The House That Jack Built

A woman who sits staring into space, into a country that is not her husband's or her children's is likewise known to be an oflence against nature. So a house is not the same for a woman. She is not someone who walks into the house, to make use of it, and will walk out again. She is the house; there is no separation possible. "The Office "- Alice Munm I thought I would preface this piece by describing how I see my practice as art historian. My general concerns are with architecture, or the ways in which art (architecture included), and our appreciation of it, is conditioned by social factors. In other words, that which is produced by an artist and hence viewed by the public are parts of the same social environment. Further, the creative acts which result in objects are actions that signify and the objects themselves are then repositories of meaning. Outside of considering art (architecture) as objects of Beauty, I see these objects as vessels that contain ideas- or the ideology- of a culture. One of these vessels is the shelter. Shelter- or the house- has enormous historical value for all of us, but in particular ways for women. It is the most important architectural form for our survival: it protects and defends an