The Visual Sense is not the Groundwork in the Architectural

Experience
A Term Paper for Theory of Architecture 1
Author/s: Batoon, Carla Janine
Danghala, Catherine
Labor, Michaella
Portades, Jan Vincent
Mapua University, Manila, Philippines

Abstract: This paper discusses the historical development of how ocularcentrism works towards modernity. It shows how
the vision has limits that other senses could do is the touch, hear, taste and smell. The ocularcentrism wronged
the perception on how the architecture works. Since, it will testify the dominance of other senses over the
vision, it will show the downside of using vision alone. It highlights the ability of the other senses which
normally the eyes cannot do. The alienation between people and architecture will be discussed as the eye
became nihilistic to other senses. It suggests that with every senses are present, there will be a connection
between nature and architecture reaching its full experience to the people.
Keywords: Ocularcentrism, Hapticity, Modern Architecture

INTRODUCTION
Architecture cannot only be seen through the eyes but also with our skin. As Ma Yonsong (n.d.) stated,
Architecture is all about involvement: visual as well as what you can come in contact with, so as well what
you can feel. They say that our dominant sense is the sight, but that as it may, encountering the world
fundamentally through our eyes leaves us an isolated observer. By just looking at something, we make a
separation among ourselves and the item. By touching it we experience a connection with it. If only one
sense is being used, how far would a normal human being understand and experience such a thing? Human
beings gain knowledge through their senses about their surroundings and about themselves. Our senses are
our learning tools. This experience is restricted if one sense is primarily used.
It is essential to think of architecture by detecting the apparent outer past – that is, by taking into
consideration the emptiness by feeling linked to much more than we see it is just as essential to encompass
what nature has built to ensure that beauty is still felt in the future. The other senses play a part in genuine
architectural experiences and point the way to a multi-sensory architecture that promotes a feeling of
belonging and inclusion. We feel more alive by shaping our living environment to satisfy and welcome all
our senses. Home isn't a look after all. It's much less about style than all of the activities it shelters.
Composer David Darling once said “Good and thoughtful design can not only awaken our senses, but
reconnect us to place and to ourselves.” Buildings often direct our conscience back to the globe and our
sense of identity. Noteworthy architecture enables us to perceive ourselves as all human and spiritual beings
embodied in the world's existence. As Juhani Pallasmaa explains, “Artistic works originate in the body of
the maker and they return back to the human body as they are being experienced.” There is no such thing as
a silent room.

Downsides of Ocularcentrism

In the book of Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin (2012), he describe the Western tradition which they
approach the sense of vision is the most noble compare to the other senses which are the gustatory,
olfactory, aural and haptic. He also mentioned other philosophers that is agreed to it. However, there are
other philosophers that is opposes such as Rene Descartes, Friedric Nietzsch and Max Scheler. Descartes
stated that vision alone may have errors and other senses are there to enhance it. This other senses supports
the vision to gain the full experience of the subject. It seems like a movie, A film alone without audio and a
nice setting will make a low level of experience and it will not so effective to the audience. This situation is
same in architecture which the architect should be on the airport before in order for the architect to make a
design that is not just for an aesthetically pleasing design but also considering the other elements that will
make the airport effective to the passengers for a full experience. Nietzsch accused these philosophers that
agreed with ocularcentrism and Scheler call them with an attitude of hatred of the body. Heidegger,
Foucault and Derrida describes how the superiority of vision continue to modernity. The people now see the
world as picture. The rise of high technologies are keep enhancing the ability of vision which it focuses on
the picture that we cannot actually touch. It is not only the hegemony of the eye but also the negative effects
of it. The eye in here became nihilistic which it ignores other senses. In architecture, with the help of
technology, a lot of picture of building are incredibly beautiful but the viewers did not experience of what
actually in that building. However, with the help of the appearance, the people still consider it a marvellous
design. In some case, a lot of people became disappointed when actually going on a certain place such as
tourists spot where they see it beautiful design before. Their hopes for this certain structure fades as they
experience the actual of what is in there.

Senses are Essential in Architecture

Human body is congruent to the reality of our world which the world chooses us and our body is potentially
integrated with sensory experiences. In the book of Pallasma (2012) The Eyes of the Skin, psychoanalytic
theory has been introduced relating to the body as a centre of integration that it is dependent on the
movements and interactions with environment. Therefore, our body sustains it existence relying on the
domicile in space because the body image depends from experiences as an extent towards illuminating
imagination and reality. It was also stated that architecture is considered as an essential in firming one’s
existential experience. Pallasma (2012) also claims that architecture is multi-sensory in every touching
experience which includes the qualities of space, matter and scale. Moreover, vision requires the help of
touch which provides a sensation of spatial depth though the vision obviously exposes what the touch
already recognizes.
According to Lehman M.L. a multi award-winning visionary author, she stated that, architectural space is
about layering for all of the senses. Like a musical composition, spatial features come together into a
symphony for occupants to experience. Bringing a space to life means that architectural function and form
is not just primarily for the visual sense. In other words, the architect itself must engage all of the senses to
fully enhanced its meaning of architectural form in all aspects resulting a good experience.
Pallasma (2012), described that every sound that is heard provides an experience of interiority where it
captivates the sense of cosmos of a man. It signifies the sense of continuity embedded with visual
impressions that can be comprehend and demonstrated by our senses. Smell is a sense which makes us
remember and imagine the memory of any space. Thus, it is a powerful alternative sense to recognize or
portray a specific spatial existence consisting with its shapes and design regardless with the other senses.

