mapping the atmospheric experience. · 2017. 3. 26. · mapping the atmospheric experience. valerie...

MappingtheAtmosphericExperience.

ValerieMace

UniversityoftheArtsLondon,UnitedKingdom,v.mace@lcc.arts.ac.uk

Abstract. Atmosphere, the pervasive yet elusive soft space that resonates with our senses, isknowntoeffectthewaywefeelaboutaspace,theselfandothers.Yet,despiteitsinfluenceoneverydaylives,Boch(2014)remindsusthatthisphenomenonisn'talwaysconsciouslyrecognisedandwemaynotbeawareofthepositiveornegativeimpacttheurbanenvironmenthasonus.Soitbecomespertinenttoinvestigateatmosphere inorder tobetterunderstand thecorrespondencebetweenspacesandpeople.The More London Estates in London, UK, is an example of uncompromising urban design where thespectacleofarchitectureandthecultureofan ideologyappeartoshapehumanexperiences. Itoffersadistinctiveatmosphericencounterandthisprojectputsforwardasetofevaluativefieldworkmethodstoinvestigatehowdesigndecisionswithinthesitecontributetotheformationofatmosphereandunderlinehowatmospherecaneffectbehaviour.Theinterestofthefieldwork,situatedattheboundariesbetweenspatial and ethnographic practices, lies in its ability to illustrate the elusive, to delineate atmosphericconditionsandcorrespondingbehaviouralculture.Keywords:atmosphere,sentient,environment,experience,affordance

ThematicThisprojectisdrivenbyadesiretoarticulatetheperceptionsofatmospheres,tobetterunderstandhowthecharacteristicsembodied inamanmadeenvironmentprovide,bydesign,a stage formulti-sensoryexperiences that define people’s actions and interactions. It explores methods of documentation thatuncover insights into the perceived environment and corresponding behavioural culture. Architect JoyMoniceMalnarandartistFrankVodvarkaexplain(2004:51)thatweperceivebysensingenvironmentalmessagesaroundus.Thisqualitativeinformationisthenfilteredthroughourmindandtransformedintomentalimages.Therefore,wemakesenseoftheworldthroughoursensesand,accordingtoProfessorofPhilosophyGernotBöhme,atmosphereisthus’experiencedasanemotionaleffect’(2014:46).ArchitectPeterZumthoralso indicatesthattheperceptualprocess isvisceralandbiologicalwhenhetellsusthat‘[w]eperceiveatmospherethroughouremotionalsensibility-aformofperceptionthatworksincrediblyquickly,andwhichhumansevidentlyneedtosurvive’(2006:13).Therefore,thelinkbetweenatmosphereandthewaywefeelispotent.AccordingtoArchitectJuhaniPallasmaaatmospherehas‘aforcefulimpacton our emotions and moods’ (2014: 20) and accordingly, corresponding actions. Yet, even thoughatmosphere permeates the environment, it remains intangible. Architect Rochus Urban Hinkel (2008)speaks of spatial software and Social Anthropologist Tim Ingold (2011: 132, citing Berleant) of a fluidmedium. Thus the visceral, emotional and elusive characteristics of atmosphere denote thatwedon’talwaysconsciouslyrecogniseitsinfluenceeventhoughithasaprofoundeffectonourlivedexperiences.It is tempting to say that when enriched, atmosphere fosters well-being, positive interactions andinclusionand thatwhen impoverished, it fosters ill-being, socialdisconnectionandexclusion.However,experiencingatmosphereisfarmorecomplexandnuancedthatasimpleenriched-impoverishedduality.According to Philosopher Tonino Griffero, as atmospheric qualities embodied in the environmentresonate with our senses, a form of ‘spatialised feeling’ (2010: 6) connects us emotionally to oursurroundings.Weexposeourselves to theatmosphereandexperience the impressions itmakesonus.Pallasmaaexplainsthat,when’[…]weenteraspace,thespaceentersus,andtheexperienceisessentially

