Gülcihan Yalnız
Experience
Words are the manner of thinking and perceiving the world. As words transforms us, we assign meanings to words. So, are the words’ meanings stable and unchangeable or have a dinamic, multiple meanings? In other words, do the words carry different, uncommon meanings like constantly alteration and abstractness of the perception? It can be interrogated by considering the word of ‘’experience’’. Then, what is experience? If, experience’s origin is investigated, -ex means old, previous, -perites means experienced, tested, suffixed form of per which means –to try, risk. Then, when the experience’s word meaning is considered, it means ‘’ the observing, encountering or undergoing things’’. Does the meaning reflect the absolute truth? As per above, do experience come to mean the observing or is it a completely different process and encounter and undergo fallacy contrary to expectations? In this paper, it is investigated that the experience’s reality and wrong gived roles and their truths in the process of experience past to today in aspect of personal point of view.
Experience is considered a process which depends on materiality. It seems like fixated, stable and tangible process. If is it not as it seems? Then, what is it? Actually, the notion corresponds nothing in reality. It is just an illusion. This illusion constructed from a multitude of unconscious mechanisms and processes. The process leads like flowing and it’s results are unpredictable and intangible. What are the components of this process? In other words, Which elements play a key role in the illusion called experience? First thing come to mind is eye, perception dominated by eyesight. Despite of laying emphasis on the eyes when the process of perceiving is thought, seven senses’ collaboration strongly directs the perception. The seven components of the unconscious process are sight, sound, taste, smell, touch and skeleton and muscles that described as the sense of movement. However, as a result of being exaggeration of importance that is given to sight since the past, it is supposed that the eye is most active and necessary element. When the past is thought, lots of example attracts the attention. If an example is given from the history; western culture can be an example. In western culture, sight was historically qualified as elevated compared to other senses. In addition, according to classical greek thought, vision and visibility are the only things that provide certainty and Plato and Aristotales considered sight as the humanity’s greatest gift. In terms of philosophy, the sense of visions’s impact on philosophy, explained well by Peter Sluterdijk: ‘’Their enigma is that they not only can see but are also able to see themselves seeing. This gives them a prominence among the body’s cognitive organs.’’ (Sluterdijk,2005,p.20). In addition, in Renaissance, five senses were considered to be in a hierarchical system. In this hierarchical system, sight was located on the top and touch was located at the bottom of the system. In the Renaissance’s sensory system, sight was related to fire and light, hear to air, smell to vapour, taste to water and touch was related to earth. Then, in the historical process, by invention of perspectival representation, eye became the focal point in the perceptual world. Perspectival representation defines and manages perception. When it is looked from the point of view of architecture, it is seen that the eye is regarded as the main element which is necessarily appealed to. Fort hat matter, architecture is described as an art form of the eye. It can be clearly seen in modernists’ writings.For instance, Le Corbusier defines the architecture as a Professional and magnificent play of masses which are came up in the light. At the other side, Levin claimed that the vision strongly wants to hold reins of power. It shows the strong tendency to immobilise and reificate. In the result of encouragement of this tendency, our lives fall under the hegemony of the sight. However, this hegemony keeps us out of space instead of experiencing and being coalescence with space. As a consequence of rejection of body and all senses, architecture and cities become to a soulness things. Feeling of detachment and loneliness is growing in the technological world today as a result of taking no notice of other senses. It is thought-provoking that the sense of loneliness and detachment are very high level at the most advanced places such as hospitals and airports. So, while the other senses unite us with the world, vision separates us from it. In spite of giving exaggerated priority to the eye, visual observation is generally confirmed by touch. Because, contrary to expectations, our body and mind do not find the sight sufficient. There can be reasonable grounds to body and mind’s view. ‘’ The skin is the oldest and most sensitive of our organs, our first medium of communication, such that the transparent cornea of the eye is overlain by a layer of modified skin. Touch is parent of our eyes, ears, nose and mouth. The sense became differentiated into the others. It can be said that touch is the leader sense.’’ (eyes of the skin,2005,p.13) Therefore touch is located at the top contrary to meaning to be ascribe to vision throughout history. There are some examples to confirm this argument. Vision is repressed when people think deeply and feel emotions intensely. Besides, we close our eyes when coressing our loved ones or when the lovers are kissing each other and getting closer physically, they want to close their eyes in order to feel deeply the moment. If it is looked in the aspect of architecture, the hegemony of perspectival eye is broken by some architects. The architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright is an sample of it. His architecture is kinesthetic and textual. When Frank Lloyd Wright’s works are examined, it can be seen reflection of the unity of the senses. The Fallingwater,one of his Works, is a incarnational form of his thoughts. The Fallingwater structure is located at the top of the a waterfall. In the beginning of the Project, despite of will of the clients’ is watching to waterfall, Wright is insistent on his idea which defends that waterfall is needed to be lived and experienced instead of just watching. It is inspired from the unity of nature and can try to integrate it. This integration provides to experience the house by evoking the all senses instead of being visual image for watching. In the house, the sound of waterfall can be heard and the form and position of house makes feel the texture of nature. In addition, Alvar Aalto’ tactual buildings and Louis Kahn’s architecture can be another examples. Architecture should be seen a living element and it is actualised with completely experience of space. As a supporting article, ‘’ stepping stones set in the grass of the garden are images and imprints of footsteps. While we open a door, the door pull is the handshake of the building, which can be inviting and courteous, or forbidding and aggressive, the legs measure the steps as we ascend a stairway, the hand strokes and handrail and the entire body moves diagonally and dramatically through space.’’(Eyes of the Skin,2005, p.63). Buildings have a language waiting to be read by experiencing.
