From rigidity to ephemerality: Architecture as a socio-spatial assemblage of heterogeneous components

Abstract

This study discusses the idea of ephemeral architecture as an alternative approach to overcoming the rigidity issue of the built environment. Ephemeral architecture is an architectural space that appears and disappears in a short period of time. The ephemerality of such a space indicates that there are components that are not permanently available in the built environment. The question then arises as to what these components are, in what way they are present or available, and how they relate to each other to temporarily form a certain architectural space in the built environment. Using assemblage as the theoretical approach, the study investigates these questions through the case of trader space in the courtyard of the Sunda Kelapa mosque in Jakarta. The research makes three main findings regarding: (1) the heterogeneity of entities that act as architectural components, including everyday items such as clothes, socks and plastic rugs; (2) the process of spatial assemblage in which these entities relate and interact; and (3) social assemblage as the non-physical structure that frames this spatial process.