anexchangeandfusionoftheobjectandthesubject’(2014:20).Böhmealsospeaksofa‘co-presenceofthesubjectandobject’(2014:45).Consequently,atmospheredoesn’tjustinfluencethewaywefeelaboutaspacebutalsothewaywefeelaboutourselves,andothersaroundus.Sodevelopingknowledgeofthiscorrelationhelpsprovidenewinsightsintothecultureofaplace.Experiencingatmosphereismeaningful,potentially transformative and certainly social. Therefore, alongside a spatial analysis, this study usesmethods associatedwith ethnography to facilitate the documentation of atmospheric experiences andexplorethecorrespondencebetweenenvironmentandbehaviour.ContextTheprojectissetwithinthepublicpedestrianareasoftheMoreLondonEstateslocatedinLondonBridgeon the south bank of the river Thames. Completed in 2003 this self-contained business developmentincorporatesofficesandafewcommercialunits(figure1). It’scarefullyplannedarchitecture,seeminglyclaiming its place as an extension of the City of London situated directly opposite across the Thames,makesapowerfulstatementaboutLondonasathrivinginternationalfinancialcentre.Developedinonly5 years, a total conception of spatial unity, it is shielded from empirical change by an environmentcontrolledthroughdesignandhumanmonitoring.Thesite,regularlypatrolledbyamaintenanceteam,isimmaculateandrepairsarecarriedout immediately.Manmadematerialsdominate. ‘Inordertodefeatthecyclicaltimesofdays,seasonsandyears,shiny,hard,immutablesurfacesareemployedtoshrugofftheeffectsofweather,dirtandaccident’ (Till,1999:3).The logicofperfectioncreatesanenvironmentwhere an appreciation of time and past human occupancy experienced through the weathering andpatinaofmaterialsisimpossible.Thustheestateofferstheperfectimagealignedtothecultureofitshighprofiletenants.However,‘theatmosphereofacityisnotthesameasitsimage’(Böhme,2014:48),andthe site documentation sets out to establish the ecological coherence of the architecture. It raises thefollowing questions. How is atmosphere experienced in this ocular centric paradigm? What is thecorrelationbetweenatmosphereandbehaviour?IstheMoreLondonEstateexperiencedasaspaceoraplace?

Figure1.Mainpedestrianaxiscuttingthroughthesite

Twokeyconceptsunderpinthestudy.ThefirststructuresthetaxonomyoftheinvestigationandborrowsfromprinciplesZumthor(2006)tellsuscontributetothemakingofatmospheres.Theyencapsulate:the

