The influence of complimentary practices and spirituality on British design 1930-2005. NORTH-BATES, Susan T. Available from the Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive (SHURA) at: http://shura.shu.ac.uk/20298/ A Sheffield Hallam University thesis This thesis is protected by copyright which belongs to the author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Please visit http://shura.shu.ac.uk/20298/ and http://shura.shu.ac.uk/information.html for further details about copyright and re-use permissions. snerneia s i iwb | ~ 2.56s/ 101 895 492 9 REFERENCE ProQuest Number: 10700944 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a com plete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10700944 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States C ode Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 THE INFLUENCE OF COMPLEMENTARY PRACTICES AND SPIRITUALITY ON BRITISH DESIGN 1930 - 2005 Susan T. North-Bates A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Sheffield Hallam University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2007 Susan T. North-Bates Abstract of thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Sheffield Hallam University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2007 THE INFLUENCE OF COMPLEMENTARY PRACTICES AND SPIRITUALITY ON BRITISH DESIGN 1930-2005 ABSTRACT This thesis investigates the nature and role of spiritually-influenced approaches to design in Britain in the period 1930-2005. The role of spiritual factors in design is considered as a complement to the predominance of the Modernist rationalist- functionalist discourse prevalent in much twentieth century design history writing and theories of design. Non-rational and spiritual facets of Modernism in this period are also examined. The influence of ‘alternative’ lifestyles, the New Age movement, ecology, holism, complementary and alternative medical practices, and spirituality on design is presented as a complementary paradigm to the predominance of Modernism. The origins and development of these influences are explored in relation to design and material culture. In order to reveal a body of relevant exemplars, the particular areas selected for detailed examination are the domestic environment, gardens and landscape design, and the influence of Complementary and Alternative Medicine on the design of therapeutic environments. This material, arising from practices of consumption as well as those of designing, challenges some of the established methods of design history and to deal with this, insights from the academic disciplines of Archaeology and Pagan Studies, relating to Shamanic concepts of the object, are explored as useful adjuncts to Postmodernism and other approaches in theorising complementary and alternative design practices. The research demonstrates that during the period under consideration, what was once considered outlandish has now become part of the mainstream and has affected contemporary design practice, material culture and consumption. The pluralism of contemporary design ideologies and methods presents a complement to, and a transformation of the Modernist hegemony in design practice and writing. This study contributes to a more complete historical picture of British design in the twentieth century and indicates that the predominance of a Modernist interpretation of design and its history is both insufficient and inadequate to understand the rich texture and complexity of the design history of this period. CONTENTS CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vii PART I: INTRODUCTION, CONTEXT AND METHODS INTRODUCTION 1 -17 The Rationale for the Research 1 Religion, Spirituality and Design 5 The Arrangement and Content of the Chapters of the Thesis 12 CHAPTER ONE: THE AIMS, CONTEXT AND METHODS OF THE RESEARCH 18-31 The Aims of the Research 18 The Context of the Research 19 The Methods of the Research 21 PART II: CONTEXTUALIZATION CHAPTER TWO: THE PREDOMINANCE OF THE MODERNIST DISCOURSE IN TWENTIETH CENTURY DESIGN AND DESIGN HISTORY 32-58 Introduction and the Argument of the Chapter 32 Key Concepts in the Modernist Discourse in Design History and its Critique 32 The Design Process, Design Practice and the Role of the Designer 38 The Modernist Hegemony: Modernism as the Predominant Discourse in Twentieth Century Design and Design History 41 Modernism and Design in Britain in the 1930s 46 Modernism and Health 54 Summary and Conclusion 57 CHAPTER THREE: FUNCTIONALIST AND ANTI-RATIONAL APPROACHES TO DESIGN IN BRITAIN 1930 - 1950 