This volume presents a selection of research papers published over the last three decades in the Symmetry journal. It is edited in honor of Gyuri Darvas, the founder, and former editor-in-chief of the journal, commemorating his thirty years of service to the journal and the symmetry community.
The contributions are written by authorities in their field and give a multifaceted view into the interdisciplinary theme of symmetry, a discipline that attracts experts from the arts, philosophy, and science.
The community of the International Symmetry Association has long waited for a summary and selection from the writings of the most commemorated researchers of the field. This volume fulfills this wish and will appeal to a wide readership from artists and architects through philosophers and historians of science to scientists in various disciplines.
About the Author: Vilmos Katona is an architect, architectural theorist and historian applying contemporary studies on symmetry and phenomenology to develop a better understanding of the built environment, in which symmetry and patterns play a key role.
Born in Toronto, Canada, graduated in Hungary at the Faculty of Architecture of Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BUTE), where he also received his Ph.D. in 2015. He wrote his dissertation about the contemporary architecture of European Catholic communities. From 2011 to 2018, he held lectures on architectural theory and history in various universities (BUTE, University of West Hungary, Széchenyi University). Since 2018, he has worked as an associate professor at the Institute of Architecture, University of Pécs.
He is also active in the fields of architectural and art exhibitions either as a curator or an exhibitor (SAM Basel, Abstract Project Paris, FUGA Budapest, MODEM Debrecen). He is a member of the public body of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and co-founder of Urbanism at Borders Global Research Group, established at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, 2017, which focuses on global urban issues regarding migration, post-traumatic architecture, resilient cities and urban regeneration. He is a member of the Executive Editors' Board and, since 2021, elected editor-in-chief of Symmetry, the journal of the International Symmetry Association. In addition, he is a member of the Editorial Board of the open access Journal of Architecture and Urbanis m a t VGTU and the Advisory Board of Metszet at Artifex Publishing Ltd. Most of his papers focus on the architecture of religious communities, community-based planning, and the phenomenology of place. His books have earned grants from the Prime Minister's Office since 2019, and in 2020, he was awarded the Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Arts.
