UNITE
PROF - DANIEL ROEHR
A6 - 1 - TACTILE BODY SPACE
14/10/23
49.26244633416839, -123.25202315285762
A1 - Time to Align
A2 - Adding Dimension
A3 - Mapping
A4 - Above, At & Below Ground
A5 - Using Our Hands
A6 - 1 - Tactile Body Space
A6 - 2 - Flow of Experience
A7 - 1 - Forest vs Engine
A8 - 1 - Tuning In & Windplay
A8 - 2 - Sonicollage
A9 - Smell Notes
A10 - 1 - Taste Rave
A10 - 2 - Drinking Object
A11 - 1 - Seeing > Visual Thinking
A11 - 2 - Pattern—Re—Pattern
A12 - Summary
In the previous exercise, our attention was honed in on articulating the tactile essence of an object or the sensation a material imparts upon our touch. Advancing to this assignment, we're broadening our tactile exploration to a grander scale, delving into the more intricate process of interpreting the feel of being within a space.
Process
This process, with its augmented complexity, invites us to experience and interpret exo-spatial and endo-spatial tactile impressions as if the subject is the environment and we are the object this time around. As part of our in-class activity, we engaged in a guided exploration where we, along with our drawing partners, navigated to a designated area on campus while blindfolded. This exercise aimed at fostering a deeper, intimate familiarity with our surroundings.
After attempting to use graphite to document my experience, I transitioned to my laptop, curious if literary expression can describe the screenshots I failed to capture gesturally. As I write this fortnite-postmordem (that just sounds cool!) Sontag’s ideas on photography and Zwicky’s ideas on image capture inspire me to package my reflections in a corny expression: “a picture’s worth a thousand words, a word’s worth a thousand acts”.
Below, I offer two varying texts — eyes closed, and eyes open — followed by an analytical table comparing the expressions of my impressions (sounds a bit cheesy). What follows that is a conclusion with some thoughts regarding multisensory analysis and the potential of literary arts (an art I’ve felt heavily insecure about for too long, and am still struggling with, especially in relationships.)
i am trying to type on the keyboard. the senses that i am having. i am blind folded. so somw lwtrrwes and words might not make sense. i sense my breath. it feels normal about 80 percent as i opwn my wyws i see aglimmer through the night mask and a bit of an opening that i am trying not to peak through. as i close my eyese i am technically stil able to see. i see shapes. everything is dark. but there is a moving very slowly mmoving and shifting npoise pattern. i hear people and noises around me. but i am going to skip writing about sound for now. i feel the sense of time is not as graspable or as metric as when i have mypeyes open. and i like that. i feel the presssure of the concrete under me. its as if its only made of two tones equal in size forcing againts the sit bones. i also sense a skid stopper or a skateboard preventer thingy gently against my right tigh. i can feel the fabric of the scottish wool in the area of my lower neck left side. are thoughts so ubiquuitous that they are too a sense of sorts? maybe this is what they say in medittation in reference to thoughts and feelings occupying the same infiniteness of consciouensness,. i feel the keyboard of coursrse. i feel a bit chained to the f and j keys with tier comforting touch. i f feel my left shoulder muscles and tendon and joint tighter than mypright one. i am feeling a burn on my right side i assume the sun is there.
if eel tension in my mid spine. tdaniel is here sharing heirarchy ideas with jose and he's nezt to us and i can smell him. he reminds me of elders from home. i am feeling a tear exiting my left eye. makes me puzzled. earlier i felt a bit of.a wind from rigth side which i assume to be north. now i don't feel the wind. the bunr is intensified and is mainly around my knee area. i just heard a guide with kids around 9 years old who said you see it says here do not touch with strong articulation. I've changed my posture and im not as erect anymore. slouched and feet facing more toward one another, feels more natural. lips feel dry so i lick them . the burn is now felt on my neck right side. as daniel says 10 minutes i wonder if it feels like a lot longer time has passed. i wonder if people in captivity feel forever trapped or solitary confinement because of no markers for elapsing of time. i guess i can explore sound now. the humm of the hvac is comforting to the back left side. im hearing someone laugh and im drawn to their inhaling more so than i normaly would. initially i drew my surroundings but typing feels easier even though i might be making a ton of errors. every now and then a bird will fly by and its such a nice surprise. when someone passes me i can see it even in the blindfold . i am now drawn to what sounds like a skateboard twenty five meters back left. im hearing marina and jose speak. the construction feels on and off but there is a general hum a bit higher putch i was caught off guard by swallowing and feeling strange in my throat so i forgot what i wanted to say. or explore. interesting with marinas laugh im noticing the exhale in contrast to the virst laugh of the other person, possibly sheena.
