Contextual Study Point 2.1: Phenomenology

Observing an occurrence or phenomenon that has become manifest in space through our senses.

Phenomenology is the study of structures of consciousness as experienced from the first-person point of view. The central structure of an experience is its intentionality, its being directed toward something, as it is an experience of or about some object.

Phenomenology, as a modern movement in philosophy, has focused discussion upon human subjectivity in new and critically important ways. Because human participants can relate intentionally to objects of the world consciousness manifests relationships to things and others that are other than cause-effect relationships. Consequently, the concepts and practices of the natural sciences are not the best model for the human sciences to follow. Husserl in his philosophy introduced a method for a more adequate approach to the achievements of consciousness and when properly modified the phenomenological method can serve as the basis for the human sciences. The use of such a method can make the qualitative analysis of phenomena rigorous and scientific.

Analysing my chosen space (No. 3 The Slip) using my senses: The size of the space is uncomfortably large. The room height is one of the defining components within the description of this space. The space appears monumental as opposed to smaller spaces which could offer a sense of protection and intimacy even oppression. The vast open entrance emphasises tension. The open plan space is so large it is hard to make out the entire contents of the building from one location, which again could trigger apprehension. The space is usually cold and dull due to the vast opening and small windows and therefore has no sense of homeliness or liveable meaning. The floors are bare, cold and made from concrete. Original walls and timber frame still stand with cracks and holes throughout, with no excuses, no apologise, bare, dirty and dusty which again portrays an unwelcoming, uncertain sensation. Yet upon entering you are greeted with arrows and roped pathways which is a clear indication we are wanted within this space, we are welcome. This in turn gives a sense of acceptance and fortune – I am fortunate enough to be entering this building which appears to be uninviting to me from the outside.

The building seems to be fighting its ever maturing structure, this is made evident by the repairs throughout the space but perhaps this is due to the dank smell or is this because I feel its old in human terms having been built over 182 years ago? This gives the building a personality for me and even a sex – an old masculine building unapologetic yet content with its being, a building made for building which once held thousands of working men during the industrial age, this whole building highlights that in its appearance, smell and noise. The space welcomes visitors to follow a roped path around the space but doesn’t want them to stay for long. There are no inviting areas, no chairs or coffee shops and no warm inviting textiles or furniture.

The properties and visual appearances of materials and surfaces trigger subjective responses. All contributed by the lighting, temperature and noise. Each visit can provoke a slightly different reaction and relationship between the space dependant on our senses perceived. Such senses may differ from day to day due to the ever changing surroundings we have no control over for example temperature, noise, weather. The weather affects the lighting within this space; when this building is full of sunshine it seems to be at its happiest, beaming lights shining throughout the space filling it with a warm magical atmosphere. However, when the weather is raining windy and cold, the space is dark, frigid and full of the howl of the wind outside. Subsequently resulting in a different connection to the space.

At the centre of all space is the human being. That space is directly and individually perceived via our senses. I adore the fact that another human can be stood next to me in the same space at the same time yet we could each have a very different connection to the space.

Exercise 2.1: Soundscape

The main noise within my chosen space is footsteps and gentle chatter. The loudest noise’s being that of children playing including perhaps laughter and sometimes crying. The very loudest being the steam train which runs just outside the building on the weekends. I decided to record the sounds of my chosen space, on the day when the steam train is present, with a watery based paint, I flicked my brush at the page whenever I heard noise and the louder or more prominent the noise was the more vigorously I flicked the paint at the page. I would of liked to have used different colours for different sounds but the sounds all roll into one, there is no time to change colour. The results are below:

I also used a basic pen and paper to record a different day within my space. There seemed to always be some sort of sound, never silence. Whether this was the wind outside or the gentle whisper of a visitor:

I tried to think of a different way to record the sound and I came up with an idea of channelling this via my phone by closing my eyes and randomly taping my keyboard on my phone, the results are below:

On completion of this exercise I was astonished by how much sound can effected the atmosphere within the space. My chosen space is a shell, with no sound absorbing materials. The acoustics are determined by the materials and surfaces used within the space. Therefore the bare, hard timber frame of the building must enhance sounds perhaps make them echo or seem louder then they are all adding to the atmosphere. The famous curved roof of my space must also have an effect on the sounds.

Exercise 2.2: Touch, Smell & Emotions

Smells, touch and sounds via drawings.

I recorded my findings in 3 separate areas of my chosen space – The Entrance, the mid section and the Mezzanine floor. My drawings of the smell, touch and sounds I experienced within the space are below:

Entrance – the entrance is vast, a huge wide opening which allows the elements in. Its cold, the floors are hard similar to a pavement yet you are inside a building. This area is quite. The sheer size of the entrance is surprising perhaps causing a sense of unease. I have tried to reflect that in my drawing above.

