SHADOWED MEMORIES: EXPERIENCING ARCHITECTURE AND THE UNCANNY

Thesis Exploration by Denise N Weber

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

introduction Thesis Abstract 6 Definitions 7

research Visuals 10 Research Essay 14

development Site 26 Program 31 methodology Charcoal 37 Models 41

product Plans/Section 49 Perspectives 54 Model 65 Design 67 conclusion Presentation 70 Poster 71 Annotated Bibliography 72

introduction

What is it about it about shadows and darkness that makes you feel uneasy?

Architects continue to design spaces to be bright and open filling rooms with light; eliminating traces of darkness and shadow. This thesis is questioning the over use of light in architecture and seeks to create an architecture of shadow. Exploring the strange and mysterious through the understanding of the uncanny.

THESIS ABSTRACT

The modern consciousness is one of anxieties

and fears of unknown dangers. Memories of past

traumas rest in the shadows of our mind, fearful

that the past may repeat itself. These memories are

instances of the uncanny, a triggering of the return

of the repressed. A fleeting glimpse of a familiar and

strange feeling, almost as if your dreams or worst

nightmares can come true.

Among the shadow there is a beauty that has

become harder to see. There is a fear associated

with shadows, Irrational thoughts and fears of what

can possibly be hidden among the shadows. Most

contemporary architecture consists of open spaces

that are flooded with bright light and large surfaces

of transparent glass. Spaces are illuminated until all

the fragments of the shadows are eliminated from the

corners. In these bright open spaces there is no place

to escape your own thoughts, memories and search

for identity and meaning.

There is a place where the world is viewed

differently, in traditional Japanese culture they would

look back at their history. Their ancestors lived in

darkness; the mystery of the shadow became a

source of beauty within the darkness. Soft warm light

is diffused from paper lamps, gently enveloping a dark

room. There was an elegance created by the depths

of shadow. These traditions and values are much

different to those today. Ignoring history we look toward

advancement and progress. We want new, shinny and

bright. Spaces have lost their humanistic feeling and

are being drowned out by light. Where is there to go to

regain a sense of identity? The spaces we inhabit have

the power to shape our experiences and identities.

Using shadows can help recover the loss of intimate

spaces in contemporary architecture, providing a

secure place to inhabit the modern unhomely.

DEFINITIONS

Uncanny is a concept developed by Sigmund Freud of an instance of something that is strange yet familiar of the same time making you feel unsettled. It is the return of a repressed memory; something that was frightening lead the mind back to what is known and familiar.

Homely is something that is familiar and agreeable. It is something that is meant to be private and kept out of site.

Unhomely is the literal translation of the word Unheimlich, the German word for uncanny. The opposite of homely (heimlich) is something that ought to have remained secret and hidden but has come to light. The opposite of the familiar.

research

When forced to spend a week in darkness, my perception of light, shadow and space dramatically changed.

As a result of Hurricane Irene, in the summer of 2011, I spent seven days in the shadows. Experiencing moments of uneasiness and fear as well being entranced by the flicker of candlelight across a dark surface.

This thesis has been a journey. First finding its way in my life experiences, travels and thesis preparation course work. Evolving through the struggles of program, discovery of a successful methodology and charcoal covered hands.

Inspired by my Special Topics Studio travels to Portugal these collages are compossed of images taken in Lisbon: a city of bright light and deep shadows.

In my first representation I was trying to show the duality between light and shadow; shadow cannot exist without the presence of light. Another aspect was how shadows act as figures that can move through the presence of extreme brightness.

The next iteration I wanted to explore the idea that shadow can be perceived as an object and as space. I created a relationship between the intensity of light versus the intensity of shadow. Shadows are moving towards thresholds of light.

VISUALS

Early in the fall semester I looked at the works of artist James Turrell, who uses light as his primary medium to create space. Turrell uses light to address the nature of visual perception. He uses bright light and shadows to affect space and the views sensory experience of light and space.

I also analyzed black and white movies to understand how shadows can be used to convey a mood and set a scene. I specifically looked at The Cabinet of Dr. Califari (1920) for its use of painting scenery to help convey a mood of instability and mystery. Black and white horror was appropriate to watch to analyze the relationship between uncanny, mystery, darkness and shadow.

To help clarify my thesis topic and get inspiration I looked at examples of artists and film to gain a better understanding of how light and shadow create space. These are two examples.

James Turrell, Afrum (White), 1966, purchased with funds provided by David Bohnett and Tom Gregory through the 2008 Collectors Committee, © James Turrell, photo by Florian Holzherr

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

Church of the Light © Tadao Ando Architect & Associate

The Jewish Museum Berlin, arch. Daniel Libeskind, 2000. The interior of the Tower of Holocaust.

