Academic Paper - Theoretical Debate - Design Manifesto
Interior Design & Architecture
Online Portfolio - Iulia Moldovan
Academic Paper - Theoretical Debate - Design Manifesto
The bodily senses in the Digital Era
We no longer move in houses; we move online.
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We no longer work physically, we work digitally.
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We no longer explore places; we scroll down the digital screen to see them.
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We no longer belong to architectural space; we belong to digital space.
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We no longer reminisce on our senses when being in a space, we take photographs.
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We are no longer in 'haptic contact' with our built environments, but in digital contact.
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We no longer use our touch, but our sight as the mother of senses.
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We no longer have architecture of the self, but architecture of the selfie.
From a piece of architecture, it becomes a photo opportunity, people being interested in the masterpiece just for the sake of taking selfies and not for the actual architectural merit, giving the building more of a virtual meaning.
An example of how technology has influenced the way we interact with the built environment is the behavior of tourists who visit the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin.
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German-Israeli artist, Shahak Shapira being repulsed by tourist`s absurd actions when taking selfies at the Memorial, replaced the background of their photographs with horrors from the concentration camps that actually happened. This was to raise awareness of the meaning of that place. Awareness of the atmosphere that the architectural environment suggests. Awareness to how insensitive and senseless people have become around architecture.
We are losing our bodily senses along with our 'sense of presence'.
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Therefore:
How will we exist?
How will architecture, design and humans coexist?
What will happen to our buildings?
Who will be left to value them for their true aesthetic?
What will architecture become?
What will we become?
Sight – ‘the sense of distance and separation’
Touch – ‘the sense of intimacy, nearness and affection’
Hearing – ‘the sense that helps us understand spaces’
Smell – ‘the sense that helps us remember spaces’
Taste – ‘the most archaic origin of architectural space is in the cavity of the mouth’
What if we designed for all our senses?
What if we designed buildings that move us?
What if we designed atmospheres?