From the Renaissance times the human senses, vision, hearing, smell, taste and touch were ordered into a hierarchical system.
Vision was seen as the primary sense, and the one we rely most upon. It is an individualised sense and often the one we redirect first when we focus our attention upon something. In A Room in New York both people have directed their eyes away from each other and onto their chosen activity. With my designed spaces it is important that they do not see each other.
Hearing, however, is different as it connects individuals in a shared experience. It is also possible to read a space by hearing how sounds echo around it. “We stroke the edges of space with our ears”. In my design I could use the echo produced by the void to transmit sounds of the other person to the rooms, so that even though they cannot physically see each other, they are still aware of their presence.
“A particular smell may make us secretly re-entre a space that has been completely erased from the retinal memory.” I could use the sense of smell and taste, perhaps the burnt odour from the chimney, to constantly remind the couple of the void and what once was. It is also possible scents such as the woman’s perfume could drift down to the man, another way they are connected beyond the primary sense.
Lastly, touch and skin sensations such as temperature can affected the emotion of a space. Warmth is often attributed to a feeling comfort and intimacy, whereas cold is the opposite. My design has a destroyed fireplace and both rooms would be cold as result, further reinforcing the idea of the ruined relationship.
By manipulating the senses the design has a much more profound experience. As the primary sense, vision is reduced and redirected, the more archaic senses take over, still providing a connection and awareness of the other.