perceived presence (or body) of the architecture, materials and their relationships, the sound of thearchitecture, temperature, objects,movement, thresholds, scale and distances, light and shadows. ThesecondrelatestoGibson’s(1986)descriptionoftheenvironmentwheremedium,substancesandsurfacesaffordperceptionsandanimatemovement.For instance,air, themediuminwhichwemoveallowsthetransmissionoflightandvibrationssowecanseeandhear,aswellaschemicaldiffusionssowecansmell.Substances refer to the solid elements such as buildingmaterials and thebody,while surfaces are theintermediary elements between substances and medium, including the human skin. Accordingly, themindsetcreatedbythenotionofthemeaningfulenvironmentisessentialtoourunderstandingofspatio-sensoryexperiences.MethodsAnthropologistAlbertPiette(2009)emphasisesafocusonthedocumentationoflivedexperiencesratherthan on epistemological debates. Thus, the research process is inductive, drawing on an interpretativeanalysisofthedocumentationtoelucidatetheinterrelationshipbetweentheatmosphereofthesiteanditsoccupants.The investigation issitespecificand itsoutcomerepresentsan illustrationofasocialandcultural context not a universal conclusion. Nevertheless, the methods and techniques used aretransferrable to other sites of enquiry. Fieldwork follows an auto-ethnographic style methodologyinfluenced by the work of Sarah Pink (2015) on sensory ethnography. The documentation, conductedfrom the perspective of the active participation of the researcher immersed in the site, places thereflexivesensingbodyatthecentreoftheexperienceandanalysis(Pink,2015:12).Thismodeofenquirywas chosen because ‘[a]tmosphere emphasises a sustained being in a situation, rather than a singularmoment of perception; atmosphere is always a continuum’ (Pallasmaa, 2014: 20). Thus, the sitedocumentationtookplaceoveraperiodof twomonthsandvisitswereconductedatdifferenttimesofthe day andweek to verify the appropriateness and relevance of the data. Tools and techniques usedincluded:photography,audioandvideo recordings,mappingdrawings,observationand reflective (self-observation)notes.Anevaluativevisualisationofthedataintomappingdrawingsanddiagramsenhanceditslegibilityandsupportedtheanalysisofthesite.Thefollowingparagraphs,illustratedbyvisualsofthedocumentation,summariseobservationsandunderlineconclusionsdrawnfromthestudy.ObservationsAninitialsurveyshowsthatthespatialcompositionoftheestateisstructuredaroundanassertivediagonalpedestrianaxiscuttingthroughthesite.Ithasapublicsquareateachend,oneadjacenttoTooleyStreetandtheotherwithspectacularviewsoftheriverThames.Themainaxisaffordsstrikingsightlinesandthe21stCenturyarchitectureoftheShardatoneendcontrastssharplywiththeVictorianarchitectureofTowerBridgeontheoppositeside.TherearealsotwotransversalthoroughfareslinkingthemainaxistoTooleyStreetandtheThamesrespectively.Theimmediacyoftheexperienceofbeingintheenvironmentbringsaboutafeelingofformalityandstiffness(figure2).Theatmospherelackscongenialityandalthoughthelocationfeelssafe,aperceptiblefeelingofdistancebetweenpeopleandthesitepermeatestheenvironment.

Figure2.Theformalenvironment.

Despitetheirgenerousproportionsandtheprovisionoffurniture,plantingandwaterfeatures,thepublicsquaresareunderpopulatedincontrasttothedensityofoccupancyinsurroundingareas.Fewpeopleoccupythesiteforextendedlengthsoftime;itismostlyusedasathoroughfare.Whenvisualisedintoamotionsequencerdiagram(figure3),datashows,predictablyperhaps,thatthedensityofoccupancyishigherduringtheweekthanatweekendsandfluctuationsindensityandspeedofmovementmaptoofficehours.Thesiteisbusiestinthemorningwhenpeoplearriveatwork,peaksagainatlunchtimeandagainearlyeveningwhenpeoplegobackhome.Thesearealsothetimeswhenpeoplewalkthefastest,withlittlefocusedattentiongiventotheirsurroundings,includingothersaroundthem.

Figure3.Inspiredbythegraphicinterfaceofamusicequalizer,theMotionSequencerdiagramisdesignedtoshowthelevelsofoccupancyandvelocitythroughthesite’smainaxisoveraperiodof24hours(inthissection,between5amand2pm).Thehigherthecurve,thehigherthelevelsofoccupancy.Redshowshighlevelsofvelocity,orange

mediumandgreenlow.Thetopcurverepresentsweekdaysandthebottomoneweekends.Mostactivitiesrecordedthroughobservations-peoplewalkingfast,smoking,chattingontheirphone,talkingtofriends–arecommontomanyotherurbanlocations.Contexthoweveraddsalayerofinterest.Itisn’tsomuchwhatpeopledobuthowtheydoit.Inthisinstance,mostactivitiesareperformedwhilewalkingwhenpeopleappearabsorbedinto,andevenprotectiveof,themicro-scaleoftheirimmediatesurroundings.ThisbehaviourdenotesadegreeoffamiliaritywiththesitethatmarkspeopleaseitherseasonedLondonersorofficeworkersfromtheestatebutcoulditalsobelinkedtothescaleandmaterialityoftheenvironment?Bycontrast,visitorsandtouristsdistinguishthemselvesbywalkingatamoreleisurelypaceandthroughahigherlevelofattentiondirectedtowardsthemacroscaleofthearchitecture.Bythethirdvisit,perceptualdistinctivenessbetweendifferentpartsofthesiterevealedthemselvesandaccordingly,itwasdivideditintofiveareas,basedonthreecriteria:thedegreeofenclosure,perceptualthresholds(suchastransitionsfromlighttodark)andtheprimaryactivityafforded

