architecture and interdisciplinary studies ‘17 synesthetic architecture hulya yavas
cover drawing by Lebbeus Woods
“ Space is essentially a mental construct. We imagine space to be there, even if we experience it as a void, an absence we cannot perceive.” Lebbeus Woods
PERCEPTION OF SPACE Our perception of architectural space is close to being synaesthetic. In the words of Merleau-ponty: We see the depth, the smoothness, the softness, the hardness of objects; Cézanne even claimed that we see their odor. If the painter is to express the world, the arrangement of his colors must carry with it this indivisible whole, or else his picture will only hint at things and will not give them in the imperious unity, the presence, the insurpassable plenitude which is for us the definition of the real.
The environment and its colors are perceived, and the brain processes and judges what it perceives on an objective and subjective basis. Psychological influence, communication, information, and effects on the psyche are aspects of our perceptual judgment processes. Frank H. Mahnke (the author of COLOR, Environment, & Human Response)
Maurice Merleau-Ponty asserts that ‘perception is not a sum of [sensual] givens, [we] perceive in a total way with my whole being; [we] grasp in a unique structure of the thing, a unique way of being, which speaks to all [our] senses at once’ (1964).
As Merleau-Ponty said of the paintings of Cézanne, the task of architecture is
‘to make visible how the world touches us’.
SYNESTHESIA
(syn - together, aisthesis - sensation/perception)
has been recently confirmed as a legiti mate neurological condition. Synesthesia occurs through the associations of two or more physical senses and other sense modalities. Called synesthetes, the individuals with syn esthesia "smell" colors, "see" sounds and "feel" tastes. In these cross-modal associations, the elicited sensations are both emotional and noĂŤtic and the phenomenon of synesthesia interfaces virtual perceptions with normal sensory perception, rather than replacing one perceptual mode for another. Synesthetic inter-sensory associations are emotional states of affairs appreciating that there are ineffable things you hear, invisible things that you see, and impalpable things that you touch, that are describable but beyond words.
The synesthetic spatial experience relies on the capacities of human physiology and sensorial apparatus to interact with space; however, it is also moderated by social and ideological press to achieve wellbeing.
the limits of
[the real] = [what we can conceive]
As Pallasma (2013) states “architecture is not experienced as a series of isolated retinal pictures, but in its full haptic richness�.
Chromesthesia (sound-to-color synesthesia) heard sounds automatically and involuntarily evoke an experience of color
How Synesthesia Can Change Our Thinking?
The space draws dimensions of dream, imagination and desire from the synesthetic sensorial experiences of its real, materialistic appearance.
an experiment about the dominance of the senses McGurk Effect
fundamental philosophy of essence and how it relates the master pieces of architectural design To Peter Zumthor, the word ‘atmosphere’ is really intriguing. Being able to imagine what the atmosphere is going to be is crucial to his design methodology. He designs ‘new’ based on his pleasant memories of the ‘old,’of his familiarities, his knowledge, and his senses. Staying conscious of his senses, staying true to what he fully grasps is his philosophy of design. And these senses help him to define the purpose of the design, which generates shapes and determines materials.
The light cannot be considered apart from hearing voices or touching a surface.
https://cherylkiwi.wordpress.com/2012/10/23/phenomenology-in-architecture-senses-knowledge-and-awareness/
Peter Zumthor's architecture draws attention with his synesthetic approach. These tangible signs suggest the idea that the architecture of the future will be produced by a multidisciplinary approach that is not confined to visual interactions.
taste smell sound
The Therme Vals is a multi-sensory wellness complex that relies on users. Raymund Ryan points out that in the Therme Vals, Zumthor creates architectural atmospheres that presents new senses and multiple sensory riches in objective and intellectual meaning, pleasing to users in almost primitive dimensions (1997).
In his design of the Thermal Vals, the systematic diagrams of the pools and baths well illustrate his awareness of the atmosphere and the senses.
Peter Zumthor’s diagrams of thermal comfort
Thermal Baths, Vals, Graublunden, 1990 An architecture of formal restraint with a rare sensuous richness addressing all the senses simultaneously.
Swiss Pavilion EXPO 2000, Hannover, Germany ‘Sound Box’ The space gives a sense of being handcrafted feel/ texture/ color/ smell/ sound of wood LISTEN the sound of a space!
Another manifestation of the architect's synesthetic approach: Bruder Klaus Chapel, Wachendorf, Germany, 2007 above: ‘To come from a place, I think,is a very basic human thing.’ Peter Zumthor’s architecture valorises the human spirit through its focus on place, the senses and memory.
