IMBATHE by CARROL LEE
Thesis Statement Space is the embodiment of the body and the environment that are constantly changing, always dynamic and never static. The assumption that space is a permanent entity and that our presence do little to affect space needs to be re-evaluated. Space has to be perceived as more than an image. It needs to be a mediator that enables us to relate to our environment in every encounter with a renewed perception and engages our body with the world in a tangible manner. The process of renewing and cleansing of the mind, body and perception is like that of bathing. It is an act between the before and after. The space that facilitates bathing therefore becomes a space of transition and of change and has the potential for self-actualization. The body is the true mechanism to comprehend a space. The act of disrobing is likened to peeling off layers between the body and space, making the body more 2
INTRODUCTION
RIGHT: CARROL LEE “IMBATHE” 2013
receptive to the experience of place through the skin. In the process of bathing, the body leaves behind traces of its presence; wet footprints on dry floor, handprints on walls and a breath of vapour on the mirror. Ephemeral as they may be, the traces are visible and tangible, informing us of the consequences of our being in the space. As we immerse ourselves deeper in bathing, we will begin to identify how the body affects and relates differently to the environment and the self. The first encounter with the water often evokes the body to taste, see, hear and feel our surrounds; and the journey continues to choreograph the relationship between the space and the body as water clothe our skin. Taking advantage of nature’s science (the physics of water and light), the imbathing experience creates a sequential narrative that informs us of our altered state of consciousness and making known to us the dynamic relationship that exists between our body and space. INTRODUCTION
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LEFT: CARROL LEE “IMBATHE” 2013
CONTENT 01 02 03 04 05 06
Artist: Olafur Eliasson Proposition Speculations The Project Imbathe Bibliography & References
06-23 24-31 31-49 50-63 64-85
01 Architecture after Art: The studio initiates a study on specific artist of interest to pursue design from the art perspective, applying conceptual ideas and methodologies that stem from the philosophies, principals and ambitions of art.
ARTIST: OLAFUR ELIASSON “I was interested in how we engage the world. How do we use our skin as our eyes? If you read a cityscape or a landscape with just your mind, and not your body, it becomes like a picture or representation, not something you really engage with.�
RIGHT: ELIASSON
“TIMELESS GARDEN” 2011
About the Artist [1967-] Our world is constructed. Within it contains the abundant physics of light, time, space and matter. Our reality is mediated at different levels. All that we perceive about the world is varied by memory, experiences, perhaps influences imposed by others, cultured upbringing and the like. Olafur Eliasson, a Danish-Icelandic artist and an avid photographer is driven to create such awareness, to instil critical evaluation of what is perceived, believed and valued through his sculptures and installations. Like the Timeless Garden that freezes water in motion with strobe flashes, causing our eyes to see the world change in small sections of time. There’s an element of temporalityan ephemeral phenomena that leads us to question our perception of time and nature in motion. He cues participants to his works by engaging with their bodies, often using friction and conflict as a way to challenge their assumptions and to generate a discourse. 8
OLAFUR ELIASSON
To date, most of his works include the experiments of light, colours, water in different physical forms and reflections, all at varied scales. He is best known for his project in Tate Modern, London- The Weather Project. He also explores the relationship between the object and the subject while effortlessly unifying these separate entities through his art. For instance, the New York Waterfalls act as the object while the people in the vicinity become the subject. His art created a place of encounter for both object and subject, the in between. The interaction that takes place makes the subject as part of the object and vice versa, causing interplay of roles. Such ambitions require tangible and phenomenal experiences. To this end, Eliasson is constantly running small lab series in museums and his studio in Berlin to experiment different means to engage with the body and ultimately with the mind.
OLAFUR ELIASSON
9
ABOVE RIGHT: ELIASSON
“GREEN RIVER” JAPAN, 2001 ABOVE LEFT: ELIASSON
OPPOSITE :
10 OLAFUR ELIASSON
“GREEN RIVER” SWEDEN, 2000 ELIASSON “GREEN RIVER” NORWAY, 1998
OLAFUR ELIASSON 11
Making Sense after Sensing How does the body “make sense”? Eliasson (2013, pp.125-132) describes that the body is the brain. It is not merely a system that hosts our senses, it functions as a tool to comprehend, perceive and emotionalise our environment. The brain does not “make sense” apart from the body, the relationship between the two is reciprocal and they coexist (Blakeslee 2007, pp.12). “If you were to carry around a young kitten during its critical early months of brain development, allowing it to see everything in its environment but never permitting it to move around on its own, the unlucky creature would turn out to be effectively blind for life...Its eyes and optic nerves would be perfectly normal and intact, yet its higher visual system would be next to useless.” (Merleau-Ponty 1962, pp.12-13).
12 OLAFUR ELIASSON
The whole embodiment gives meaning to what we sense. Blakeslee (2007, pp.12) adds that the sum total of our bodies give rise to our ability to understand and navigate the world around us. Eliasson recognizes the built expectations and the cultured influences within each person. He then initiates art projects that encourages involvement of the body which carries with it both body and sensory maps. When these experiences combine, the brain begins to creak and a new synesthetic map appears (Eliasson 2010, pp. 6-9). This, then, enables us to re-evaluate our perceptions. The Green River project works in the same pattern flow. The river in Stockholm, perhaps became stagnant or an external image of the urban space with no physical connection has been coloured with a striking harmless green dye, causing a stir among the passers-by as they begin to take notice and even went as far as to contact the police to understand the situation. Eliasson achieved to have the desired responses and created a series of such art across continents.
Every experience around us at any time is phenomenological. To make someone notice something from their habitual routine, Eliasson acknowledges the need for an element of friction in his art. Friction is an interruption in how people normally move, in order to exercise criticality and to prompt re-evaluation (Eliasson 2009, pp. 130-147). New York is a city very much concentrated with thriving development and bustling streets within its interior grid while the waterfront that runs between Manhattan and Brooklyn is underutilised. To elevate the water surface into four waterfalls was to cause friction to their everyday habit of seeing. The encounter, from near or far, engages the body. “When you look at a waterfall, you see the time it takes for the water to fall and implicitly experience the distance between yourself and the water” Eliasson explained (2009, pp. 130-147). The space becomes more tangible, the distance makes sense, our perception renewed and the waterfront begins to take on a new meaning.