59 - 75 Introduction and the Argument of the Chapter 59 Anthony Bertram and the Notion of ‘Correct Design’ 59 Design in Britain during World War II 66 J. M. Richards and the Future of Modem Architecture 67 John Gloag and The English Tradition in Design 70 Post World War II Interior Design in Britain 74 Summary and Conclusion 75 CHAPTER FOUR: BRITISH MODERNISM AND SPIRITUALITY 1950 - 1970 76-90 Introduction and the Argument of the Chapter 76 The Festival of Britain and the Invention of a British Modernist Style 76 Modernism and the Garden 79 Spirituality in British Architecture in the 1950s and 1960s. 81 The Erosion of the Modernist Hegemony in Design Practice 87 Summary and Conclusion 89 PART III: A FRAMEWORK FOR AN ALTERNATIVE DESIGN HISTORY CHAPTER FIVE : ALTERNATIVE LIFESTYLES, PAGANISM AND THE ORIGINS OF THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT IN BRITAIN 91-112 Introduction and the Argument of the Chapter 91 The Alternative and New Age Movement in Britain 92 The Health Movement, Alternative Therapies and Lifestyles 97 Communitarian Living and Experimental Communities 101 Centres of New Age Activity in Britain 103 Astrology 105 The Occult, Alternative Lifestyles and the Establishment during World War II 106 Witchcraft, The Goddess and Feminism in 1950’s Britain 109 Summary and Conclusion 112 CHAPTER SIX : PAGANISM, THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT, HOLISM AND ECOLOGY IN BRITAIN 1960 - 2005 113 - 141 Introduction and the Argument of the Chapter 113 New Religious Movements and Spirituality in the 1960s and 1970s 114 The Goddess Movement and Feminist Spirituality 118 British Neo-Paganisms in the 1980s and 1990s 119 Additional Influences on British New Age Spirituality 1980 - 2005 122 Holism and Holistic Health 125 Ecology, Related Concerns and Ecological Design 127 The New Age in Mainstream Education and Business 135 The Common Features of British New Age Design and Material Culture 137 Summary and Conclusion 139 PART IV: ALTERNATIVE FRAMEWORKS FOR DESIGN PRACTICE CHAPTER SEVEN: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS FOR INVESTIGATING ALTERNATIVE DESIGN PRACTICE 142 -156 Introduction and the Argument of the Chapter 142 Rationale for The Choice of The Three Main Areas of Investigation 143 The Material Culture of Homes and Houses 145 Gardens: Theoretical, Philosophical and Cultural Considerations 147 Architecture, Healing Environments and Design for Healthcare 151 Holistic Health and Complementary and Alternative Medicine 154 Summary and Conclusion 156 CHAPTER EIGHT: REPRESENTATIONS OF ALTERNATIVE DESIGN AND COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IN THE BRITISH MEDIA 1950-2005 157- 180 Introduction and the Argument of the Chapter 157 The Home and the Media: The Do-It-Yourself Revolution and the Home Make-over Show 158 The Alternative Home Make-over Show 163 The British Obsession With The Home 165 Popular Gardening Magazines 167 Gardens, Gardening and the Broadcast Media 168 The Garden Make-over Show 173 Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the Media 179 Summary and Conclusion 180 CHAPTER NINE: ALTERNATIVE DESIGN AND SPIRITUALITY IN HOMES, GARDENS AND HEALTHCARE ENVIRONMENTS 181 - 228 Introduction and the Argument of the Chapter 181 Alternative and New Age Philosophies Concerning the Home Environment 182 Feng Shui, Other Traditional Spatial Organisation Systems and Their Influence on Western Design in the Late Twentieth Century 184 The Domestic Environment as aLocus for Ritual 191 Holistic and Ecological Approaches to the Home Environment 194 Ecology, Contemporary Spirituality and Rites of Passage in the Landscape 201 The Appropriation of Orientalism in Alternative and Spiritual Garden Design in Britain 206 Approaches to the Design of Therapeutic Environments 214 Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Its Influence on Orthodox Medical Environments 221 The Influence of Complementary and Alternative Medicine on Design and Material Culture 224 Summary and Conclusion 226 CHAPTER TEN: A PROPOSED THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: DESIGN, SPIRITUALITY, POSTMODERNISM AND BEYOND 229 - 256 Introduction and the Argument of the Chapter 229 Potential Theoretical Approaches to Complementary Practices and Spirituality in Relation to Design 230 Postmodernism and Spirituality 233 Shamanism and Design: a Consideration of Useful Insights via the Concept of the Object 239 The Materiality of the Shamanic World -view and its Relationship to Holistic Design 244 Eclecticism, Plurality, Identity