The creation of architecture depends on the possibilities of representation; and if the atmospheric qualities that cannot be portrayed are “the very essence” of architectural spaces, then conventional architectural representation is falling short to portray the core of the works of architecture we study and more importantly, is narrowing the possibilities for the creation of new ones. This studio aims to extend our design toolbox as architects and to imagine architecture as a meaningful experience. For a month, we will remove our certainties about representation and design, and play —curiously and without expectations— with materials, lights, textures, sounds, smells or colours, to convey an atmosphere.
- Guillermo Rojas-Alfaro
PLAY THEM TOGETHER
Perception goes well beyond the five senses. Realism lost its value the moment we were able to capture reality through cameras, phones, and lenses. This is where the blurriness of an exact form attempts to capture the invisible and make it somewhat visible. The three tones were ‘Overwhelm’, ‘Anxious’, and ‘Fear’. Yet, one tone bleeds into the other, the chromaticity of colour, sense, and sounds, mixed all together to what we call an emotional porridge. What we felt was fluid; it has no form, which is why we chose to express those feelings in no particular order. We want to share how we felt imagining spatial scale and its plurality and vagueness, a “sustained feeling of being in a situation” and its effect. we encourage you to follow through by coming up close, listening, engaging, touching, and maybe even closing your eyes as you go through the exhibit.
Black paints my world
Whites fade into greys
Red colours my sight
No empathy
It creeps right behind me
My eyes turn away
My breath expels
Yet I stay.
Walls collapse in
Flooring shifts
Space feels smaller
No room
senses limited
as my eyes stay affix
on a distant light
I stay
Along the path, a red
light draws me in
warmth is expected
yet there is a lack thereof
a chill that invites
somehow comforted
or am I just used to it
“Stay...” it says
To us, reading is about finding familiarity in the unfamiliar. We want you to experience the vagueness of reading something you do not know, in a place you do not know. At first, you might feel a little doubt, or insecure. A bleak mysteriousness fogs your perception of what is known. Yet, like a rising plot in a book, you fall into its grasp. You don’t want to know the truth, yet you know you want to be surprised. Your mind starts to wander as your curiosity tries to make sense of it, you fear its blurriness, yet it's the only thing giving you the liberty of mind. You start to dream. You start to feel.
You feel the change of atmospheric weight as you start to fall deeper into reading. You sense clarity fading slowly, and time becomes irrelevant as you try to make sense of the shift in volumetric awareness; you become absorbed in your own feeling of anxiety. You hear your thoughts clearly, honestly; you haven’t in a very long time. Though it may be uncomfortable, you rediscover a part of your senses. You are careful to ensure it doesn't fade. You touch it, it reacts back.
You are now nearing the end of your book. The space around you now begins to expand. You find relief, while you become less aware of your thoughts and logic comes back. You feel stiff and rigid, you want to go back to that vagueness. To go back into the void of endless creation, anxiety, and fear. It overwhelms you, and you want to feel that way. In fear, you are safe.
MSD_Making the Invisible visible 2022 WINTER
Subject Leader & Coordinator: Guillermo Rojas-Alfaro & Prof. Justyna Karakiewicz
Group: Nicholas Ng, Kathie Li, Lexi Wanyu Ren
PHOTO CR: Mason Mo