Abstract
One of the key problems of architectural mastery is lack of acute feeling of the plastic image and bodily self-determination of an architectural object at the initial (and the subsequent) stage when the design model author is trying to see and understand the context where the future object should appear, literally be born out of thin air. This sensuous amnesia is caused, among other reasons, by the lack of experience in “sculptural modeling”, “hand molding” and today’s common practice of facilitated transfer to analytical computer design. The loss of intense bodily experience, mental connection of one’s own body with an imaginary object, has an effect as well. In its turn, it deprives the object of sensuous corporeal nature, transforms it into a mechanistic conglomerate. The article deals with the body concept, bodily and plastic categories in relation to the architectural shaping and suggests the concept of mediator models linking reality and the designer’s imagination integrated into a new typology of “models of plastic bodily images” (MPBI). The principal medium of these models and the procedures for their creation are based on synthesis of form, interpretation of the “bodily experience”, tactile contact with model material, sculptural forming techniques and sensory evaluations of subject-environment interaction. The proposed typology of models has been piloted by the author in numerous educational and conceptual projects. The results of experiments and developed theoretical principles related to models of plastic bodily images will help achieve better results in the course of basic design and special composition training of architects.
Highlights
A number of contemporary authors persistently draw their attention to tactile experience that is disappearing from architectural practice, and from the life-style of a modern city dweller.Richard Sennett in Flesh and Stone reflects on the problem of "sensory deprivation" the loss of "bodily experience" in the architecture of modern cities
Juhani Pallasmaa [2], Alexander Ermolaev [3], Steven Holl [4] confirm the importance of manual modeling, developing designer's tactile skill, experience in sculpting and drawing, live contact with "sculptural body of architectural objects"
The principle of generalization of form and outward perception of models of plastic bodily images: the medium of models of plastic bodily images is a generalized presentation of possible forms of the architectural object perceived by external viewer and focused on the harmonization of visual relationship of the object and the environment
Summary
A number of contemporary authors persistently draw their attention to tactile experience that is disappearing from architectural practice, and from the life-style of a modern city dweller. Richard Sennett in Flesh and Stone reflects on the problem of "sensory deprivation" the loss of "bodily experience" in the architecture of modern cities. He sees the reason in the increased degree of simulation of the physical reality associated with our bodily experience, or the experience "of our body." The reason for imitative behavior that ignores physical sensuality lies in a particular role of media proposing to replace real experience with imaginary. Merleau-Ponty [10], and others.)
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