I also looked at how light and shadow can be used in the built environment. Researching several architects who have strong ideas about the presence of light and shadow in their designs. Two architects that stood out were Tadao Ando & Daniel Libeskind.

I looked at Ando’s work as examples of how shadows can be beautiful. As a Japanese architect his de-sign ideas went along with what I read in Jun’ichiro Tanizaki’s book In Praise of Shadows. Darkness and shadow and is prominent in Japanese architecture.

Daniel Libeskind is a contemporary architect who makes use of the uncanny as a response to the postmodern condition, drawing from traumatic history to inspire his designs. He uses darkness and a shadow to convey a mood in his designs; the image above is an interior shot of the Tower of Holocaust. In the darkest moments you feel as if you will never escape, but the trace of light restores hope.

To organize and connect the threads of our thesis we made image maps to key terms with images. Also producing a visual abstract to represent our topic in a single image.

This was an investigation of how my thoughts branched off from my key term: Shadow. While creating this I noticed a lot of overlapping ideas and influences. How light/shadow is used to cre-ate space, how it influences transition and how one occupies. All of these things are affected by the uncanny. Which is an instance where something can be familiar, yet foreign, resulting in a feeling of uncomfortably strange or uncomfortably familiar.

Looking at the effect of light and shadow has on cre-ating space. People occupy shadow but are drawn to the light, because of the unsettling fear of what lies beyond the shadow.

RESEARCH ESSAY:The Mystery and Beauty of Shadow; Architecture and the Modern Unhomely

Introduction:

In western architecture spaces are bright and

open, eliminating dark shadows and dimly lit spaces.

Within these illuminated spaces there is no place

to escape the glaring light and be at home in the

quiet depths of the shadow. Contemporary western

architecture is made up of glowing white spaces,

losing a sense of intimacy and atmosphere that could

be experienced in a soft subtle light. In other cultures

shadows are embraced and seen as beautiful and

important to everyday life. In Western culture there

is a sense of disconnect in the world, architecture no

longer provides us with a sense of intimate life to shelter

us from the anxieties and unsettling qualities of the

world around us. We find ourselves in search of a place

of refuge, a place to call home. Occupying shadows and

darkness can provide the opportunity to address these

feelings of disconnect and estrangement in both positive

and negative ways; enhancing the unsettling feeling

brought upon the mystery of darkness or providing a

comforting place within the beauty of shadow.

Japanese culture depends on shadows to

enhance the beauty of everyday life. In the west we

find discomfort in the darkness. There is a fear of

the unknowable; what could possibly be lurking in the

shadows. We find shadows to be uncanny, something

that is both strange and mysterious in an unsettling way.

Having an irrational fear of the dark limits opportunities

to embrace the beauty of shadow in design.

Looking at the contrast between the uncanny

and beauty of shadows I have found two sources that

help support each of the two different ideas. Looking into

the uncanny my primary source has been architectural

critic and historian Anthony Vidler who presents a

series of essays in his book The Architectural Uncanny

that examine examples of the modern unhomely. Vidler

is grounding his claims in psychoanalyst Sigmund

Freud’s concept of how the uncanny occurs in the

contemporary sensibility. Freud’s essay The Uncanny

is very important to read in order to understand the

root of the psychological aspects into the uncanny. An

example of a contemporary architect who draws from

the uncanny is Daniel Libeskind who responds to the

trauma and memory of a place to create architecture.

This is discussed in his memoir, Breaking Ground:

Adventures in Life and Architecture. Libeskind’s design

approach is to address the catastrophic events of a

place through architecture. Depicting the overpowering

and lasting emotions in the Holocaust Museum in

Berlin and the master plan for Ground Zero. To achieve

a lasting impression he manipulates light and shadow,

explaining that there is a mystery of light “light is about

letting the darkness be there” 1. Similarly, Louis Kahn

has very strong opinions about the use of light; using

natural light gives the space presence. As discussed

in historian David Brownlee’s book Louis I Kahn: In

the Realm of Architecture (1991), the study of light

is important when looking into shadow, for shadow

cannot exist with out light.

