“La Casa” in Frigiliana. Rudofsky’s Manifesto of Contemporary Domesticity

Abstract

The patrimonial recognition of “La Casa” and its protection have been achieved through intense, unceasing efforts culminating in its declaration as a monument in 2011. In 2005 the José Guerrero Centre began to take an active role in its defense, in which it was joined by the Austrian Museum of Applied Contemporary Art (MAk). The Andalusian Register of Contemporary Architecture (RAAC), a project of the department of Culture of the Junta de Andalucía, also rediscovered Rudofsky’s work in the context of architectonic research. The RAAC undertakes critical research of 20th century architectural heritage in Andalusia and carries out its legal protection. Within our particular research project, Rudofsky’s house has to date been the only building proposed for protection as Monument, although its declaration as such in 2011 has not halted the changes made to it in recent years by the present owners. The small scale of this domestic construction, the fragility of its patrimonial values and the fact that it is private property have all hampered the effective protection of this valuable piece of the history of contemporary architecture. detailed study has made possible the first comparison of the monographic illustrated documentation held at the Getty Research Library in uSA and all the papers at the Bernard Rudofsky Estate Vienna in Austria. This research has revealed Rudofsky’s integral proposal for contemporary living and his interdisciplinary search for a fulfilling way of life that transcends architectonic discipline. Critical Disobedience to Modernity is the catalog of an homonymous exhibition which took place in 2014 at the Centro José Guerrero, Granada, Spain.