Architectural Design 2012 11-12, Identity, Place and Human Experience
Multi-Sensory Experience A walk through a forest is invigorating and healing due to the constant interaction of all sense modalities; Bachelard speaks of ‘the polyphony of the senses’. The eye collaborates with the body and the other senses. One’s sense of reality is strengthened and articulated by this constant interaction. Architecture is essentially an extension of nature into the man-made realm, providing the ground for perception and the horizon of experiencing and understanding the world.
Every touching experience of architecture is multi-sensory; qualities of space, matter and scale
are measured equally by the eye, ear, nose, skin, tongue, skeleton and muscle. Architecture strengthens the existential experience, one’s sense of being in the world, and this is essentially a strengthened experience of self. Instead of mere vision, or the five classical senses, architecture involves several realms of sensory experience which interact and fuse into each other.
All the senses, can be regarded as extensions of the sense of touch –as specialisations of the skin. Pallasmaa, Juhani. The Eyes of the Skin : Architecture and the Senses
THE CITY OF PARTICIPATION The city of sensory engagement. Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Children’s Games, 1560. Kunsthistorisches Museum with MVK and ÖtM,Vienna.
THE CITY OF ALIENATION The modern city of sensory deprivation. The commercial section of Brasília, Brazil, 1968. photo: Juhani pallasmaa
ARCHITECTURE OF SMELL Memorable images of the places A space of smell: the spice market in Harrar, Ethiopia. Photo: Juhani Pallasmaa
Spice Bazaar in Eminönü, Istanbul.
Arup Associates, Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) HQ, Bedminster Down, Bristol, 1973 Human touch and sensate tactility: a sense of place-making and human scale in the detail.
SPACES OF INTIMATE WARMTH The fireplace as an intimate and personal space of warmth. Antoni Gaudi, Casa Batllo, Barcelona, 1904.
Coffehouse (Tahmis) Gaziantep Turkey, 1638’ 1904’’ Multisensory experiences in historical architectural places; texture of natural stones silence like gothic kathedral feel sacred huge emptiness echo of footsteps
ARCHITECTURES OF HEARING In historical towns and spaces, acoustic experiences reinforce and enrich visual experiences. The early Cistercian Abbey of Le Thoronet in southern France, first established in 1136, in 1176 transferred to its present.
Cemberlitas Bath, 1584, Mimar Sinan, Istanbul
Louis Kahn, National Assembly Building, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 1974 Juhani Pallasmaa writes that Kahn’s architecture in Bangladesh gives cultural identity through an acknowledgement of the essence of the past as a source of meaning, inspiration and emotional rooting.
Salk Institute, San Diego, completed in 1965 spiritually inspiring vistas and poetic sense of monumentality silence
-
auditorial + visual + tactile
SYNAESTHETIC INSTALLATION FROM STPMJ, Korea, 2009 multisensory perception of tactile, visual and auditory an elaborate consideration of multi-sensory modes in a single material, spring by changing its use and manifestation.
Inspired from a navigation among dense bamboo forest, filtration of light and shadow, and mingling sounds of bamboo leaves on the site provide diverse experiences to visitors to enjoy with its various spatial qualities.
WHAT I SEE WHAT I FEEL WHAT I TOUCH even with my feet
SPACES SPEAK, ARE YOU LISTENING? seeing the place with ears + visual
+ auditory
+ tactile
acoustic percept of the underground tunnels in Vienna in Orson Welles’ film The Third Man: ‘Your ear receives the impact of both the length and the cylindrical form of tunnel.’ streaming water
Rekindle role of senses in architecture by shaping poetic space Architecture should engage all of our senses. -believes that modern architecture is losing some of the sensuality that architecture has embodied in the past. Architectural synesthesia can provide unlimited creativity with mix of senses. Personal experiences reshape with various visual, audial, etc. elements and change according to users’ different experiences on same products.
Bibliography https://lebbeuswoods.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/the-question-of-space/ https://archinect.com/features/article/53292622/color-in-architecture-more-than-just-decoration Joshua Budarick, 2011, Synaesthetic Architecture: The Lost Senses of Architecture. https://www.academia.edu/308741/Architectural_Synaesthesia_A_Hypothesis_on_the_Makeup_of_Scarpas_Modernist_Architectura l_Drawings Juhani Pallasmaa, 2013, The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and The Senses, p.13 Ruzica Bozovic Stamenovic, Synesthetıc Architecture for Wellbeing - Concept and Contradictions. Altay Altunkozaoglu, 2012, Düsünce ve Duyular Ekseninde Mimarlık Bilgileri, ITÜ Yüksek Lisans Tezi. https://vimeo.com/97862772 The Third Man [Sewer Scene] - Music Temp Track, Sound Editing Synesthetic Sense - STPMJ https://divisare.com/projects/314199-stpmj-synaesthetic-sense