Thickening the Edge

Page 43

Figure 28

Thickening Space is often perceived as the immediate—what do I inhabit; what space am I within. However, the perception of space can be expanded upon through the visual connections one may draw from the gaze or understanding of what is beyond a directly inhabited space. A thickening of space can occur through direct visual connections occurring through a layering of porous surfaces, thus creating a presence of space much larger than the actual space that can be inhabited. It can also be thickened through a series of interconnected volumes that act as a larger whole that is all at once inhabited and understood through visual understanding of physical connections. While both techniques provide an end result of thickened space through an enhanced sense of presence, the means of which they are acting are dissimilar.

The layering of planes occurs essentially two-dimensionally; one space is repeated and the emphasis is placed on the barriers (i.e. walls) between the spaces (see Figure 31). The volumetric arrangement produces space through the three-dimensional connection of planes that suggest volumes as the negative of the surfaces (see Figure 32). While both are constructed of planes, the layered technique accentuates the transparency or hollowness of the surface while the volumetric strategy uses whole planes in order to emphasize the hollowness of the space between the surfaces. The thickening occurs via the understanding of connection through the separation created by the planes as boundary conditions.

Figure 28: the extrusion between separate surfaces allows for an interstitial space that is connected to its surrounding barriers

Thickening can also occur in a more literal sense, as extrusions between two planes (see Figure 30). This exploration shows the connection between

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