Pre-Departure Essay: The Eyes of the Skin

Pre-Departure Essay: The Eyes of the Skin

            In preparation for Studio Rome, those attending were tasked with reading an excerpt from the book The Eyes of the Skin, in the form of chapter one. The goal was to explore their realities as designers and expand the possibilities beyond what they had already learned. The author, Juhani Pallasmaa, engages the reader by challenging them to think beyond relying or focusing on one sense and instead utilizing all senses to create life-altering places. The study of this narrative, along with sketching and other articles throughout the semester, has lent a sense of renewal in the design process as well as an urgency to reset the students’ normal. Through the exploration of The Eyes of the Skin, one can further understand how much design is dominated by visuality, how technologically entranced the people are, and how art and architecture fundamentally shape individual experiences.

            The author states, “Western culture has been dominated by ocularcentric paradigm, a vision generated, vision centered interpretation of knowledge, truth and reality…The art of the eye has certainly produced imposing and thought-provoking structures, but it has not facilitated human rootedness in the world.” ( Juhan Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin) One of the main proponents gleaned from this reading was the desire of the author to see people be more in tune with the space around them and to see them engaged with the space rather than just being visually stunning or provocative. This idea of ocular centrism is rooted in the desire people have to look at visually appealing things, but design has to go beyond that. Architectural design has to encompass all senses in order to be a good design. One wouldn’t want to walk through a beautifully crafted hallway, only to slip and fall due to an ill-thought design choice, or scrape their palms should they need to lean against the wall for whatever reason. Society, especially today with even more advancement in technology, is so ingratiated to their phones and taking snapshots of everything so they can look at it later, without actively participating in thought and observation of the space they are in. This idea of  “observing and processing it through digital photography” is not inherently bad, it allows people to revisit memories, but in order to create those memories to go back to, one must first be entangled with observation in the present to truly partake in the beauty of the spaces surrounding them.

This leads to another point made by the author who wrote, “The built environment, ‘has become an art of the printed image fixed by the hurried eye of the camera…The gaze itself flattens into a picture and loses its plasticity. Instead of experiencing our being in the world, we behold it from outside as spectators of images projected on the surface of the retina.’” ( Juhan Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin) Why would anyone want to experience the beauty of Rome and all of the history and architecture it has to offer through a picture when given the opportunity to experience it firsthand? When gifted the chance to stand in the Vatican or make a wish at the Trevi fountain, would it make sense to absorb the beauty and awe of the architectural wonders, or to take a picture and walk away to look at it later? If the latter is their answer, tell them to stay home and look at pictures online, because that is the same feeling they are relegating themselves to. People should be transfixed by the world around them, otherwise, appreciation for beautiful architecture gets replaced by cynicism and resentment.

“A powerful architectural experience silences all external noise; it forces our attention on our very existence…it makes us aware of our fundamental solitude.” ( Juhan Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin) Someone who can not be alone in a room with themselves can not encapsulate what it means to experience powerful architecture. Many tend to get too anxious when alone, but if they are in a space that encompasses all the five senses, they would be too busy to stew in unwanted thoughts. They would be enthralled by the textures they can see and feel, the visual beauty of materiality, the curated sounds, or the silence around them, the unique smells that accompany any space, and even the taste of the air as they take in all that surrounds them. Then, they might understand that human beings might not be solitary creatures, but they are fundamentally alone. As each individual experiences a space differently even if it is at the exact same time. Just as people have different expectations and experiences when meeting other people. It all starts with a greeting. As Pallasmaa says, “The door handle is the handshake to the building.” ( Juhan Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin) That means more than just the physical handle as well. One can interpret that to mean the entryway plays a vitally important role in the overall experience of a building. If someone is greeted by an ornate door with a beautifully crafted doorknob and knocker, they would have a certain expectation of the interior to match the connotation of their experience at the door. That can be further expanded into the idea of expectations of Rome as well. One can either subdue and manage their expectations or they can expand them and go into the experience with an open mind in order to subvert expectations not being met, which often leads to disappointment. Architecture is fundamental and also has expectations of people.

“Architecture initiates, directs and organizes behavior and movement…Consequently, basic architecture experiences have a verb form rather than being nouns.” ( Juhan Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin) This quote from the reading illustrates the aforementioned idea that architecture also has expectations of people. Through directionality, behavior mapping and the understanding of fundamental needs, a designer creates intention for the space. Thus, the desire of a space is born as well, because once it is built and the designer is gone, the space itself may function as an independent being, almost. It will have designed pathways, but one could diverge if possible, creating a new function and intention within that space, such as when people subvert the use of pre-planned pathways and sidewalks only to create their own, often more direct or adventurous, walkways. It is reminiscent of the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, and its most quoted line, “Two roads diverged in a wood and I- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” (Frost, The Road Not Taken)  People thrust their own desires and intentions onto a space and those continuous expectations lead to action from the architecture itself. Some of those practical expectations and challenges have to do with scale and how people fit and navigate through a space. Pallasmaa explores the thought that, “Understanding architectural scale implies the unconscious measuring if the object with one’s body scheme in the space.” ( Juhan Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin) If the space is meant to occupied, passed through or utilized by people in any way, there has to be consideration to scale and how that affects the end user. If the design concept of the space is to make everyone feel small in scale, then all of the walls and furniture will be of astronomical proportions, but if the space is meant to be used everyday by the average man and woman, the space shouldn’t force people to become Alice down the rabbit hole trying to fit into spaces not designed for them. Instead the designer should be Goldilocks and find what fits just right. Everyone, either consciously or subconsciously, tries to find the right fit for them by inserting themselves into the design, be that physically or metaphorically.

People have a unique relationship with architecture beyond that of shelter, even if they do not realize it. That unconscious desire to insert oneself into a space bares credence to that. The reading paints it beautifully when the author states, “Architecture is the art of reconciliation between ourselves and the world, and this meditation takes place through the senses.” ( Juhan Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin) Good architecture cannot be created without taking place within the scope of the human senses. Individual experiences are shaped by each person’s unique relationship with their own senses and the understanding of how those senses drive expectations. Everyone deserves to have enjoyable experiences with the architecture they encounter, unfortunately not every experience will be pleasurable, and that is because not everyone thinks beyond visual appeal when it comes to architectural design. There are too many who will never get to experience all of the beauty Rome has to offer because a vast portion of the city is inaccessible to those with disabilities. That dichotomy of desire to witness such beauty with the depressing realization that not everyone will have those same opportunities is an important reason to take in all of one’s surroundings all the time, so that there can be beautiful, and functional design catering to the senses of all. To foster a good relationship with the world, one must first look inwards at their own biases and expectations, and subvert the technologically reliant, ocular centric demise of art and architecture that shape the world around them.

Sources

·         Pallasmaa, J. (2024). The eyes of the skin: Architecture and the Senses. Wiley.

Chapter One Excerpt

·         Frost, R. (n.d.). The Road Not Taken. essay.