The paper presents definition, genesis, nature and application of spatial criticism. The spatial criticism offers an analysis of places, landscapes, and exposed memories through description of intervals of time illustrating histories, perspectives and taste of people.
Keywords: Space, Etymology of Space, Heterotopia, Heterochronia, The Production of Space, Building Dwelling Thinking.
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The term, ‘spatial’ refers to position, area, and size of things. The term is borrowed from Latin spatium, used with a sense of ‘space’. Space is, in terms of Science and Mathematics, is a dimension of height, depth, and width within which all things exist and move. It is an abstract concept in Geometry. In Physics, space is interval of time. In Geometry,
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From geographical points of view, for example, space connotes a physical universe beyond the earth atmosphere. From astrological points of view, it means near vacuum extending between the planets and stars. But, in Humanities and Social Sciences, ‘space’ is studied in the context of social, geographical and psychological phenomena. Historians, geographers, critical theorists and philosophers like Martin Heidegger, Michel Foucault, Edward W. Said, Gaston Bachelard, Henri Lefebvre, Paul Carter, Edward Soja and Richard Rorty have mostly used the phrases like “ritual space”, “cognitive space”, “narrative space”, “social space’, “historical space”, “heterotopias” & “heterochronias”, “chronotopes” and so on. These concepts of space is discussed with reference to Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time (1927), Gaston Bachelard’s The Poetics of Space (1964), Georges Perec in ‘Species of Spaces and Other, Pieces’ (1974) Henri Lefebvre’s The Production of Space (1974), Said’s Literature and Society (1978), Bakhtin’s The Dialogic Imagination (1975) and, Homi K. Bhabha’s The Location of Culture (1994) are foundation books for understanding the concept of spatial …show more content…
It is a must read essay for architects. The lecture is about the interrelation of world, thing, space, time, language, artwork with experience (Erlebnis) of Being. Relating the word ‘space’ to its origin words, stadiom and spatium, Heidegger says, “Men’s relation to locales, and through locales to space, inheres in his dwelling. The relationship between men and space is none other than dwelling.” (395) In his other lectures titled, “The Things” and “Poetically Men Dwells” are additional to “Building Dwelling Thinking”. Bachelard’s Poetics of Space is a classic piece of spatial criticism. Said in Orientalism (1978; 2003: 54) and Lefebvre acknowledge Bachelard contribution to the conceptualization of space in its relation with human sensibility embedded in literature. He insisted to understand the ontology of space. Think about the extract taken from Engels’ The Condition of the Working Class in
Space refers to the gap between two objects. iii. Connections are relationships bridging the space between people and places. 2. How Do Geographers Describe Where Things Are?
Mackinder’s writing seems to take on a much more formal tone as opposed to Kropotkin. One of the first major questions that Mackinder asks about geography itself, is, “Is geography one, or is it several subjects? (Mackinder 156). He brings up the specific point of contrasting physical and political geography. This is an important distinction again from the writings of Kropotkin, in that Kropotkin as discussed geography as it were one all-encompassing subject and discipline.
From the early ages, Space and the concept of Space Exploration has retained a notion of mystique and intrigue ever since the first astrologists gazed up at the stars. With the launch of Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong became the first person to ever step on the moon. Many years of struggle as well as many lives being lost has only led to greater discoveries but the sacrifices that were made will always be mourned and remembered. And despite the risks, the notion of space travel has led us to many different discoveries and truths about the galaxy. The aims of the space program today should be centered around obtaining the brightest of mankind, to get them involved, provide safety, and continue to fulfill the treaty which “bans the use of placing
Anthropology as a discipline has been plagued by privileged armchair anthropologists, universalizing statements of whole cultures and societies, and a lack of interest in the everyday lives of all people until the late 20th century: which is credited for the postmodernist, radical ideology, that demolished traditional ideals of culture and society. Postmodernism influenced anthropologists to think more critically about their role in producing knowledge and how there is no ethnographic “truth,” rather subjective knowledge. At this time ethnography began to take a more literary approach, ethnographer included their reflective stance on how their understanding shaped the writing, and a more diverse range of subjects were accounted for in the ethnographic discourse. Keith Basso’s, Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and
The landscape, trams, and distinctive wooden mansions give the city a unique charm. San Francisco is an outstanding representative of the physical geography. The essay aims to investigate the history of the region, the general features of four spheres of physical geography in San Francisco, and forms the possible representation of the future of the area. History
Heidegger asserts that the essay was written after the World War II which led to the shortage of houses. He revisits the origin of the German word “bauen”, to build and reflects that a building is more than just a structure. Heidegger argues that the manner in which we dwell is the manner in which we are, we exist, on the face of the earth- an extension of our identity, of who we are. Since dwelling relates to the manner in which we exist, our "being in the world", Heidegger holds that problems of building are essentially problems of dwelling.