His less subtle work that provokes such awareness is the installation of Your blind movement at Martin Gropius Bau in Berlin. Sunk into a cosmos of colour and a space filled with fog, the biggest friction that one encounter is to be stripped off from any ability to navigate. It was devoid of horizontal and vertical lines that were essential for us to perceive space. Orientation ceases to function. The body then finds ways to understand this new phenomenon, moves about and tries to make sense from the haptic, auditory and visual experiences.
OLAFUR ELIASSON 13
ABOVE :
OPPOSITE:
14 OLAFUR ELIASSON
ELIASSON “NYC WATERFALLS” 2008 ELIASSON “NYC WATERFALLS” 2008
OLAFUR ELIASSON 15
ELIASSON “YOUR BLIND MOVEMENT” 2010
ABOVE:
OPPOSITE: ELIASSON
“YOUR BLIND MOVEMENT” 2010
16 OLAFUR ELIASSON
OLAFUR ELIASSON 17
PREVIOUS: ELIASSON
“THE WEATHER PROJECT” 2003
Between Object and Subject Objects and subjects are separate entities. While Eliasson acknowledges the dichotomy, he attempts to bring the object and subject into a constant active relationship (Bal 2007, pp. 156-157). His position takes root from the understanding that object is not static, it is constantly shifting and always changing. Referencing a science research on colour perception, Eliasson (2006, pp. 7583) explained that our experience of colour is often constant despite significant changes in ambient light. Hence, his art makes a statement that the object is no longer a passive image and space can be understood as a more open and negotiable entity. Latour takes it further by stating that both object and subject are formed by each other’s existence (Jensen 2004, pp. 121). Similarly, Heidegger pointed out that our experience of the subject/object relation derives from a fundamental level of experience, an engaged existence in which self and world are united rather than divided (Thomson 20 OLAFUR ELIASSON
2011). Both philosophers suggest a necessity for engaging encounters, a meaningful interaction between coexisting object and subject, a mediator. His renowned artwork, the Weather Project exhibited at Tate Modern is a successful manifestation for this idea. A glance overhead, the ceiling of the Turbine Hall is a reflection of the space below. The space is filled with mist and coloured with hundreds of monofrequency lamps at one end, generating only visible yellow tone across the hall. Such phenomena seem to excite every visitor that they instinctively became participant of the art, the object. Lying carelessly on the floor, kids are seen hopping, rolling and running while the adults wave their limbs to capture their movement in the reflection. The subject could immediately connect as the object seems to respond instantaneously to their presence. The relationship is unified.
Virtuality Within such encounter, Eliasson envisions that the role of object and subject becomes interchangeable. “The museum and exhibition scene too often makes the public passive, instead of stimulating it. If the public gets involved in a stimulating situation, the situation “commits itself” in return. There’s a reversal of subject and object here: the viewer becomes the object and the context becomes the subject. I always try to turn the viewer into what’s on show, make him mobile and dynamic” (Obrist 2002). There is great potential in Eliasson’s idea that seamlessly transforms subject to object through this model of mediation. Virtual reality in the electronic world is a term often used to describe or represent the future, much more in a synthetic way derived from algorithms and simulation models than actually embracing the real meaning of virtuality (Crary 1997). According to the philosopher Gilles Deleuze, the virtual designates that which is not yet see-able,
explainable, and representable in terms of already existing concepts or expectations. There is an element in Eliasson’s art that allows for virtuality in which his models are not about finality or a conclusion but an open end, unfinished set of possibilities as the work rest in the hands of participants to articulate. Nonetheless, it is important to note that he does not disregard the functions and usefulness of the machine component. As an avid photographer, he prides in beautifully taken images and uses the visual media to his project’s advantage. Your Movement Microscope visualizes people at work in his studio and yet some of them seem to be moving in machine-like rhythm, synchronized and clearly incongruous to our everyday scenes that are made possible with added artifice. There is no mystification or concealment, Eliasson is truthful and transparent when it comes to machine intervention.
OLAFUR ELIASSON 21
RIGHT: ELIASSON
“YOUR NATURAL DENUDATION INVERTED” 1999
Yet, most of his virtual works are best experienced beyond the visual and audible. In Your Rainbow Panaroma, he talks about experiencing the afterimages as one walks along the coloured glazing, making new the city image colour perceived by the eyes. His images fall short of expressing that phenomena yet he is still keeping true to the notion of virtuality.
22 OLAFUR ELIASSON
Biosphere + Mechanosphere Mist, waves, atmosphere, rainbows, arctic moss. Eliasson’s art, from a certain perspective, might seem to be about the evocation of phenomena derived from nature (Crary 1997). Yet his pieces cannot be understood by separating and choosing either the biosphere and mechanosphere. Instead, the dual dissolves into a single art piece like Your natural denudation inverted where he utilizes one of the building’s heating shafts combined with steel scaffolding, a huge water basin, and mechanically generated steam to create an artificial “landscape”. These two components come hand in hand as part of a counter-tradition where contemporary values of storage, speed, productivity, uniformity in machinic production are discarded in favour of techniques for the creation of singular and nonrecordable, phenomenological experience.
OLAFUR ELIASSON 23
02
PROPOSITION When our body meets the living world...
PREVIOUS: CARROL LEE
“IMAGE OF THE CITY ABOVE RIVER” 2013
Our Living World Misperceived Atoms depicted as spherical elements, horizons defined by single strokes and spaces defined by axial lines; these are examples of information presented to us through specific representations so often used or standardized, that they can be mistakenly perceived as the absolute truth. While these reductive representations enable us to comprehend the concept and meaning of our world quite deliberately and succinctly, we must not deny ourselves of the potential in nature’s ever-changing, ever-responsive and dynamic character.
