The Faculty of Arts Held the Second Multicultural Exchange Salon "Oxford Architecture through the Ages"
- Share
- Tweet
- Send to email
Adapted from Hudson, J. with permission. Above: Radcliffe Camera 1748. One of Oxford's most iconic buildings built in the middle of the 18th century. Below: Blatvanik Building 2015. This building is regard as a modern version of the Radcliffe Camera.
The Faculty of Arts arranged the second Multicultural Exchange Salon online on May 28, 2021. The presenter was John Hudson, Principal of CIE (College of International Education) Oxford. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students participated through Zoom video conferencing. Throughout the speech, John Hudson was kind enough to speak simply and clearly so non-native English speakers could understand. He explained that the buildings constructed at different eras show the history of the city and gives insight into how people thought throughout the ages.
St Mary’s Church with Radcliffe Camera, Adapted from Hudson, J. with permission.
Interestingly enough, although the Romans did not come to Oxford, their influence on the design of architecture can be found in classical-style buildings. Furthermore, he explained that after 30% of the population died due to the bubonic plague (1350), the architecture design onward became a lot simpler. St. Mary's Church is an excellent example of a building from the Gothic era.
Sheldonian Theatre 1668. Adapted from Hudson, J. with permission. The reformation revived the extravagance of the old-style called neo-classical. The Sheldon Theatre was the first neo-classical building constructed in Oxford.
At the end of the talk, there were questions from the student audience. John Hudson announced the Summer English course which will be held online this year. For further information, refer to the Faculty of Arts website: https://www.shinshu-u.ac.jp/faculty/arts/event/715.php.
