworked to appeal to new ideals of architectural beauty and to reinforce the power and prominence of the Church. In this exhibition, 2023 Pelliccia Travel Fellow and UVA Master of Architecture student Juliana Jackson explores ancient, medieval, and renaissance approaches to what is now considered adaptive reuse. She examines what these historical approaches have to teach us about effectively reworking and re-ornamenting spaces, while analyzing when such reuse is prudent or subversive.

Bio

Juliana Jackson is a second-year Master of Architecture candidate pursuing a Certificate in Historic Preservation at the University of Virginia. Jackson has always loved old buildings, from Art Deco skyscrapers to Renaissance Italian palazzi, and she sees the value in preserving the built environment to maintain a place's history and contribute to its sustainability. She hopes to pursue a career in post-conflict reconstruction, where new architecture and the preservation of existing structures are necessary. Jackson received her AB in Italian with Architecture from Princeton University.

Supported by the Carlo Pelliccia endowment.