bytheenvironment(whetheritisconsideredasquareorastreet).Dividingthesiteintosectionsbroughtclaritytotheprocessofdocumentationandfacilitatedtheevaluationofsimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenitsconstituentparts.Thedocumentationwasstructuredasasensoryjourneyandrecordedpersonalspatio-sensoryexperiences,annotatingimmediateimpressionsastheyoccurredwhilemovingthroughthesite.ThesensoryjourneydatawasorganisedusingGibson’s(1966)classificationofperceptualsystems(visual,haptic,taste-smell,auditory,basicorienting)andMarinaPanos’ssensorychart(inMalnarandVodvarka,204:281).Itwasessentialfortheresearchertomovethroughthesitewhilecarryingoutthedocumentation.Gibson(1983:66)explains,‘apointofobservationisneverstationary,exceptinalimitingcase.Observersmoveaboutintheenvironment,andobservationistypicallyfromamovingposition.’Atmosphereistemporalanddynamic,andaswemovethroughtheenvironment,ourperceptionsadjusttonewconditions.Thustheresearcher’sgraspofatmosphereoccursinmotion,throughagradualperceptionofstimuli. Visualrepresentationshelpsynthesisetheevaluationofthedatacollectedduringthesensoryjourney.Amap (figure 4) provides a visual reference of atmospheric qualities across the site and a sensory flowdiagram (figure 5), inspired by Malnar and Vodvarka’s Sensory Slider (2004: 248), highlights levels ofintensityacrossperceptualsystems.

Figure4.AnillustrationofatmosphericqualitiesrecordedwithinthesiteduringtheSensoryJourney.

Thedrawingshowsanoverlayoftwoisometricplanviewofthepedestrianareas.TheinformationdepictedreferencesGibson’s(1966)perceptualsystems:visual,auditory,smell/taste,haptic/temperatureandbasicorienting.

Figure5.TheSensoryFlowdiagramshowslevelsofintensityofperceivedsensorystimuli

acrossthefiveareasidentifiedwithinthesite.Thecurvesrevealsimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweeneachareamoreeasilythantextwouldallow.

AtmosphereAdjacenttoabusymainroad,thepublicsquarenearTooleyStreetisnoisy.However,onceinsidethesite,thecombinedheightandmassofthebuildingscreatesaprotectedenvironment.Thesoundsoffootstepsandconversationsreverberatingacrosshardsurfacesenvelopthebodyandreducetheauditivescale.AsthesitewidensonitsThamesside,theauditivescaleincreaseswhenitbecomesconnectedtothevisualdepthaffordedby theviewover theThames.Although themassof thebuildingsprotectspeople fromunwantednoise,italsoblockssunlightandatitscore,thesiteremainsdevoidofsunlightformostoftheday, especially in the winter months. Combined with the strong winds channelled from the Thamesthrough themain axis and the cool tones of the glass andmetal surfaces, the environment feels cold,even on a sunny day. Temperature also impacts on other haptic perceptions and this feeling isexacerbatedwhen greymetalmeets grey sky,which in London is often. Limited use of textures, largeexpansesofglassandmetal,surfacesthatarehardandcoldtothetouch,reflectpeopleawayratherthaninvitethemin.Thetransversalspacesaremostlydeserteddespiteofferingprotectionfromthewind.Onehasasunnydispositionbutseatingisuncomfortableandtheatmosphereisdominatedbytherepetitiverhythmof an authoritativemetal pattern. The other is dark andmostly featureless, yet offers enticingvistas across the Thames. However, low level of details across large vertical areas give the location adesolatefeel.Seatingisalsouncomfortableandoverlookedbydinersinarestaurantnearby,while,atthetimeofthestudy,anunpleasantsmellofcookingoilpermeatedtheenvironmentaroundmealtimes.Theresultingatmospherechannelspeoplethroughthesiteinacontinuousflowandrhythmoflinearmotion.

