Cultural myth and the 19th century world exhibitions

Abstract

This report investigates the cultural significance of the 19th century world exhibitions. Their importance was first recognised by the critic Walter Benjamin {1892-1940}, and it is his perceptions of these events and his particular critical methods that direct this research. For Benjamin, the exhibitions promoted new "cultural myths" that had come about with industrialization and the emerging modern world of the 19th century. Three myths Were identified by him and are used to form the structure of this text. They are: - the glorification of commodities - the mythologizing of progress - nationalism and imperialism. In addition to these three chapters, an historical overview of the 19th century world exhibitions is given. Benjamin had his own method of interpreting history. He would consider a particular period by its material remains rather than its recorded history. Thus, in this report, the material form of the exhibitions is the basis for finding evidence of cultural myths. This includes the architecture of the exhibition buildings, exhibit design, and the display methods used. In the course of this report, several inter-related issues are addressed: - The central concern is elucidating Benjamin's theories on cultural myths and showing how the 19th century exhibitions were instrumental in perpetuating them. - In arguing this, the critical impetus of architecture includes political and cultural dimensions beyond its own formal discourse. - Lastly, the report serves as an introduction, and within its own confines, provides a test scenario of Benjamin's theories and their applicability to architectural discourse.