In the essay, “A Literature of Place”, by Barry Lopez focuses on the topic of human relationships with nature. He believes human imagination is shaped by the architectures it encounters within life. Lopez first starts his essay with the statement that geography is a shaping force for humans. This shaping force is what creates our imagination; the shaping force is found within nature. Everything humans see within nature is remembered, thus creating new ideas and thoughts for our imagination.
He encourages the reader to free oneself from official or commercial architecture which are influenced by the prejudice towards the late phases in architecture which are only concerned with a few selected cultures and turn a blind eye to underdeveloped countries and their alien architecture. He praises primitive architecture for its timelessness and its ability to serve its purpose to perfection with no room for improvement and regrets that the origin of these indigenous building forms and construction methods is lost in the past. Rudofsky then introduces Communal Architecture, ‘ art not produced by a few intellectuals or specialists but by the spontaneous and continuing activity of a whole people with a common heritage, acting under a community experience.’ The beauty of primitive architecture is often dismissed as accidental, but today we should recognize it as an art that developed from human intellect that was applied to handling practical issues and our problems are rooted in our tendency to accredit specialists who may have exceptional insight but are largely concerned with business and prestige. He challenges his readers on a fundamental level and exposes alternate and endangered forms of urban development, lifestyle, social spaces and practicality which we have not learnt from.
SPATIALITY The Mall becomes a ‘utopia’ where time and space evaporate (Goss 1993) and creating the civic miracle of heightened safety, excessive cleanliness as well as a well-mannered populace, a process similar to Malcolm Voyce’s (2007) idea of ‘spatial purification’. The aesthetically laid sparkling Italian marble floor leaves a sense of slight consciousness with regard to the clinical and pristine nature of the surroundings. Perhaps, the wafting music of the grand piano (blocked from view by a crowd of onlookers surrounding the pianist) is meant to work as an antidote for the induced anxiety. The material and non-material presence of the mall forms its spatial representation and the conjured “image” plays a crucial role in determining the intended audience.
Dukes 1 A 'marie S. Dukes October 11, 2017 English I PAP/A1 Hern Annotated Bibliography Hanbury,Robin,and Piers Bizony. “For and Against: Space Exploration.” Engineering and Technology Magazine. The Institution of Engineering and Technology, 2014. Web.
He describes the land outside the city as “unnoticed,” “hidden,” “neglected,” and “isolated.” This differs from the crowded city environment that the speaker did not approve of. The author also portrays the “unfenced existence” of the space, such as a bird flying through the sky or a fish swimming through the sea. Lastly, the speaker concludes with repetition of the word “here.” By using this technique, he displays his excitement for the new land around him.
For the non-religious person, space becomes universally neutral. The religious person perceives space very differently- their perception of space is differentiated. Their disposition will change when in the profane space such as a supermarket and a sacred space such as the church. Differentiated spaces on the basis of their sacred value ensure a form of “cosmos”- that which can prevent the complete formation of “chaos”.
Tectonics is defined as the science or art of construction, both in relation to use and artistic design. It refers not just to the activity of making the materially requisite construction that answers certain needs but rather to the activity that raises this construction as an art form. It is concerned with the modeling of material to bring the material into presence - from the physical into the meta-physical world (Maulden, 1986). Since tectonics is primarily concerned with the making of architecture in a modern world, its value is seen as being a partial strategy for an architecture rooted in time and place therefore beginning to bring poetry in construction. Tectonics, however, has the capacity to create depth-ness of context resulting in the implicit story being told by the tectonic expression.
In the architectural realm these nonvisual experiences become important in how our space is perceived, how it makes people feel and even perform. The scale of architecture in relation to the person, the sensation a hand feels while touching a handrail, or the sound a person makes on the building as they walk: all of these