Measure, Metre, Irony: Reuniting Pure Mathematics with Architecture

Measures in Western society were once mostly derived from the notion of the ideal male body, its qualities and proportions as well as its dimensions. These were represented in classical sculptures and buildings, artefacts that have influenced art and architecture into modern times. However, during the European Enlightenment the body as measuring standard was criticised. Scientists and politicians became intent on providing a system of rational, universal measures independent of the human body, and the metre rod was formulated. This paper argues that measure needs to be recognised as more than an abstract calibrated length of inert material: it is a deliberate consequence of human thought and simulator of power. The metric system has almost universal authority but it is no more rational than the idealised body that once dominated the ancient world. Indeed, I will argue that it might be better understood as the measure of all irony.