“Physics have found no straight lines- have found only waves- physics have found no solids- only high frequency event fields. The universe is not conforming to a 3 dimensional perpendicular parallel frame of reference. The universe of physical energy is always divergently expanding (radiantly) or convergently contracting (gravitationally).” –Richard Buckminster Fuller 28 PROPOSITION
It is easy to assume that a room remains static even as people begin to inhabit the space. It is not often obvious when our individual presence in a room increases the humidity, the air exchanges that occur as we walk in or out, when the heat is gained or lost. Only in time and perhaps as the number of people increases within the space will we be able to experience a change through the perspiration of our skin, a hint of congestion as we breathe or a vague condensation emerging at the corner of the window panes. Gradual or subtle changes are often disregarded. Eliasson evoked awareness with an element of friction to cause the body to take notice of its surrounding. The same is true in a larger context, in the city, the river or the sea. Water in the river is displaceable, the flow of the river changes in speed, and levels rise and fluctuate. Yet all these changes became a constant, a distant image disconnected from our being because we are no longer engaging our whole body with these vast spaces. So often, such spaces are merely visual entities.
When Body Meets the World The encounter can be heightened when a new synesthetic map is triggered within the body. In any given environment, the triggering mechanism should be an element that either magnifies or causes friction to our common routine in the world. Such mechanism stems from the existing natural context, it is adaptive rather than an additive element. Caution is warranted to arbitrary additions that will distract ones ability to identify with the site’s biosphere. An extreme example is the setting of the city of Las Vegas or Macau, where colourful neon and animated lights bombard the streets from day to night. It is often disorientating, anxiety-inducing and over-stimulating for the body the make sense of the world, much less understanding their place within it. When the body meets the world, it should be given the opportunity to be curious and to explore, finding meaning through the phenomenological experiences. The designed space should guide the body
to take in the experiences one at a time without pre-determining or controlling how they must behave. A greater ambition is to enable the body to identify its individual and unique trace on the environment, resulting in a meaningful encounter. Interactive architecture gives the impression that kinetics and embedded computation allow for freedom of the body to relate with the environment. It is an ambition of virtuality. While technology today attempts to pursue this vision, most design still fall short in providing the affordances for our body to project diverse responses and, even lesser design reciprocate from the unpredicted behaviours and characters of the body. If a kinetic-lighted pathway responds to footsteps, will it also respond differently to an individual who asserts more pressure, one who decides to hop instead of walk or one who has more body mass? Can there be unique consequences that reciprocate from these individual circumstances? PROPOSITION 29
RIGHT: ARAKAWA + GINS
“REVERSIBLE DESTINY HOUSE” 1997
The Relationship Fostered
Will there be individual traces left behind as a result of their presence? These are questions that engage the body with the living world in a tangible, meaningful and personal relationship. The dynamic relationship between the world and the body is made known and fostered when there are affordances in the environment for our body to appropriate and respond intuitively and traces of our presence as a result of that interaction. This active relationship enables us to identify ourselves with the world and to realize the causality of our being.
“ In memorable experiences of architecture, space, matter and time fuse into one singular dimension, into the basic substance of being, that penetrates our consciousness. We identify ourselves with this space, this place, this moment, and these dimensions become ingredients of our very existence. Architecture is the art of reconciliation between ourselves and the world, and this 30 PROPOSITION
mediation takes place through the senses.“
–Juhani
Pallasmaa,
Eyes
of
the
Skin
This proposition is likened to the philosophy behind the Reversible Destiny House by Arakawa and Gins is to generate an everchanging and reciprocative relationship. Challenging the orthodox of a house (an element of friction), no ground is flat and no space is designed to be dominated by a function. Living in relationship with the house requires one to constantly be on a balancing act, reconsidering each step, recalibrating their equanimity and ultimately redefining their existence [Arakawa 1997]. Each pocket of space within it is used and defined by individuals. This is how it feels to be living in an active relationship with the world, engaging our body wholly to the environment, respectfully acknowledging the endless potential within it and finding meaning of our existence through every new encounter. PROPOSITION 31
03 This speculation phase carries with it a series of experiments to interrogate and test how the proposition can be manifested and developed into an architectural ‘model’ as a conceptual platform for our project proposal.
SPECULATIONS
RIGHT: CARROL LEE
“PARTICLES IN THE ROOM” 2013
First Iteration: Particles in the Room I began envisioning a space of transition, a space between the origin and the destination. I intended to design a space that shows visible changes when one walks through it. These particles that inhabit the space, invisible to the naked eye, are magnified and hung mid-air on a wire cord attached from ceiling to floor. It becomes necessary for one to reposition these particles in order to move through the space. Each individual will walk through this space differently and because each body profile is unique, these particles will never have the same arrangement. Traces of the body’s movement are frozen in place, captured by the mechanics that keeps these particles in position until another individual trespasses this path and reconfigures the arrangement. Because these particles are placed close enough to lightly touch each other when one element is moved, the displacement in one particle is resonated, hence the effect is magnified once again. It is a platform of virtuality and endless possibilities. 34 SPECULATIONS
The engagement of the body with the world began when their movements are reflected by the mirror on the floor, relating their presence to the immediate environment. The skylight positioned directly above the space transcends the body’s relationship beyond the enclosure of walls. The reflected image of the sky, along with their body makes a poetic connection of their existence in a world beyond their immediate surrounds.
SPECULATIONS 35
RIGHT: CARROL LEE
“MALLEABLE BY HAND” 2013
Second Iteration: Malleable by Hand This is an iteration that explores a design without a site context, driven mainly by the body as the core program. The experiment is driven by the hypothesis that a material can be malleable according to the body’s movement and pressure asserted onto it, resulting in visible traces of each individual on the design. It should also have a structural quality to hold the weight of the body while allowing enough room to be moulded. The creative invention of bean bags became a platform for this experiment. The polystyrene balls are lightweight elements that are able to hold one’s body mass when they are held together. It becomes structurally possible because of the external layer that contains it. However, this also sets a limit to the morphability of these elements.
36 SPECULATIONS
Striping the polystyrene elements from external support, they need to be held together by internal forces that attract like the magnet. The variables that affect the magnetic forces of these elements are dependent on its mass, the layers of magnetic coating and the vector of magnetic field in the metal substances. Experiments have been carried out in attempt to create the right amount of magnetic force to be malleable by the hand, the body and sustain as a whole without crumbling.
