Freddy Mamani is a Bolivian architect who has designed an array of colourful mansions, known as ‘cholets’, which you can find in the world’s highest city, El Alto, in Bolivia. He has created what has been described as ‘New Andean’ or ‘neo-Andean’ architecture, a unique blend of traditional Andean designs and modern influences, including science…
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Asylum designs in the 19th century were believed by medical practitioners, psychiatrists, and asylum architects to ameliorate, if not cure, madness. (In this essay, I will use the term ‘madness’ instead of mental illness because as sociologist Andrew Scull highlights, “for much of history, “mad” or some cognate of it really was the word that…
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Islamic art and architecture are often called psychedelic in nature – and rightly so. Both the art and architecture from the Islamic world feature vibrant colours and intricate, geometric patterns, much like the kaleidoscopic patterns one can see during a psychedelic experience, either with eyes opened or closed. During psychedelic experiences, people may report seeing…
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The Castle of Sammezzano is an Italian palazzo (an urban building constructed as a grand residence) and is situated in Tuscany. The palazzo has been abandoned since the 90s and it is no longer open to the public. A crowdfunding project called Save Sammezzano was set up to restore the palazzo, safeguard it and re-open it…
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Nasir al-Mulk Mosque or Pink Mosque in Shiraz, Iran Spanish Synagogue in Prague, Czech Republic Lotf Allah Mosque in Isfahan, Iran Selimiye Mosque in Edime, Turkey Golden Mosque in Registan, Uzbekistan Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, England Sagrada Familia Church in Barcelona, Spain
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