Space and Power

My seventh-grade history teacher had a reputation for being the cool teacher. He was ridiculously passionate about his class, which was on medieval English history, but, more importantly to us, he had swords in his classroom (fake, don’t worry) and fun review games. So when he switched the focus of the class halfway through the year to medieval architecture, my classmates and I were all disappointed. We couldn’t care less about the characteristics of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, we wanted to hear more about the gory ends that medieval kings had met (see Edmund II’s death for a particularly funny one). 

We should always think critically about the spaces that powerful institutions create, and to do this we need to think carefully about the symbolism and feelings that are created by even the most basic elements of a space.

Yet that class turned out to be unpredictably valuable. Anyone who has taken a class on European history knows how dominant the Catholic Church was in all aspects of life, but if you know how to read a church or cathedral, you can see physical manifestations of that effort to achieve that aforementioned socio-political dominance. Romanesque churches don’t tend to have much symbolism in them, apart from decorative elements (which I will try to stay away from, as the symbolism of numbers would require pages). The architectural technology wasn’t as advanced yet, and so the walls had to be thick and the windows had to be small in order to maintain structural integrity. But the thickness of the walls and the relative lack of light helped to make churchgoers feel protected, which was especially important given the chaos that was characteristic of the Romanesque period. This feeling of protection helped to reinforce the power of the church, as people correlated that physical protection with the protection that they felt religion offered. 

But Gothic architecture is where things get extremely interesting. Some key elements of Gothic architecture include ogive arches, large stained glass windows, and flying buttresses. All of these elements focus a churchgoer’s attention upwards, towards the light and glory of heaven that the Catholic Church was always talking about. Decorative elements are also riddled with symbolism and subliminal messages. Crenellations, which are defensive battlements typically seen on castles, are often also found along the outside of Gothic churches. They have no practical reason to be there, especially given the acceptance of Catholicism at this time in England. However, they are there to invoke images of a castle or a stronghold, thereby helping to make churchgoers feel that they are safe within a fortress of God. 

If you know how to read a church or cathedral, you can see physical manifestations of that effort to achieve socio-political dominance.

I came out of that history class absolutely jam-packed with knowledge on how to read a church, but, as I wasn’t planning on becoming a tour guide, I felt that I had wasted my time. How would this knowledge every serve me later on? It wasn’t until years later that I realised the broader implications of what I had learned in that class. We should always think critically about the spaces that powerful institutions create, and to do this we need to think carefully about the symbolism and feelings that are created by even the most basic elements of a space. For the Catholic Church in medieval England, the focus was on creating a space in which churchgoers felt protected and reminded of God’s strength and light. But what about spaces of power in the United States? 

The Oval Office, especially in the Trump administration, is a perfect example. The Atlantic took a closer look at the decor in the Oval Office and realised that Trump had tripled the typical amount of flags that normally occupy the space. Typically, two flags sit behind the Oval Office desk: one with the presidential seal and one American Flag. Trump has not only three of each, but he also has both the Marine Corps’ flag and the Army’s flag right near his desk. This superfluous amount of flags and the presence of battle flags is a huge departure from presidential tradition. Most presidents in recent history (i.e., FDR, Eisenhower, JFK, George Bush, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama) all left battle flags out of the Oval Office. Yet Trump decided to bring them back, seemingly as a way to flex his power and remind everyone of his supposed legitimacy as commander in chief during a presidency when his qualifications are questioned (and rightfully so) nearly every day. 

Powerful people and institutions often transform the space that they occupy as a way of reinforcing their values and influencing the people around them. When we pay attention to those spaces, we gain insight into the institution and learn to see the world a little differently.