SPECULATIONS 37
RIGHT: CARROL LEE
“BREATHING HALLWAY” 2013
Third Iteration: Breathing Hallway The speculations progress to focus on behaviours of the body that are instinctive rather than taught and directed. This iteration takes a site that is often perceived as static, a space that appears stagnant throughout the day, a hallway that stretches 10 meter in length, 2.5 meter in height and 1.8 meter in width, enclosed with masonry on all sides. Close to two dozen people walk across this space daily. The body that walks through this hallway could trigger a change to the environment. The installation that hangs from ceiling to floor along the wall is designed to capture the air movement created by the body that moves in this still space. Deduced from a series of test, the installation is made of compressed foam boards that swivels around its central cord, the lightweight pieces creates an undulating movement across the hall when the body is present. The tests have been carried out in this iteration to determine several variables: material type, dimensions of each unit and 38 SPECULATIONS
the tension of the cord. Arranged in parallel to the wall, this installation is an added membrane that is intended to stay as flat as the surface of the wall when the individual is absent. And yet, even this assumption is proven to be inaccurate because the space that appears to be still throughout the day is actually infiltrated by minimal amount of air flow. Thus, the foam pieces were not as static as one would imagine. The hallway is in fact, always breathing. The unseen air flow is magnified and made known to us visually through this iteration. As each individual walks with different pace, the unique consequences of the body’s presence become a tangible and traceable experience.
SPECULATIONS 39
40 SPECULATIONS
CARROL LEE “RESONATING CEILING” 2013
SPECULATIONS 41
NEXT:
Forth Iteration: Resonating Ceiling A plain standard height ceiling attracts little attention along a linear path. It is arbitrary to expect any individual to engage their body to the space above them and it is most likely that the closest encounter with the body is the contact of the ceiling space with our heads. The speculation proceeds to explore the intervention in this gap. In order to create a physical encounter with the surface of the ceiling, the installation is brought closer to the ground, hung just above the average height of the people in this building. It means more than creating a haptic experience. One single touch of these elements should be amplified, resulting in a fluid resonance across the entire length of hallway. The consequence extends beyond our body and time. The hollow core of the ping pong balls create a rhythmic tapping thus triggering the aural sense as well.
42 SPECULATIONS
The mechanics to ensure that the resonance is sustained to the end of the hallway requires several tests to determine the optimum space between each unit and ensuring the length of strings that hold these ping pong balls is identical. With unpredicted pace of movement of each individual, the horizontal strings that tie each unit together prevent the whole installation from disintegrating or tangling while keeping a constant range of distance between each ping pong balls.
Fifth Iteration: Undulating Floor The final iteration is the most elaborate experiment of this speculation phase. It is intended to include the science of gravity and body mass into the equation. The experiment takes the surface of the floor and morphs it into a mechanically designed experience. It challenges the assumption that the floor on which we trodden everyday is constantly flat. Not only will the surface of these floor tiles be suppressed when pressure is exerted, the tiles will rise gradually at different rate to its original flat plane, so the traces of our body’s footprint is visible, but ephemeral.It magnifies the effect of our weight upon the ground we step upon or the floors we walk on. The choice of material is important in this iteration. The reflectiveness of the floor tiles not only reflects an image of the environment, it also reflects us when we walk upon it. So the body that engages physically with the floor tiles changes the form, image of the environment as well as the image of our body. Hence, the spatial quality extends beyond the
CARROL LEE “UNDULATING FLOOR (1ST & 2ND VERSION)” 2013
floor plane as it projects another dimensional world. The reflected image, our body, is transformed as a result of this encounter. Thus, echoing the idea of the before and after, the cause and effects through this transitional piece of design. Additionally, the angle of daylight reflection onto adjacent walls also changes. These multiple transformations result from a haptic experience, a tangible contact between the body and the world. Perspex or acrylic was used to replace mirrors as they are less frail and less prone to chipping. This prototype takes into account the speed of walking and therefore, the floor tiles are made to rise and fall within a fixed height range. This speculation phase concluded with this prototype that merges the phenomenal experience of space through the body and the causality of our body onto the environment as a result of that tangible encounter. SPECULATIONS 43
44 SPECULATIONS
SPECULATIONS 45
ABOVE:
CARROL LEE SURFACE REFLECTANCE 2013
OPPOSITE: CARROL LEE
REFLECTED IMAGES 2013
46 SPECULATIONS
SPECULATIONS 47
ABOVE:
CARROL LEE CONSTRUCTION FLOOR 2013
OPPOSITE: CARROL LEE
“UNDULATING FLOOR” 2013
48 SPECULATIONS
SPECULATIONS 49
04
THE PROJECT Thesis Question: How will this project transform our everyday ritual into an encounter that provokes re-evaluation of the environment and our body as part of the ecology?
RIGHT: CARROL LEE
“FIRST ENCOUNTER� 2013
Bathing Through the course of history, bathing as a cultural and a spiritual practice has evolved into what is defined today as a habitual routine that takes place within a formalized space labelled as the bathroom, the water closet and the like. Persistent throughout the centuries, the act of bathing is attributed as a process of cleansing and renewal, one that involves different extent of disrobing and the everpresent, resonating character of water. These themes are inherently similar to the key ideas from the speculation phase; the renewal of our perception of self and the world through phenomenological experiences of the body.
