In one of the previous readings titled Space and Place, it describes how we perceive space in relation to our body. By placing it at the centre, we are able to divide space into different segments and directions.

In Illuminating Embodiment, it also talks about the body in relation to space, but more so on how it is interconnected with architecture. The reading shows this through interactive works done by the artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. Basically, the works mentioned show that despite being separate entities, bodies and architectures are receptive to alteration; they change in response to one another.

 

Displaced Emperors, Relational Architecture 2

 

I used to think of architecture and buildings as being fixed; they were made for a particular purpose and to only serve as such, like a monument, for example. However, In the artist’s relational architectures, he shows how these seemingly fixed narratives can be altered through the use of technology, “superimposing audiovisual elements to affect it, effect it and recontextualise it.” I find it interesting, how technology is able to breach this gap between separate beings or objects, allowing them to interact with one another, while not necessarily having them physically touch one another. For example, in Displaced Emperors, Relational Architecture 2, the participants can virtually wipe away the exterior surface of a building, changing it and exposing its internal layout. Or how portraits projected on a building in Body Movies: Relational Architecture 6 can be interacted with through the shadows cast by participants. On any other occasion, these architectures and people coexist without any noticeable interaction; its just a space that a body passes through. But through the artist’s unique use of technology, the experience within the exact same space is changed drastically, with participants taking in a foreign narrative of a previously familiar place. I supposed this is what Lozano-Hemmer meant by creating “anti-monuments for dissimulation”.

 

Body Movies: Relational Architecture 6

 

“The performativity of the participant as well as of the technology ensures that both play a part in their own remaking.”

This quote, to me, is pretty much what the reading is mainly about. It’s how both the audience and the artwork play a part in creating and achieving unique results and experiences together. Overall, I’ve learnt that, although separate, there is a connection between space and body, how they interact, and how they constantly affect each other.

The concept of direction in space is something that we apply every day. In relation to our body, we divide our surrounding space according to different directions: up, down, left, right, front, back, and so on. In this reading, it points out that to be able to tell what space is in what direction, there has to be a body, a centrepoint to which we can relate every other direction in space to. It’s interesting to think that everyone uses the same concept of segmenting spaces, such as left and right, however, perception of direction is purely individualistic. For instance, there’s that problem I’m sure we all have faced where can tell someone to “go left”, but then they turn the wrong way and you have to follow up with a “no, not your left, my left”. In a way, neither of you were wrong, your perceptions of left are the same, but there is no true fixed position, because everyone is their own centrepoint.

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This reading also notes how direction and the space within can be related to time and abstract thoughts. For example, the space in front can represent the future, while the space behind represents the past. Additionally, what’s above represents heaven, and below, hell. Given this concept, I could say, “step into the future”, and your first thought would be to step forward. However, as with the perception of directions, each individual can have a different idea or value linked to each direction.

Lastly, the perception of space in relation to our body helps us gauge distance. But more importantly, or personally, the proximity of something can change how we feel about it. An example would be if you saw a cockroach flying five meters away, versus seeing one flying right in front of your face. Chances are, the one flying near your face would freak you out more. This is due to the cockroach invading your personal space. There is no line or fence to indicate this space, but it’s something we mentally put in place to guard ourselves; the closer something is, the more vulnerable we are to it. Being allowed within someone’s personal space can also communicate how close or comfortable we are with something without explicitly saying it.

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Regardless of the difference in perception, the relation we have between our body and space is a unique and personalised tool that we use to navigate the space around us, as well as affect our emotions and perceptions . Without it, the world would seem very disorienting. The values and meanings we link to each direction and space also allows us to express certain abstract ideas, expanding our mode of communication through relation.

Everyone leaves a mark throughout their daily routine. Even at the very start of our day, we leave a trail that captures our movements. For instance, the specific arrangement of pillows and blankets on a bed can show us exactly how its sleepy human rolled out of bed. And at the end of the day, we can tell where a person has been or what they have done based on the positioning of their unkept shoes at the main door.

There are definitely many ways to evoke a sense of presence and movement, without having a physical body there to show for it, but here are just two ideas for interactive spaces that focus on that!

 

Idea #1: Impressions

This is idea does not involve any digital tech; just a couple of sticks, some charcoal dust, and one (or four) long sheet(s) of paper.

 

Set up and flow:

The interactive space will be set in a standard 4-wall room, each wall lined with paper (strong enough to be embossed without easily ripping). Participants will each be given a stick for writing/embossing, and will be free to scribble on any part of the paper-covered walls they want. They are encouraged to write down a personal message, preferably a secret that they’ve kept to themselves so far. Overlapping of writings is allowed. At the end of the day, the next batch of participants will be given charcoal dust to rub on their hands. Once that is done, they are allowed to have free roam of the room and rub their hands on any of the walls again. At the end of the day, the secret messages will be exposed for everyone to see.

 

Results:

I’m not sure what an actual result would look like, but I would predict that majority of the messages will be at the average eye level. The length of a single message reveals the writers movements, and the various handwriting show the presence of multiple people with their own unique personalities. The level at which the message was written can also be telling of participant’s height. Likewise, for the charcoal hand prints, the type of smearing can tell a person’s movement; whether it is being wiped in a concentrated area or if its a sling sweep from one end of a wall to the other. They all signify a sense of movement.

 

Idea #2: Broken Gramophone

We all know they classic game of broken telephone: a group of players line up to pass a message consecutively from one end to the other. That message, however, always gets butchered and what the last person recites can be vastly different from the original message.

For this idea, roughly the same concept is applied, but this time through sound recordings.

 

Set up and flow:

The interactive space will take place within Pasir Ris, where a crew member will set up the first audio recording, travelling from the MRT station to Pasir Ris Park, and eventually to Down Town East. The whole walk will take about 45 minutes. Once the first route has been recorded, the recording will be uploaded to a drive where the first participant can access and listen to it on. All participants will start at the exact same point as the crew member at the MRT station, but from there, they will play the recording and decide where to go from there. As they go about their way, they have to rely on the sounds in the previous recordings; the crunching of sand beneath shoes on a pavement, the crashing of waves, the beeping of traffic signals. As they are walking, their own path will be recorded simultaneously. Once the participant reaches the end of 45-minute walk, that new recording will be shared with the new participant, and the process repeats. There will be about 4-5 participants, and by the end of the day, where will be 5-6 complete recordings.

 

Results:

Again, not sure how this would pan out exactly, but based on what we know about broken telephone, we can suspect that the very first recording is no doubt different from the first. Each audio recording captures the participant’s unique path, and when compared with each other, you can tell roughly at which point do they diverge from one another. This gives a mental map of the physical area they covered, with familiar, synchronised sounds forming a common path and new sounds forming new ones. Together, the recordings show the listeners a sense of movement through sound alone.