Author:

Abstract

It is commonly assessed that Architect Valentine Gunasekara arrived at ‘Expressionist Modernism’ towards the twilight of his career. Immediately after Ceylon’s independence, an elite contingent spearheaded a nationalist political course, which was perpetuated into the 1990s and beyond. During this nationalist window, the vernacular-based Neo/Tropical Regionalism was mediated as the flagship architectural style of the nation, whereas Gunasekara’s product was pushed into oblivion. In this light, the study of this fascinating style could serve as a useful precedence to asses/theorize similar domestic architectural styles to come. Adhering to a qualitative methodology, the study is based on one single well-justified case study. In terms of collecting information, drawings are secured/reproduced, supported by a photographic survey. The analysis places the case study against periodic changes of the time in question. Phenomenology is used for interpretation. To compensate for gaps in the extant literature, in-depth interviews are utilized. Examining in a phenomenological viewpoint how such examples executed for the elite class frame the periodic changes in local and international arenas, if successful, could be applied to similar cases elsewhere.

Keywords: Elite, Nationalism, Expressionist modernism, Phenomenology