52 THE PROJECT
THE PROJECT 53
PREVIOUS: MATHEMA
“BAGMATI RIVER BATHING” 2012
The act of cleansing and renewal Bathing is a process of cleansing and renewing of the spirit and the body. Be it a monthly, weekly or a daily affair, bathing is a routine, habitual as it is for the well-being of the body and could symbolically be an act of spiritual incarnation in the religious context. In “The Poetics of Bath in the Iliad”, bathing is described to signify transition. There a bath prepared for a soldier after every battle as they return from war to safety. And there is a bath prepared even for the dead to prepare for the afterlife [Grethlein, 2007]. In the context of religious symbolism, the holy water in Christian baptism is a ceremony to celebrate the birth of a new spirit and casting away the old. Bathing is an act between the before and after. It makes the space that facilitates bathing a space of transition, of change and has the potential for self-actualization. However, the use of space and time for bathing has differ and evolved tremendously since the age of ancient Rome. When the concept of bath house was introduced in the 56 THE PROJECT
1st century, bathing was a social affair. It was a gathering of people in a square for three to four hours daily. One might describe that it as leisure away from home. This culture remained until the end of 16th century, where concerns over water-borne diseases steered people towards bathing in private [Edwardianpromenade, 2011]. Although bathing was limited to a mere basin of water, the space for bathing was conveniently integrated into their everyday life. Often cleaning only their hands and faces, basins were placed by the bedside, next to a dressing table, in the kitchen and the like. With the technology of plumbing, hot water and the invention of flushing, a formalized space in a home that facilitates bathing came into the architectural scene in the early 20th century [Edwardianpromenade, 2011]. Bathing has been confined to a space apart from every other daily activity, thus, allowing only a small fraction of our time to bask in the act of cleansing, contemplating and renewing of the soul. Today, there are but a
little hint of attempting to integrate everyday life into the bathing ritual. One could imagine a stereotypical scene of a luxurious spa at home where music is played, glasses of wine by the tub and perhaps a tray of refreshments. Yet these scenarios may be more than mere fantasies or the experiences afforded by the privileged, these are perhaps aspirations that stemmed from the desire to bring daily activity into the bathing experience. This could be an emergence of a new way of living and the next step of evolution in the bathing culture. Perhaps the city in which we live will no longer be merely an image. What if the city is experienced through the bathing ritual that could change and renew the spirit, mind & body? The bath has the potential to become the place in which we relive the city. C. S. Lewis wrote: “One has the picture of a diver, stripping off garment after garment, making himself naked, then flashing for a moment in the air, and then down through the green, and warm, and sunlit water into
the pitch black, cold, freezing water, down into the mud and slime, then up again, his lungs almost bursting, back again to the green and warm and sunlit water, and then at last out into sunshine, holding in his hand the dripping thing he went down to get. The thing is human nature; but, associated with it, all nature, the new universe.” [1970] I would like to diverge briefly to the description of site where the experience of bathing will be embedded within the city. The Yarra River is chosen as the site of this project mainly for its history and significance in the establishment of Melbourne and the livelihood of the people since yesteryears. Through the years of rapid civilization in the 19th century, the river records a steady decline in its water quality. The name which originated from the meaning “ever-flowing” has since been a constant entity that seems distant to the livelihood of the people in the city. It became a readymade sewer. In line with current initiatives to raise awareness and evoke appreciation THE PROJECT 57
PREVIOUS: MUYBRIDGE
“TOILET; TWO MODELS, 1 DISROBING ANOTHER” 1887
Disrobing: Nakedness between body & space of the river, integrating this bath house is a deliberate proposal to draw people closer to the neglected environment, both physically and consciously. The body is the true mechanism to comprehend a space. It is the embodiment of senses in the knowing body that shapes and forms a site [Merleau-Ponty, 1963]. The act of disrobing is likened to peeling off layers between the body and site, making the body more receptive to the experience of place through the skin.
“[The skin] is the oldest and the most sensitive of our organs, our first medium of communication, and our most efficient protector […] Even the transparent cornea of the eye is overlain by a layer of modified skin […] Touch is the parent of our eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. It is the sense, which became differentiated into the others, a fact that seems to be recognized in the age-old evaluation of touch as the mother of the senses” [Montagu, 1971]. 60 THE PROJECT
RIGHT: COPANS
“THERMAE OF STONE” 2001
Not only does the body become increasingly sensitive to the surrounding space, it also becomes more aware of its own bareness. Thus, bathing brings us a step closer to perceive our bodies with more honesty. The body is now in closer intimacy with the space that envelopes it. The exposure of skin heightens the haptic sense. In the process of bathing, the body leaves behind traces of its presence; wet footprints on dry floor, handprints on walls and a breath of vapour on the mirror, all of which emerge for a while and slowly disappearing in time. Ephemeral as they may be, the traces are visible and tangible, informing us of the consequences of our being in the space. “Much more than an artistic effect, it is a staging effect, the staging of our position in the scale of the universe [Chalate, 2010],” states a commentary on the work of Peter Zumthor at the Therme Vals.
THE PROJECT 61
Water: Fluidity & Resonance Water is the medium for cleansing. After disrobing, water becomes the new layer of robe to the skin. As we observe the varied practice of bathing throughout the centuries and taking into account individual preferences as well as cultural traditions, there is a sequence in which our body immersed itself into the water - beginning from the tips of our receptors (the hands, the feet and our face) to our limbs (knee deep or waist high) and ultimately a full body submersion. Before I attempt to explain the levels of senses engaged in each level of immersion, we must first understand the attributes of water – a tangible medium that mediates our body with the space around us. Loren Eiseley stated, “ If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water 17.” Water remains stagnant without the interference of the environment and the body. It is the immediate resonance created in the water that makes the body 62 THE PROJECT
felt its very presence real in the space. This reaction itself engages the body to the water. “Human bodies are in a constant state of liquid motion: joints spiralling, fluid pumping, cells metabolizing, electrical impulses, biochemical exchanges. Illness or discomfort may be seen as an interruption of these natural spiralling or pulsing movement patterns - just as confined and stagnant water loses its vitality.” [Eiseley, 1957] Water exhibits the fluid character of our body.
“Wave-like motions, by their very nature, disrupt linear behavior, whether physical or psychological, and rhythm and vibration are often experienced as threatening, perhaps because they challenge the ego’s control. Those who are able to surrender to the water without inhibition generally experience great relief. The next level of experience after this ‘letting go’ is an expanded or altered state of consciousness.” [Firman, n.d.]
The fluid nature of water becomes the materiality of the space. The duo of body and water performs a dance, a synchronized movement. As we experience the different levels of immersion in bathing, we will begin to identify how the body relates differently to the environment and the self. The minimum and perhaps first contact with water is the act of washing ones hands, face or having the water surrounding the surface of our bare feet, immersed ankle deep. Among all senses, our haptic sensorial heightens. We could immediately detect the cold or the warmth of water that touches our skin. We may notice too, as we meet with water, that it has a reflective quality in the presence of light or a medium that is either transparent or translucent. This encounter draws our attention to the environment.
