'The Judgement of Beauty': lecture by Mark Cousins, 20th November, 1998

Extent: 1 audio cassette, 4 digital files (637.61 MB )

Comprises audio recording of a lecture entitled 'The Judgement of Beauty', given by Mark Cousins on the 20th November, 1998. The recordings consist of a Maxwell 90 audio cassette tape, 2 digital preservation files (520 MB, .wav format) and 2 digital access files (117.61 MB, .mp3 format). Duration of access version: 46min 27sec.

Copyright: Architectural Association

Creator: Mark Cousins

Admin History: The recording is of the 3rd lecture in the series entitled 'The Name of the Object', given by Mark Cousins as part of the AA General Studies programme, 1998-99. In this lecture, Mark Cousins continues to elaborate upon the representation of a name and what it means to make a judgement of beauty, examining them in the light of relations to time and temporality. Citing Bertrand Russell's theory of descriptions, Cousins argues that by looking at the question of the name spatially, the question of the temporality of the name is already encroached upon. From a psychoanalytic perspective, Cousins indicates that the name or the object is a fantasy wherein the internal structure of time collapses. He concludes his analysis of these ideas by linking them with Sigmund Freud's proposition on mourning and melancholia, whereby the idea of love can be projected by a continual grief over the loss.

Custodial History: Audio cassette recording was made by the AA Audio Visual Department and retained by the AA Photo Library until 2019, when it was transferred to the AA Archives.

Aquisition: Audio cassette was transferred from the AA Photo Library to the AA Archives in 2019. Digital preservation and access copies were created by the AA Archives in 2021.

Archive Note: Catalogue description by Ke Bo Tsai

Publication Note: AA Events List, Week 7, Autumn Term, 16th - 20th November, 1998