Darkness is important for visual perception;

architectural theorist Juhani Pallasma discusses this

in In the Eyes of the Skin (2005). In his book he claims

1 Libeskind, Daniel and Sarah Crichton. Breaking ground: [adventures in life and architecture]. (New York: River-head Books, 2004): 69.

that the suppression of all the senses has led to a feeling

of detachment in the built environment. In one section

he discusses the visual importance that darkness has

and questions the abundance of light used in today’s

architecture, “How much more mysterious and inviting

is the street of an old town with its alternating realms

of darkness and light than are the brightly and evenly

streets of today!”2. Shadow has a significant meaning

to other cultures. Architect Luis Barragan designed

in Mexico where the sun is extremely bright and

overpowering. Shadows and darkness are a place

of refuge from the constant presence of heat and

gleaming light that radiates from above. The book

Barragán: Space and shadow, Walls and Colour (2002)

written by art historian Danièle Pauly discussed how

Barragan saw shadow as a place of refuge from the

2 Pallasmaa, Juhani. The eyes of the skin: Architecture and

the senses. (Chichester; Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Academy;

John Wiley & Sons, 2005): 46

radiating Mexican sun as well as an opportunity for

refuge within shaded private and intimate living space.

There is a beauty in occupying shadows; Japanese

author Junichiro Tanizaki discusses the beauty of

shadows in his essay In Praise of Shadows (1977). The

dim light and subtle shadows of spaces in Japan reflect

not just the beauty of the space but the beauty and the

perception of everyday objects and people within the

space.

All of these authors will be investigated in this

essay with the goal of discovering a connection be-

tween the beauty and mystery of shadow. In order to

address the loss of intimate life that is present in to-

day’s architecture and culture.

The Uncanny

We occupy bright rooms, turning on the lights

to banish any trace of darkness, fearful of what could

possibly be hiding in the dark corners and small pockets

of overlooked space. The fear and mystery of the

unknown is defined within the theory of the uncanny. To

understand the Uncanny, one must go to the original

source; Sigmund Freud’s essay, entitled The Uncanny.

Freud’s essay is divided into three parts. First he

explains the meaning of the term uncanny; in German

called heimlich and unheimlich (homely and unhomely).

A word that relates to the feelings of fear and dread

that brings back the feelings of the repressed. Second,

he examines how the effect is depicted by figures,

places and narratives found in literature and fairy tales.

Then lastly explaining the anxiety and fears of losing an

eye or limb, the fear of the double and the “unconscious

compulsion to repeat”3.

Vidler uses Freud’s text as a primary source in

The Architectural Uncanny. Looking at how Freud links

the theory of the uncanny to the domestic or homely

and how this creates “problems of identity around the

self, the other, the body and its absence”4. These fears

3 Freud, Sigmund. The Uncanny. (New York, New York: Penguin Books, 1940): 145

4 Vidler, Anthony. The architectural uncanny: Essays in the

and anxieties of the individual that Freud explained in his

essay take a large part of modern consciousness and

nostalgia. Vidler looks at how contemporary architects

look at their own studies of domesticity and how the

uncanny can be used to push architectural ideas to

their limits in order to change the way spaces are used

and perceived. Addressing the relationship between

the psychological and physical meaning of home, the

uncanny is associated with a feeling of homesickness

and nostalgia for a true and natural home in the face

of the anxieties and terrors of the modern world. The

goal of this thesis is to use shadows and darkness as a

tool to address the feeling of homesickness in today’s

culture. The presence of shadows has the possibility to

reclaim the feeling of home and provoke uncertainties

that already exist in the modern consciousness.

Daniel Libeskind is one example mentioned in

Vidler’s The Architectural Uncanny as an architect modern unhomely. (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1992): x.

who addresses the uncanny. Reading Breaking Ground

provides a look into how an architect addresses the

feeling of “homesickness” after the lasting trauma

of the holocaust in Berlin, or the aftermath of 9/11

at Ground Zero. In his memoir he explains that

architecture today lacks imagination and that a great

architecture should address the past of a place and

the people who created the history. The uncanny is

a feeling that was evoked after the trauma’s of WW

I & II and hasn’t been released from the modern

consciousness. Architecture can be used to exploit

the unconscious5. Addressing the traumas and fears

that are still present but rarely addressed.

Libeskind looks into how architecture can

address the trauma that has destroyed a city and it’s

presence. In the wake of catastrophe there is a void

and emptiness within the city fabric and in the lives of

its citizens that shouldn’t be ignored. As an immigrant,

5 Vidler xiv

the feelings of displacement and like he does not belong

resonates with Libeskind. He uses architecture to

explore and represent the brutal disruptions that have

the power to forever twist and transform the continuity

of everyday life within the community. Focusing not

on single events in history, but on the forces and

catastrophes that leave people feeling disconnected

from their own home. Libeskind goes against the

Modernist belief that buildings should present a

neutral face to the world; he asks “Do we want to be

surrounded by dull soulless buildings or do we want

to confront our histories, our complicated and messy

realities, our unadulterated emotions and create an

architecture for the 21st century?”6. Asking more from

architecture and the people, who inhabit those spaces

Libeskind’s design process, uses light and shadow to

create and manipulate an atmosphere within a room.