Immersing ourselves deeper, the water reaches knee deep or waist high, we become equally conscious of our body within this pool of water. The volume of water has a deeper tone, our voices dampened. If we were to walk, our limbs are restrained from walking faster. One step at a time, bathing at the point forces us to slow our pace. When we reach a point of full body immersion or to bathe from head to toe, the proprioceptive and kinaesthetic stimuli heighten. Visual and hearing senses of the surrounding become less intense. Words are vaguely articulated in this medium, clarity is found in the words spoken in our minds. The presence of self becomes immensely apparent, released from the affairs of the world and we become absorbed in our own thoughts. The varied levels of immersion inform us of our altered state of consciousness in our journey through space. THE PROJECT 63
05
IMBATHE The design of the immersion and bathing experiences.
RIGHT: CARROL LEE
“CONCEPTUAL DIAGRAMS” 2013
Immersion Sequence Imbathe is an experience of freely immersing oneself in bathing. The concept of immersion is not bound to the experience of water. The word immersion has a psychological connotation that expresses the depth of dwelling or indulgence of our thoughts and perception. These perceptions will be renewed and changed in the course of journeying through this bath house as phenomenological moments affect our body in a real and tangible way. These moments are choreographed by gradual increase in height and width of space and gradual decrease in light penetration. These mechanisms build a sequence which began with an awareness of the world around us and ultimately a reflection of ourselves.
building, creating a geometry that expands and submerges gradually into the river. The inlet of daylight from above brings every detail of the environment and space to clarity. The surrounding beyond the enclosure of this bath house also becomes accessible through these skylights. Proceeding from the entrance, the spaces gradually expand, drawing the wall and ceiling further from the body. As the journey becomes increasingly dim, the cue to orientate ourselves become more and more dependent on our balance, our body’s ability to coordinate accordingly from within. The focus then shifts gradually from engaging with the environment to engaging with our body.
Bringing the enclosures closer to our body in the beginning of this sequential experience is to draw the immediate environment physically closer to our skin. This approach informs the dimensions across the entire 66 IMBATHE
IMBATHE 67
First Encounter The feet are touched by the river water that intersects with our path, wetting just the soles as an invitation into this water body within the river. Our body is intuitively directed towards the right or the left rooms as the next step forward brings our body directly into the deep river water. Our body disrobes itself of clothing in the changing rooms, lit by reflected water rippling above the skylight. The shallow pool above creates a new material on the walls of these changing rooms as daylight penetrates through. The walls began to dance to the rippling rhythm and we find our whole body being surrounded by water but only visually. This frictional and surreal experience causes our body to identify the interplay between the visual and haptic senses. Our skin is dry but it begins to feel the change in the external temperature as layers of clothing are stripped off from the body. Humidity increases as the body proceed to the steam rooms. Water vapour has become the new layer of clothing that covers our body. 70 IMBATHE
At this juncture, our attention is drawn to the experiences that are externally triggering our synesthetic responses.
ABOVE LEFT: CARROL LEE
“1ST ENCOUNTER” 2013 ABOVE RIGHT: ERLICH
“THE SWIMMING POOL” 1999 NEXT:
CARROL LEE “FLOOR PLAN” 2013
IMBATHE 71
72 IMBATHE
IMBATHE 73
PREVIOUS: CARROL LEE
“2ND ENCOUNTER” 2013
Second Encounter Our body then proceeds to the rain room, where the river becomes the source of water that runs down to our feet like the pouring rain. The rhythmic pitter patter on the floor is composed by nature, according to the flow of river entering into this building and the force of gravity. When the tide is high and water level increases, the river water may overflow and spill over the edges that contain them. It is a deliberate experience of the world made possible by integrating existing context and the mechanics of architecture. The body experiences a greater exposure of water at this point, a new coat of water trails has now cover the skin that was previously covered with water vapour. Stepping into a pool of water that reaches knee high, our movement through the pool causes small splashes that are quickly swept away for the active waves from the rain platform. As our body lean against the tall vertical stone walls, our presence imprints wet marks on the dry semi-porous 74 IMBATHE
surfaces. The great height of these walls that enclose the rain room is three times higher than our body. Most parts of the walls remain moist but untouched by river water, until it rains outside. Droplets of water trail through the perforated roofs onto transparent rods that lead the rainwater to the surface of these walls. Nature once again intervenes and paints these walls with rain. These vertical interventions are instrumented by gravity, the pouring of river water and rain. In this room, the effects of the world prevail over the causality of our body. Yet, the ephemeral traces of our wet skin at this juncture become the opening chapter of our body’s affect on the environment. Leaving the rain room and ascending the steps, our wet feet once again leave behind prints on the floor. This is a point of transition from the coating of river water on our skin to the cleansing of pure water that will gradually envelope our entire body. It is a turning point
Third Encounter from renewal of our perception of the world to renewal of perception of our body. As one walks along the path that descends towards the dark bath, the water that is displaced by our body spills to adjacent rooms through a slit along the thick stone walls. It is a basic Archimedes principle that has a consequence on other spaces and the people in these adjacent rooms. These are spaces that contain water pools of different temperatures. On the other side of the room is a similar wall with a horizontal slit that allows penetration of daylight from the outside. Aligned with the level of the slit are resting decks that may at times cover the entire slit on the wall or reveals the daylight as they shifted up and down according to the river flow. The inlet of daylight is a dance choreographed by the waves in the river that keeps the decks afloat. Hence, the phenomenology (light, sound and water) of these rooms is altered and dependent on
horizontal interventions; instrumented by our body’s displacement of water as we move along these pools and the river flow that governs the inlet of daylight into the spaces. Walking and swimming towards the dark bath, our body is immersed with water from waist high. As the space widens and turns increasingly dark, our orientation becomes less dependent on the visual or haptic senses. Our body tries to find balance as buoyancy increases with immersion into the water. We are depending on our inner senses, the proprioceptive and kinaesthetic sensations of the body. Our focus is drawn to ourselves as we navigate our way deeper into the water. The wall that hangs down like a gateway before entering the dark pool requires the body to submerge fully into the water as a rite of passage. Submerged under the Dark Pool, the depth of this space becomes unknown to the body. IMBATHE 75