i feel safe. i wonder if its because i know we are all doing this necessary to our insane world exercise. the sound on my left feels echoye i assume there is a chamber or a tunnel more south or more left.
im taking my shirt off. i feel reluctant as it might be against protocol or perceived as weird or different.
so i moved back a foot. and there is grass and its cool and with my shirt off i felt much cooler. but only what felt like 4 seconds. the i feel warm and hot now too. but i am sensing the wind which might ve been there the entire time. its coming in gentle gusts or caresses from left side. my back against the concrete steps one inch up my scapula. i heard daniel say five minutes left which again felt a lot longer since the last ten minute warning. or reminder. jose is sharing his kidnapping story. mmmmmmmmmm the wind feels amazing. i hear rustling but it doesn't sound like leafs. so i wonder whawt that is. kids are out and they seem controlled if that makes sense. organized i guess. low harmony . i hear someone opening a wrapper, but im not hundred percent sure. itwhats musterious to me is that at once i can see this dark noise and i can see whats infront of me as i imagine this space from previous passing bys. I've always wanted to visit here ad sit here, but there is so much to explore and many places to sit at on campus. im feeling a sense of gratitude flush in. i am thankful to be in the program and share my expperience with this mini world here. i hear younger kids now maybe 3 or 2.4 to my right and fifty meters away. im grateful to have the ability to see when i need it. even though i feel more sensitivive than my family maybe not my brother. were similar with our sensitivity. and even though id prefer to lose my eyes than my ears the thought of not having my eyesight feels very frightening. but then im reminded that id have support. and that brubgs brings me a tingling in my nose like the one when you're about to cry. and u feek kycjtfeel lucky abour thatl.
now i will type out what i am sensing with the blindfold off.
first thought. i feel the visual world is more high definition. the shadows and highlights are more precise and deeper if that's possible. there is more dimensionality i guess...
second big thought, i feel overwhelmed with the visual stimulus where i studied the environment trying to get a sign or an invitation of what to draw on the ipad. i looked at the ipad and my hand felt nothing from upstairs.
I am also noticing with my visual world open i am externalized more. My eyes are drawn to faces of people walking by. the thing that brings me back to present or now are the birds that i cant see, but imagine are these cracks in the sky where for a moment this world opens up to allow a different entity.
interestingly i am hearing a hum of what sounds like an airplane and its such a roomy full sound. rather than having a range or a cone of sound within 20 degrees it felt more like 100 or 120 degrees. makes me assume it is a large plane that is really far away. a different entity from a different world, either through trillion infinitesimal pours or only large portal.
oh there is another one. classmate next to me commented on how it sounds like thunder. and i agree. the second acoustic entity did sound so much more impactful with more attack and higher frequency. with a shorter sustain or release.
oh and a third one! i wish i could record it so i could share it with some friends. This one seems more ambient and smaller in dimension. they all appeared within 15-20 seconds from one another.
A group of preschoolers walked by and one of them walked along the front steps saying hi in a whisper with a modest hand gesture, a wave. as he got closer to me I said hi and extended my hand for a fist bump.
we've moved to the grass hill on the south west side of the first spot. I feel reluctant to document anything. I am now going to return to the last comment of the child sharing his fist with me. I still remember his expression. Not joy or excitement. More like presence and intention. His fist felt like a hand youd extend during your first greeting with a dog. gentle but assertive (or at least intentional). His contact — skin and flesh, felt like Olivers, but smaller and softer. I wonder what that would feel like for someone to fist bump Oliver for the first time when he was that young.
The nuanced exploration and analysis of the 'Eyes Closed' and 'Eyes Open' texts across ten faculties offer insight that could be harnessed in my architectural studies and future endeavors in dream therapy — in particular the narrative and articulative power of the word in addition to picture. This may be possible, in my opinion due to the magnitude of abstraction/immateriality that a word can reach vs an image that is more concrete.
The sensory awareness highlighted in the texts is a testament to the importance of multisensory engagement in architectural design, potentially enriching the spatial experiences created for occupants. The shift in narrative voice and structure from a more exploratory to an organized approach reflects the iterative process inherent in architectural design and the disciplined exploration required in dream therapy (a nascent vision of mine).
The contrasting temporal perceptions could inspire innovative designs that manipulate spatial and temporal experiences. The active social engagement and emotional resonance observed could inform a more empathetic and user-centered design approach, which is helpful in creating spaces that resonate with individuals on a personal level. Furthermore, the harmony between reflective and observational stances adopted in the texts could translate to a more mindful and attentive practice, facilitating a deeper understanding of clients' needs and aspirations.
Lastly, this analytical journey through the lens of literary and experiential faculties might not only enrich my architectural and therapeutic practices but also provide a holistic understanding of the dynamic interplay between internal states, external environments, and interpersonal relationships.