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I read a paper by k. michael hays that said “The real object of architecture is autonomous from our encounter with it. If we close our eyes, the visible object that is the mound disappears, but the real object of architecture remains.” and that’s so true. architecture lives within us. It’s more than just the building itself. It’s the experience of it, the idea of it, its location, the ground beneath it, the people behind it, the feelings it invokes within you.
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gonna butcher this take As I don’t have relevant readings to hand… let me know if u want them ☺️
But this is most obvious in large-scale architectural elements such as town squares, where co-presence is emphasised thereby promoting commerce in the area. However this also is true for small, domestic architecture, e.g layouts of old English manors emphasise a distinction between master and servant thus perpetuating this class relationship (I assume work has also been done about women’s domestic role in this same vein but I do not know it)
However the bit I think is interesting (and most relevant!) is the notion that architecture’s generative effect on social relationships acted as a catalyst for the development human society at the very beginning of culture. Having a single enclosed space immediately creates a dynamic between resident and outsider, and having multiple enclosed spaces together only further adds to and complexifies the possibLe social relationships that can be established.
Soooo the reason I think houses can be so scary is because by subverting any of the various ways domestic space works, be it through an intrusion (violation of social relationship generated by space), impossibility (Kubrick-style corridors) or some other thing, the very foundational brick of all of our societal structures is shown to be fragile, or whateva 😎 think u get the point yap over
Dec 28, 2024
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buildings are sentient and evil MF, if ykyk. Associated by a tangent only but there’s a great essay by Kenneth Frampton (towards critical regionalism) about what postmodern architecture is reg. the flattening and fracturing of deconstructionism and monoculturalism.
Jan 16, 2025
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does anyone else ever think about how modern architecture and interior design is a great visual indicator of a net loss of individuality and creativity in society as a whole, with startlingly sterile environments becoming indicators of wealth and status, rather than the creative freedom to make one’s own unique environment a reality. and do you ever think about how it all ties back to how increasingly digital everything is in our world now?
^ shared this elsewhere previously but I feel those on this app will have some interesting ideas and insights on the topic…
Mar 20, 2025
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I‘m wondering why we stopped having blogs and writing essays? I want to hear people’s thoughts. I want to share my thoughts! and I don’t want to see these thoughts in a few sentences on twitter or a short Instagram post. I need a 1000+ word essay with images, links, references, book recs, and everything else. I wanna know what’s going on inside your brain.
Feb 20, 2024
I need to share this list I made because it is such a blessing to me that I can just open youtube or vimeo and watch these lovely little movies. there’s a range of them like bergman, tarkovsky, polish films, art-house, weird matthew gray gubler short, experimental horror, short films from the 20’s. how fun.
Jun 8, 2024