76 IMBATHE
ABOVE:
CARROL LEE “HORIZONTAL INTERVENTIONS” 2013
NEXT:
CARROL LEE “FRITE OF PASSAGE” 2013
IMBATHE 77
RIGHT: CARROL LEE
“FLOATING ISLAND” 2013
Self-Actualization The soles of our feet depart from the ground that supported our weight and are now relying entirely on the kinaesthetic senses to remain afloat. Immersed fully under water, the surrounding sound dampens and aural clarity is found only in the sound of our own humming voices and our heartbeat. In this dark space, the environment no longer gives sufficient cues to the body to make sense of its orientation. We began to fix our attention on our breathing and to take notice of our own body. Our body will emerge above the water and in time find a place of rest. The floating island that is held in place by tension cords stays afloat at just the appropriate level for our arms to lean above it. By doing so, part of our body weight that rests upon the island will cause it to tilt. The top surface of this floating island is a reflective material that reflects the small inlet of daylight from the perforated ceiling above to the surrounding dark walls. The angle of incidence and reflectance is dependent on our body’s weight that rests upon the island. This mechanism integrates 78 IMBATHE
the physics of material buoyancy in water and principle of light into the equation to create this tangible experience. Most importantly, our body mass becomes the main variable instrument to create a visible effect of our presence to the space. And this effect, too, is caused by our unique differences in weight and movement in water. The Dark Pool is a space that magnifies the body as the sole cause that changes the environment, highlighting the causality of our individual presence. Immersing oneself in the water again, our closed eyes may vaguely sense a dim inlet of daylight through an unseen opening, somewhere behind and along the edge of this dark massive wall. If the body should find its way to emerge on the other side of the wall, we will find a world that has always been surrounding our journey of perception renewal and discovery, our bathing and cleansing experiences. The presence of the river has become an engaging entity than merely an image. IMBATHE 79
RIGHT: UNKNOWN
“NATURE WALLPAPER SET 66� 2013
Perspiring Walls The walls of this bath house are more than mere enclosure. Like the skin of our body, these walls perspire and exhale in response to the difference between indoor and outdoor temperature. When the hot vapour rises from the pools through the perforated roofs, the warm air released to the public path above is felt by pedestrians. The walls along these paths perspire as a result of condensation when hot air that rises from below meets the cooler surface of skylight, where droplets formed incline and fall towards the eaves before trickling onto these walls. Hence, the walls are almost always wet or visibly moist even on a warm sunny day. This frictional phenomenon could stir a sense of curiosity. It brings the public closer to the water as they walk along the river edges while making them notice that the river water manifests itself into different forms and is present on exterior surfaces and our skin.
80 IMBATHE
The Poetics of Ink + Wash Water has been a consistent element throughout the design of this project. The fluidity of water not only heightens the phenomenological experiences within the bath but also expresses the beauty of its movement on paper. With the addition of ink, rooms are defined and spaces come into being. However, it is able to embrace that water, in actual scenario, bleeds and spills across boundaries in the bath house, turning the several encounters of water into a single, sequential and seamless journey. Communicating these ideas through the method of ink + wash enables us to feel the nature of water and the imbathing experiences with our eyes.
IMBATHE 81
PREVIOUS: CARROL LEE
“IMBATHE” 2013
Conclusion Imbathe is an experiential and a transitional journey that creates a renewed perception of the river that flows through the city and the dynamic relationship between our body and the existing water body surrounding our everyday life. New synesthetic maps are triggered within the body through frictional and magnified phenomenon of regular encounters with water, light and space.
RIGHT: SUTTON
“UNDERWATER GIRL” 2012
As a cleansing and perception-renewing activity, this project sets a model that can be further implied and applicable in all contexts that we encounter from day to day.
Mechanical and scientific principles are instruments used to cause noticeable and obvious effects on our state of consciousness towards the environment and our body. While each encounter is carefully considered and designed to create varying intensity and awareness, the bath provides affordances that allow the body the respond intuitively to the intervention of nature and physics. Ultimately, the imbathing experiences converge to convey the causality of our individual presence in the world; consequences that are evident and tangible, engaging our body once again to the immediate context- the river. 84 IMBATHE
IMBATHE 85
06
BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES
Bibliography & Text References:
Bal, M., 2007. Light Politics. In: M. Grynsztein, ed., Take Your Time: Olafur Eliasson, San Francisco & London, pp. 156-157. Blakeslee, S., 2007. The Body has a Mind of its own, Random House Trades Paperback,
New York, pp. 12.
Crary, J., 1997. Olafur Eliasson: Visionary Events. [pdf] Berlin / Muttenz: Schwabe &
Co. Available at http://www.olafureliasson. net/publications/download_texts/Eliasson_ Visionary_Events.pdf [Accessed 19th August 2013] Eliasson, O., 2006. Olafur Eliasson: Your Colour Memory, Arcadia University Art Gallery, Glenside, pp. 75-83. Eliasson, O., 2009. Frictional Encounters, In: M. Asgaard, H. Oxvig, eds., Paradoxes of Appearing, Baden, Switzerland, pp. 130-147. Eliasson, O., 2010. Milk Skin with Grass. In: NOMA, Time & Place in Nordic Cuisine, London & New York, pp. 6-9. Eliasson, O., 2013. Your Gravitational Now. In: D. Featherstone, J. Painter, eds.,
Spatial Politics: Essays for Doreen Massey, Chichester, pp. 125-132.
THE PROJECT
PROPOSITION
ARTIST: OLAFUR ELIASSON M.K., 2004. With Inadvertent Reliance. In: O. Eliasson, G. Orskou, ed.,
Jensen,
Olafur Eliasson: Minding the World, Aarhus, pp. 121.
Merleau-Ponty, M. ed., 1962. Phenomenology of Perception, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, pp. 12-13. Obrist, H.U., 2002. Conversation between
Olafur Eliasson and Han Ulrich Obrist.
[pdf] Paris: Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Available at: http://www. olafureliasson.net/publications/download_ texts/Conversation_HUO_OE.pdf [Accessed 12th August 2013] Thomson, Iain, “Heidegger’s Aesthetics”,
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2011 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), Available at <http://plato.stanford. edu/archives/sum2011/entries/heideggeraesthetics/>.