To sum up, beside the point of our perception’s constant changeability and abstractness, are the words consisting by perception as it seems? It is investigated via considering deeply the word of ‘’experience’’. While the experience means ‘’seeing, encountering things’’ in dictionary, it come to totally different meaning. Experience is a process can be named as an illusion. It actualizes through cognitive process. This illusion called experience base on all senses collaboration led by touching contrary to regarding sight as the noblest of the senses throughout history.
References
Pallasmaa,Eyes of the skin, 2005
Pallasmaa, The architecture of seven senses,1994
Fatma Sultan Yaman
Experience of the Senses
The lexical meaning of experience is that apprehension of an object, thought or emotion through the senses of mind, and gained knowledge through direct observation or participation what is actually mean of experience? Is the experience a process that depends and materiality as it seems? If it is not true, then what does that mean really? The experience is just an illusion. It is constructed from a multitude of unconscious mechanism and processes. What are the components of the process? First thing come to mind is eyesight dominated perception, but counter intuitive, collaboration of seven senses forms the perception.The seven components of the process include sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and additionally “as the sense of movement described as skeleton and muscles” (Juhani Pallasma, The Eyes of the skin).
To begin with, historical side of perception is constructed around the sight. In the duration of perception, the role of sight has been extolled. For instance, in western culture, sight had seen as the noblest of the senses. In classical Greek thought, certainty was based on vision and visibility. Plato, Aristoteles defined the sight “as humanity’s greatest gift”. The impact of the sense of vision on philosophy is well summed up by Peter Sloterdijk: “Their enigma is that not only can see but are also able to see themselves seeing. This gives them prominence among the body’s cognitive organs.” During the Renaissance, the hierarchical system was thought for the five senses and it formed the highest sense of the vision to down touch. Especially, it is seeable that the representation techniques- especially for the architecture- began to improve in the direction of sight. The most remarkable example for this is the invention of perspectival representation that makes the eye the center point of the perceptual world. Not only the representation techniques but also architectural structure has been regarded as an art form of the eye. From past to present, it can be clearly seen in workings or writings of architects. Another example is for the modernists; the architect Le Corbusier who said that “Architecture is the masterly correct and magnificent play of masses brought together in light.”, other remarkable statement of Le Corbusier is that “I exist in life only if I can see”. This all statements define the architecture as an architecture of eye. On the other hand, David Michael Levin says “the will to power is very strong in vision. There is very strong tendency in vision to grasp and fixate, to reify and totalize”. Could it be possible that this strong tendency keeps us out of space instead experience and coalesce with space? Experience is not a thing which can be gained with only being spectator. There is a spirited connection between space, experiences and all senses.
The other remarkable thing is that how the disconnection in terms of experience affects the human life. Contemporary architecture and cities give birth to detachment and loneliness because of their inhumanity designs caused by remissness of the body and the senses. Especially in the today’s technologically most advanced places such as airports and hospitals are the first places that cause the sense of detachment and loneliness. In this type of places, vision separates human from the world. As mentioned above, bringing eye into the forefront and pushing the other senses into the background push human out of space. When all senses and space league together, this unite human with space. In all probability about prioritised of eyes, it could be conceivable that touch is always a confirmatory for visual observation. Why is the skin more sensitive organ? It is thought that the skin is oldest of the organs. Touch is the parent of our eyes, ears, nose and mouth. Even the transparent cornea of the eye, all senses became by modifying of skin. As a result of this, it can be said that, contrary to Renaissance thought, touch is the leader of senses. Instinctive behaviours also support this thoughts. In intense emotional states and deep thought, vision is usually repressed. Our eyes automatically close down when somebody who we love caress to us. When somebody get closer physically, for instance the lovers are kissing each other they tends to close their eyes to experience intensely their feelings. In the aspect of architecture, same counter current against the popular execution has taken place in modern architecture. For instance, Fallingwater of Frank Lloyd Wright is an experienceable example. The Fallingwater house is located in the forest and on the falling water. Attitude of the architect featured the almost all senses with its locational specifications; the sound of falling water, the smells of surrounding forest, and the volumes, surfaces, textures and colors of house. This architectural work is totally embodied with the senses. It means that this building can be experienced with all senses. An experienceable architectural work should imbody to human especially with the tactile senses. For example, “while somebody open a door, the door pull is the handshake of a building, it can be inviting or aggressive. The legs measure the steps as human ascend a stairway, the hand strokes and the handrail and the entire body moves diagonally and dramatically through the space”. Texture of all elements included walls, doors, windows etc. causes efficient experience in structure with tactile senses. Sound effect of construction, smell of a place, texture of all things have spiritual connection with memory, perception and experiences.
To sum up, when all things are considered, it is recognisable that experiences are tangible notions, yet they are cognitive outputs. So it is an illusion which is called experience base on all senses led by touching contrary to popular belief.
References
The Eyes of the Skin, Juhani Pallasmaa, 1996.
Questions of Perception, Juhani Pallasmaa, 1994.
The Thinking Hand: Existential and Embodied Wisdom in Architecture, Juhani Pallasmaa, 2009.
https://marywoodthesisresearch.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/an-architecture-of-the-seven-senses_pallasmaa.pdf