The Significance of Shadows and Darkness

The embedded concept of the shadows and darkness in architecture grasps the texture, density, weight of
the object and even the temperature. How the working craftsman performs the hands to impress the
perfection of object or works. Every move you make using the hands formed the process of its formation. In
fact, the duration and time connect the formation and turn into shape, object or thing showing the imaginary
thinking reached the image of the object. People tend to impress other people using the sense of touch,
touching brings the ultimately feels and read the attachment and being open arms. In object without action
applied, people’s satisfaction using their eyes could be not good on how they wanted to imagine and sense
of touch could be good to use as how they wanted to imagine. Though, we used the universal sense of touch
in describing of object and works but we are not informing of being what used of the touch. People
somehow use the touching without any acknowledge prior what they wanted in action. Explaining the
different nature of touch, instances, the touched object can be identified in haptic characteristic are
combination of the various receptors. Before, the modality of touch can be kinaesthetic, tactile and haptic;
upon reading the articles about touch, the kinaesthetic focused as we are moving the bodily perception
described. It is matter of rotation and orientation of body. Tactile is a passive application in entire body skin
like we automatically feels what the objects touch in our skin. Next, haptic is more on the production of
sensing when we are active, and explore of material and object.

Vision and Hapticity

Bringing back as the architecture is always connected with time, culture and tradition as we are moving on
and evolve generation by generation. People evoke the body system to recognised what houses they in and
out for instances. In some way a touch mindset through the architectural spaces ended what we understand
and we understand what we touch. Like to mention “The essential skills of making a living in traditional
cultures are based on the wisdom of the body stored in the haptic memory”. Definitely agree to this line, the
transition of being interactive with the environment as the responsive haptic sensation is being used.
Through various knowledge and experience, we learned from the sequences made by people and
surroundings. Architecture deprived how the touches involve and how far the touch lasts because Pallasmaa
stated that body knows and remembers. Sensations were our primary source of comfort and protections.
Furthermore, it is interesting that modern architecture and its nature design had being established what they
visualize in exterior of houses, and buildings. The exterior nature of design was established and provided by
the avant-garde architects. Somehow the buildings and houses were created in artistic manner and design
showed the impossible principles of design. The haptic sensation was used because people were provided
such materials of establishing the buildings and houses; it is the reasons of sense that building is build by
choosing the great suitable materials. But in the end of the period of avant-garde the criticized as been
created because of more like to use the experimental ideas of design that other think it was neglected the
safety and practicality of the building design. Imagine the sense of touch giving us the texture of the
materials being used in the avant-garde to achieve the proposed design. Though, there is highly possibility
that the architecture in the avant-garde senses mostly the artistry of the design rather than functionality of it
and recognized what of being image of a particular building. For instance, if I enter blind folded my eyes in
one of the buildings that established in period of avant-garde, first time I would do is feeling the vibes,
temperature of the wide spaces, sense my comfortable towards the halls and may used of finding a spot near
windows of the building. Somehow the structure of the building built in different added kind of shape that
creating the more openings or window used as ventilations; if that feels showed the temperature pop up as it
is warmth or something cold. So I said above that the finding the windows when as long I am walking
around I would feel somehow sunlight touches my skin. You can know that it is something different of the
building, imagine such design and I would say it is so tough to be describe as we used the sense of touch.

Life-Enhancing Architecture of the Senses

Moving on the avant-garde architecture to modern architecture, indicator resists the better development of
the exterior with making them safe structure. Modern architecture approach to provide was a built order and
image appropriate to a changing world, perhaps, the best avant-garde architects who provided the best
representation of some invisible forces to modernization which is highly designed for safety and wellbeing
inhabitant. Because of the transition made by the modern architecture attach the functionality, bodily
comfort and sensory pleasures. As we encounter the different possible upon our design works, we are
arriving in the visual source of aesthetical concept. Pouring the meaningful interact in architectural
elements in a way that past is lied in actions. Moreover, the hapticity as the vision of our body, the houses
interpret as cooking, socialising, reading, sleeping and etc. As my observation perceived, the design process
working on spaces allowing us to feel the characteristics where people actually stimulate our senses,
reminiscing the memory or even the manipulation of our imagination. The enhancing the tactile sense and
contradict the vision is the ultimate or dominant in all senses. The modernist architects who belief in the
vision sense power. Yet, the modernist had setting up their sense of plasticity, materiality and gravity in the
works. For example, Le Corbusier works that influence of the element of tactility. We personally inspire the
intimacy and affection of touch while the distance acquired to vision. Tactility had the power of see the
closeness and more accurate. I stated it as my perception that tactility acts as stimulus on all the other
senses, too. One of the example of Le Corbusier work is the Ronchamp, he used the tactility element which
gravity as the weight feels, the stark white wall and the pattern of the windows for the lighting purpose
which gives the shadows meaning the texture and volume.

CONCLUSION

In the world of architecture in responds of working house, building and others, we should create meaning
with the context to our all senses. As the period changes from the very beginning movement happen such
the avant-garde, modern until contemporary architecture that more recognize the vision sense as the visual
aspects of the buildings. the young generation of architects must aim the used of the body senses to our
working projects. We projected Peter Zumthor that designing the a building is not all the about form but
creating place with atmosphere that evokes feelings, emotions and the relates us to the past and history.
Actually, embracing all senses is our experience within houses or buildings and as human being aware to
our presence in the present and future world. When the feel is does not make any unlikeness, as long as it is
experienced. The generation have the world is like to hold the exterior aesthetical rather than what the
purposed the building is. Architecture is made of different reflections, materials, eternalize ideas, images of
life and daily routine. The structure made by the architects is the opening mark to understand and remember
the flow of reality, the ultimately purpose and recognize who we are as human being.

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