Nevertheless, the idiosyncrasies of human behaviour cannot be entirely restrained and althoughappropriation is rare, it sometimes occurs in spite of the efforts of themaintenance team to keep anorderlyenvironment.Ittranspiresthatawaterfeatureprovidestheidealsiteforacrobaticrollerbladingoncecandlewaxhasbeensurreptitiouslyappliedtoitslongedge.Otherformsofappropriationincludeafamilyusingpartofthesiteasanimpromptulivingroom(figure6)andchildrenplayingwithoneofthedesign features, a thin hollow of water cutting through the length the main axis. Such ephemeralmoments temporarily shift atmospheric conditions. In the first instance, a small crowd of onlookersgathered towatch the spectacle and themoodbecamemore relaxedand convivial. In the secondandthirdexamples, the intimacyof the situations simply softened theatmosphere.The sitealso integratesinterestingreflectionsintoitsdesign.Althoughthisappearslargelyunnoticedbymostpeoplewhotendtolookstraightahead, towardsthegroundorat theirphone, lookingupexposesaviewofcloudsmovingacross theglasspanelsof thebuildings.Theorganic texturesandreflectedmotionof thecloudsacrossthe smooth glass surfaces alleviate the feeling of rigidity embodied by the perfectman-madematerialeven though these glimpsed natural qualities have to compete with the sharp soaring edges of thebuildings. At ground level, the intensity of visual stimuli is enriched in parts by reflections across the

numerousglasspanelsofthefacadesandbymirroredviewsofsomeofLondon’slandmarks,notablytheTowerofLondon,TowerbridgeandCityHall.Together,theseembellishmentscouldprovidegroundsforpoeticsandhumannarrativesastheypermeatetheatmosphere.

Figure6.Spatialappropriation.Afamilybringsasenseofdomesticitytothesite.

ConclusionThemeaningsembodiedbythearchitectureoftheMoreLondonEstatesexpressahighlyrationalintent.Thesitefunctionsextremelywellandisaccessible,creatingaconvenientlinkbetweenTooleyStreetandtheRiverThames. Itspowerfularchitectureandspatial compositiondisplayhigh levelsof legibility.Thehigh calibre of the architecture is undeniable. Even so, the investigation reveals an atmosphereprogrammedtowardstheproductionofanimage,amanmaderepresentationofanideologythoughnotan ideologymade forman’s sensuous spirit. The uncompromisingly Cartesian architecture, with sharpedgesandhardreflectivesurfaces,andaforcefulidentityresultingfromtherepetitionofform,materialsandpatterns,createageometrythatdominatesthebody.Thediagonalforcesthatconstrainthegroundintensify the perception of perspective, which, further emphasised by the monumental scale of thebuildings, suggestsmasculine strength. The spatial composition, including furniture and landscaping, isordered,organisedintosmallareasandtherigidityofthelayoutofferslittleopportunitiesformeanderingor serendipity. The site is designed to control movement and condition behaviour to predeterminedactivities,resultinginlowlevelsofinteractionsandlittlescopeforalternatives.Itisa‘[p]erspectivalspace[that]leavesusasoutsideobservers’(Pallsamaa,2014:38),alowaffordanceenvironment.Inhistheoryof affordances Gibson explains that ‘[t]he perceiving of an affordance […] is a process of perceiving avalue-richecologicalobject’(1986:140).Soaffordancesrelatetothevaluesandmeaningsembodiedbythe site and how they inform people’s actions. Consequently, in spite of a few poetic encounters, thedominant forces,embodiedbyadesign conceived independently from thebodyandwhere intimacy isruled out, foster an atmosphere whose divisive effect reduces opportunities for thriving socialinteractions. The atmosphere is, by design, assertive and powerful, and the behaviour thus becomesregulated by efficiency and transience. The culture engendered by the atmosphere minimisesopportunitiesforhumaninteraction.Itisthenpossibletodeterminewhetherthelocationisperceivedasaspaceoraplace.AccordingtoGeographerYi-FuTuan‘[s]paceistransformedintoplacewhenitacquiresdefinitionandmeaning’,throughexperience.SociologistE.V.Waltertakesthenotionofexperienceeven

