Following Norberg-Schulz

Anna has demonstrated that to follow a fellow Norwegian architect of another generation, is to find similarities, to seek coincidences, to shadow, to re-enact, to track, to go along (often in faith), to act under the influence of, to act under the shadow of, to carry the weight of this person, and in so doing, to put her own writing self at risk. To follow is also to admire, to support, to understand. The book ... has qualities of a detective novel where clues are allowed to travel their distance, to expend their conclusions, and to spin more questions about the missing protagonist. * Site-Reading Writing Quarterly * Andersen’s approach is unconventional, but also compelling and timely. On the one hand, it draws on recent attempts at developing critical spatial practice in postgraduate practice-based research programs, where the designer’s skillsets and creative output are utilized as research method. Simultaneously, her book is published amidst a wide-ranging questioning of the assumptions underpinning the field of architectural phenomenology. Yet Andersen manages to practice phenomenology in an open and self-reflective way, able to critically re-engage the difficulties and failings in Norberg-Schulz’s approach while displaying a poetic sensibility that allows for a more refined appreciation of his position. * Montreal Architectural Review * Anna Ulrikke Andersen’s wondrous book is many things at once: a window onto the work of the Norwegian architectural theorist, an artist’s probing journey of discovery and persistent self-examination, a portal to imaginative interventions that frame and reframe Norberg-Schulz’s legacy from ever different angles. A true tour de force, as insightful and critically demanding as creative and aesthetically playful! * Lutz Koepnick, Vanderbilt University, USA * A truly original piece of work with an innovative methodology that combines archival historical research with artistic and documentary film practice. Andersen provides a situated critical evaluation of the work and ideas of an influential, yet misunderstood, figure in the history, theory and practice of 20th century architecture, approaching the subject matter with intelligence and care. * Penelope Haralambidou, University College London, UK *