The mid section of the space is full of old industrial and war machinery. The smell of musk and oil fill the air. The temperature is warmer here as this is situated further inward away from the vast opening of the entrance. Sounds are reflected off the machinery and therefore seem closer. I feel a sense of busyness, commotion, hard work, labour and I can almost smell the sweat. This is a masculine part of the building, the smell of the timber frame rotting away is noticeable here. This was once a thriving industrial work shop. The connection of war instantly brings a sense of darkness, sadness and loss – perhaps creating a stressful atmosphere here. My feelings seemed to be manipulated by the arrangement of objects and signs.

The Mezzanine floor brings a contrasting atmosphere in comparison to the other areas of the space. The huge cascading ceiling is full of hundreds of windows which are highlighted by the day light creating a magical connection with the outside and the sun. This area is bright, warm and filled with light. The space is huge and open making one feel incomparable to its surroundings yet its inviting and exciting. I feel small here, insignificant yet overwhelmed by the beauty of the space. I feel happy and lucky to be able to experience such space. I feel comfortable and free.

My drawings of the 3 separate areas within the one space placed together show very different atmospheres and feelings. A lot changed between the different areas. Layers of elements contributed to the atmosphere in each space.

Exercise 2.3: Form & Light

The lighting within my chosen space changes continuously depending on the respective artificial and natural lighting situations both within the course of a day and seasonal. The atmosphere changes drastically within this space dependant on how bright the sun is and at what position. On a dull and miserable day the space is plunged into darkness. Such a vast space is hard to illuminate artificially from ceiling lights alone. On a sunny day the space is transformed into a hazy bright twinkle show. I took a video of how the light reacted throughout the space and how it reacted with objects within. My favourite was watching the light move through this war submarine. This submarine was recovered from the bottom of the ocean after being struck by a missile. The decaying of the metal has created thousands of tine little holes which the light passes through creating a delicate light show which can be amplified by my own movement.

A similar scenario happens on a lager scare via the hundreds of windows cascading around the space. The sun fills the room with blinding light bleeding into the structure and architecture of the space.

Being inside the building on a sunny bright day when the sun goes behind a cloud, the space instantly tells you. The room is cascaded into darkness. Light plays a huge role within this space. Functionally, when this space was used for building, workers would have required as much natural light as possible, and the natural materials they would have been working with would have perhaps needed sunlight to expand and settle, hence the deliberate reason for hundreds of windows. The deliberate orientation, size and position of the windows (directly above, 360) are towards the sun in order to achieve the best possible utilisation of daylight and equally to protect the interior against overheating and glare. Light from above is brighter while the light entering through a side opening only includes approximately 33% of light emitted from the sky, a rooflight may admit up to 100%.

I can almost imagine the different paths of light beams and rays piercing through the windows and crowding the space creating a continuous sharp edged pattern continuously passing over each other and bouncing off different surfaces within the room like a laser field which fits in with their surroundings, resembling the structure of the space which also has continuous triangular sharp edges.

Gloomy vs Sunny/Light vs Dark.

The atmosphere is completely transformed within this space as the main source of light is derived from natural sunlight/daylight having an instant effect on my emotions. Sunlight is associated with happiness (Mr Happy is even shaped like the sun and is yellow), making the space comfortable and warm and exciting. Towards the afternoon, on a sunny day, red and orange colours fill the space as the sun is setting making the space relaxing and clam. During a cloudy day the space is suffocated by darkness, elevating the musky damp smells creating a sense of unease and coldness.

Exercise 2.4: Material

My chosen space is full of hard cold materials. The building is made of Timber, the windows are glass and lead and the floor is concrete. I believe the roof is made of Zinc but I cant find clarity of this online and the space is now shut due to Covid 19. The structure also bares steel supports and a roped pathway. This space really is quite minimalistic as there are no inner rooms, insulation or interior structures apart from the mezzanine floor.

The space is made of heavy weight construction materials. The shell remains exposed to view. It is clear the materials enhance the atmosphere and effect of this space. They play a clear role in the acoustics, climate and energy factors. As this is such an old building the design would have depended on availability and processing options of materials. Todays perception of the materials used here are viewed differently. Polished and unpolished concrete floors within residential spaces such as kitchens are now a common occurrence as a statement piece and perhaps viewed as luxurious, where as bare concrete floors within a residential space 15 years ago would of been viewed as barbaric, unfinished, harsh or in a state of repair or renovation.

Bare Concrete flooring.

Time is apparent on the materials used throughout, the oxidisation of steel (which I am obsessed with) the rotting of the timber wood and changes in colour of materials due to sunlight and temperature. However they all seem to connect in harmony, all heavy duty industrial materials which suit their huge surroundings. The colour palette is small, consisting of dark, masculine colours with lots of browns, greys and rusty oranges all having an effect on the atmosphere of the space.

Exercise 2.5: Visualising Atmosphere through Sketch Models

Experimenting with geometric shapes, similar to the timber frame of the space.