furtherbymakingplaces‘thelocationsofexperienceandassuchevokeandorganisememories,images,sentiments andmeaning’ (InMalnar and Vodvarka, 2004: 233). Thus, in order to become a place, theestateneedstoembodyqualitiesthataredependentonitsoccupants’actionsandemotions.However,the outcome of this study shows that, aside from a few poetics and instances of appropriation byindividuals, the atmosphere of the estate doesn’t foster such intimate relations and as such, this lowaffordanceenvironmentcannottrulybeexperiencedasaplace.ReferencesBöhme,C.(2014)UrbanAtmospheres:ChartingNewDirectionsforArchitectureandUrbanPlanning.In:ArchitecturalAtmospheres-OntheExperienceandPoliticsofArchitectureBasel:Birkhäuser,2014,pp.42-59.Borch,C.ed.(2014)WhyAtmospheres?In:ArchitecturalAtmospheres-OntheExperienceandPoliticsofArchitectureBasel:Birkhäuser,2014,pp.7-17.Gibson,J.J.(1966).TheSensesConsideredasPerceptualSystems.CornellUniversityWestport.Boston:HoughtonMifflinCompany.Gibson,J.J.(1986).TheEcologicalApproachtoVisualPerception.Hove:PsychologyPress.Griffero,T.(2010)Atmospheres:AestheticsofEmotionalSpaces.Farnham,UK;Burlington,USA:AshgatePublishing.Hinkel,R.U.(2008)SpatialHardwareandSoftware.In:ArchitecturalDesign,Vol.78No.3,May/June2008,pp.82-87.Ingold,T.(2011)BeingAlive.EssaysonMovement,KnowledgeandDescription.London;NewYork:Routlegde.Malnar,J.M.&Vodvarka,F.(2004)SensoryDesignMineapolis:UniversityofMinnesotaPress.Pallasmaa,J.(2011)AnArchitectureoftheSevenSensesIn:Weinthal,L.ed.TowardaNewInterior.AnAnthologyofInteriorDesignTheoryNewYork:PrincetonArchitecturalPress,2011,pp.40-49.Pallasmaa,J.(2014)Space,PlaceandAtmosphere:PeripheralPerceptionandExistentialExperience.In:In:ArchitecturalAtmospheres-OntheExperienceandPoliticsofArchitectureBasel:Birkhäuser,2014,pp.18-41Piette,A.(2009)Phénoménographiedelatranquilitéatanthropologiedelaprésence.In:SaloméBerthon,SabineChatelain,Marie-NoëlleOttavietOlivierWathelet(éds),Ethnologiedesgensheureux,Paris,EditionsdelaMaisondessciencesdel’homme,2009,pp.161-169.<http://www.albertpiette.net/medias/files/phenomenographie-de-la-tranquilite-et-anthropologie-de-la-presence.pdf>(Accessed10thAugust2016).Pink,S.(2009,2015ed.)DoingSensoryEthnography.London:SagePublications.Till,J.(1999)ThickTime.[Internet]<https://jeremytill.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/post/attachment/23/1999_Thick_Time.pdf>(Accessed16September2016)Tuan,Y.(1977)SpaceandPlace.ThePerspectiveofExperience.Minneapolis,London:UniversityofMinnesotaPress.Zumthor,P.(2003)AtmospheresBasel:Birkhäuser.