RITUALITY AND THEATRICALIZATION OF ARCHITECTURAL ACTIVITY

Abstract

The article examines the influence of rituals and rites on modern architectural activity, as well as the related theatricalization of the ritual action and the environment in which it takes place. Scientific studies from various fields of knowledge, the subject of which are rites that were performed during the construction of a house among Eastern Slavs, in particular among Ukrainians, were analyzed. The trinity of the rite of building a house is emphasized, which corresponds to the trinity of any process (beginning ‒ middle ‒ end). The analyzed works are dedicated to the rituals of free masons - masons, in which rituals are of particular importance, signifying not only the various stages of building a house, but also the consecration of masters, their transition from one state to another. The meaning of the ritual action is revealed, which is most often theatrical, as it has all the attributes of a theater: the place where it takes place is decorated with certain objects or their symbols placed in a certain order, and the impressions are enhanced by the costumes of the participants and their actions ‒ walking, singing, placing, sequence of performances, etc. It was found that for conducting rituals and ceremonies, the space is always chosen so that it corresponds to the action both functionally and symbolically. The most ritualistic and theatrical architectural space is the space of the temple, which is closely connected with the traditions of religious rites and liturgies. The interdependence of the course of the clergy during the service and the space of the temple and the external space surrounding the temple was revealed. It was found that secular rituals are essentially close to church ones, because they appeared as a result of the secularization of public and private life. Complex secular rituals closely related to architecture and architectural space can be found in periods of strengthening totalitarian regimes in any country, at any time. It was determined that the ritualization of architecture is also manifested in the process of its reproduction. The cyclical process of construction-destructionreconstruction constitutes a special architectural ritual - restoration. So, from this article, we come to the conclusion that architecture does not imitate, imitate, or formalize a ritual, but is itself a ritual that is complemented by the theatricality of the action, has its own symbolic meaning, and requires constant attention and careful research.