Arakawa,
Architecture:
Procedural Biocleaveconfigurature.
1997.
[online] Available at: <http://www. reversibledestiny.org/#!proceduralarchitecture-%e2%96%91%e2%96%91bioscleaveconfigurature> [Accessed 24 October 2013]
Chalate, 2010. The Thermae of Stone. Peter Zumthor’s documentary Part 2. [video online] Available at: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=ZxBqLQbExm4 [Accessed 25 September 2013]
edwardianpromenade, 2011. Bathroom: History of the Home [1/4]. [video online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=inoVg5a1kps [Accessed 23 September 2013]
edwardianpromenade, 2011. Bathroom: History of the Home [4/4]. [video online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=_jddn99d5Ck [Accessed 23 September 2013] Eiseley, L., 1957. The Immense Journey, Vintage Books, New York. Firman, S., n.d. Liquid in Motion: Water as Healer. [online] Available at http:// www.aquapoetics.com/liquid-in-motion. html#axzz2fUzgTQ5V [Accessed 30 September 2013] Grethlein, J., 2007. The Poetics of the Bath in the Iliad, Department of the Classics, Harvard
University, pp. 29.
Lewis, C.S., 1970. God in the Dock: Essays on Theology, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company. Merleau-Ponty, M., 1963. The Structure of Behaviour. Beacon Press, Boston, pp. 168. Montagu, A., 1971. Touching: The Human Significance of the skin, Harper & Row, New York, pp. 3.
88 BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES
BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES 89
Image References: IMBATHE
ARTIST: OLAFUR ELIASSON Timeless Garden
New York Waterfalls
Your Natural Denudation Inverted
(2001) Timeless Garden [Photograph] At: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wkMGkUQbn_k/ UYvxJp0a1tI/AAAAAAAADhk/732eLBp4wIg/ s640/model+eliasson+2.jpg (Accessed 14.08.13)
(2008) New York Waterfalls [Photograph] At: http://imbibenewyork.files.wordpress. com/2008/08/new-york-waterfallchampagne-cruise.jpg (Accessed 15.08.13)
(1999) Your Natural Denudation Inverted [Photograph]At:http://bombsite.com/ images/attachments/0001/8225/ Eliasson_05_body.jpg (Accessed 18.08.13)
(2001) Timeless Garden [Photograph] At: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gibxEeTvPtM/ UYvxIdSdxVI/AAAAAAAADhY/toeTFtXjOzk/ s640/model+eliasson+1.jpg (Accessed 14.08.13) (2001) Timeless Garden [Photograph] At:http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bw_ IkcwbPAo/URQn7NLUn3I/AAAAAAAAEnQ/ DrmndGMrJoE/s400/Light-Show-ExhibitionOpening-@-Hayward-Gallery-21.jpg (Accessed 14.08.13)
(2008) New York Waterfalls [Photograph] At: http://ad009cdnb.archdaily.net/wp-content/ uploads/2010/07/1280544101-new-yorkcity-waterfalls-photo-jskrybe.jpg (Accessed 15.08.13) (2008) New York Waterfalls [Photograph] At:http://photos.wikimapia. org/p/00/00/38/68/09_big.jpg (Accessed 15.08.13)
PROPOSITION Tsingo, S., (2013) Reversible Destiny House [Photograph] At: http://thefunambulist. net/2013/04/29/arakawagins-reversibledestiny-loft-in-action-a-tentativereport-from-a-resident-by-shingotsuji/#more-12419 (Accessed 25.10.13)
Your Blind Movement
THE PROJECT
(2010) Your Blind Movement [Photograph] At: http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6222/63488573 74_03dc78f14d_z.jpg (Accessed 16.08.13)
Mathema, P., (2012) Bagmati River Bathing [Photograph] At: http://hungeree.com/tag/ bagmati-river/ (Accessed 20.09.13)
Green River Project
(2010) Your Blind Movement [Photograph] At:http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/1U9u9S2yot8/ maxresdefault.jpg (Accessed 16.08.13)
(1998) Green River Project [Photograph] At: http://www.eikongraphia.com/wordpress/ wp-content/Eliasson_Green_river_1998_ Moss__Norway.jpg (Accessed 14.08.13)
(2010) Your Blind Movement [Photograph] At: http://orientalvisart.files.wordpress. com/2010/04/dsc00600.jpg (Accessed 16.08.13)
Muybridge, E., (1887) Toilet; two models, 1 disrobing another [Photograph] At: http:// projects.vanartgallery.bc.ca/publications/ Walking_and_Falling/?p=222 (Accessed 02.09.13)
(2001) Timeless Garden [Photograph] At: http://www.manoelabowles.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/02/Olafursite.jpg (Accessed 14.08.13)
(2001) Green River Project [Photograph] At: http://images.tate.org.uk/sites/default/files/ styles/grid-normal-8-cols/public/images/ green_river_tokyo_0.jpg (Accessed 15.08.13) (2000) Green River Project [Photograph] At: http://www.designandenvironment. co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/GreenRiver-2000-Stockholm-Olafur-Eliasson.jpg (Accessed 15.08.13) 90 BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES
The Weather Project (2003) The Weather Project [Photograph] At: http://everystockphoto.s3.amazonaws.com/ olafur_eliasson_weather_1409062_o.jpg (Accessed 16.08.13)
Erlich, L., (2012) The Swimming Pool Illusion [Photograph] At: http://twistedsifter. com/2012/08/fake-swimming-pool-illusionby-leandro-erlich/ (Accessed 25 September 2013)
(2013) Nature Wallpaper Set 66. [Photograph] Available at: http://awesomewallpapersblog. com/category/nature/ (Accessed 01.10.13) Sutton, P., (2012) Underwater Girl [Photograph] Available at: http://www.jacobsutton. com/index.php?section=exhibition_work (Accessed 22.09.13)
Copans, R., (2001) The Thermae of Stone
- Peter Zumthorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s documentary Part 2.
[video] Available at: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=ZxBqLQbExm4 [Accessed 25 September 2013] Thesis prepared by : Carrol Lee Date of printing: 1st November 2013 Studio: Architecture after Art University of Melbourne, Australia
BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES 91