He created a relationship between light in darkness

6 Libeskind 12

in the Jewish Museum in Berlin to evoke the scaring

presence of void and emptiness already present in

the city. Allowing the visitor to feel the overwhelming

immensity of fear and loss that was felt during and

after the holocaust. The uncanny can trigger feelings

that aren’t explored in architecture. Light and shadow

can create this atmosphere that architecture does not

explore.

The Significance of Light and Shadow

The apprehension of being in dark and

shadowed spaces does not exist everywhere. In other

cultures shadows are embraced and are integral

to everyday life; providing an escape from the sun or

creates an ambiance. Shadows are important to the

Eastern cultures of Asia. Japanese author Junichio

Tanizaki writes about how shadows and darkness are

essential in Japanese culture, creating a beauty in

ordinary life that western culture does not experience.

The importance of shadow is tied to historic traditions;

growing from the realities their ancestors faced living

in dimly lit rooms:

“A light room would no doubt have been more

convenient for us, too, than a dark room. The

quality we call beauty, however, must always

grow from the realities of life, and our ances-

tors, forced to live in the dark rooms, presently

came to discover beauty in the shadows, ulti-

mately to guide shadows toward beauty’s end”

7.

Tanizaki compares the traditions of Japanese culture

to the western view. Arguing that the West is always

pushing to create bright open spaces to push out

the deep shadows and any hint of what the darkness

can hide. We do not understand the mystery and

atmosphere that shadow creates. The Japanese

discovered that darkness has the possibility to

enhance the beauty and mystery of common objects,

7 Jun’ichiro Tanizaki. In praise of shadows [Inei raisan.]. (New Haven, Conn.: Leete›s Island Books. 1977): 18.

spaces and people, finding beauty in ordinary things

that the west fails to experience. For example, Tanizaki

states, “Our cooking depends upon shadows and is

inseparable from darkness”8. In darkness food is more

appetizing as it sits in its dark container, resting on a

table in a dim space that is lit simply by the flicker of

candlelight. Dwelling among the shadows can enhance

the mundane aspects of day-to-day life.

Louis Kahn had strong views on light, calling

light the “giver of all presences”9. Kahn used shadows

to enhance light; light and shadow were used in Kahn’s

buildings to differentiate the “ideal world from the

world of daily experiences”10. Brownlee uses Kahn’s

later works as examples of his simplest and strongest

architecture. The use of natural light was an important

8 Tanizaki, 17.9 Brownlee, David Bruce, David Gilson De Long, Museum of Contemporary Art, and Philadelphia Museum of Art. Louis I. Kahn: In the realm of architecture. (Los Angeles; New York: Museum of Contemporary Art; Rizzoli, 1991): 204.10 Brownlee 205.

force in his designs, creating a mysterious dynamic

within the relationship between the experience of

silence and light. Claiming that it was structure that

defines the substance of a building and natural light

gives life to those spaces. In Exeter Library, Kahn

creates a poetic language of bringing a book out from

the dark library stacks out into the light. On the outside

perimeter light enters into small individual study

spaces, here the individual can control how much light

they wish to experience as they study and read.

The use of shadow is something that the west

overlooks, but it has been proven in other cultures to

provide beauty, depth and meaning to the most basic

objects, everyday activities and the architecture we in-

habit. It is important to enhance light and balance the

presence of deep shadows within brilliant light in order

to create contrast and meaning within the spaces we

occupy.

Loss of Intimate Life

In The Eyes of the Skin, Juhani Pallasma discuss-

es how the mind, body and the use of all five senses

can perceive and influence how a space is experienced.

We experience the world using all of our senses, while

architecture is typically experienced visually. Pallasma

claims that the suppression of the senses has lead us

to a feeling of detachment and alienation in the built

environment. In the section entitled “The Significance

of Shadow”, Pallasma discusses the importance dark-

ness has for our visual perception, in darkness the eye

obscures the limits of distance, skewing what can be

seen as an expansive depth or a feeling of nearness

close enough to touch. Most people do not know is that

the eye is most attuned for dim light rather than bright

light. Suppressing our vision by entering a darker space

or closing your eyes awakens the imagination by mak-

ing visual images unclear, thus allowing for interpreta-

tion and thought. Bright light can abruptly stop these

unfocused trains of thought, “Homogenous bright light

paralyses the imagination in the same way that homog-

enization of space weakens the experience of being,

wipes away the sense of place” 11. Pallasma concludes

that contemporary architecture would benefit from the

presence of shadows.

In Pallasmaa’s writing he references Mexican

architect Luis Barragan who claims that because of

excessive illumination and transparency to the outside

world “we have lost a sense of intimate life, and have

become forced to live public lives, essentially away

from the home” 12.Further expanding on the idea’s of

Luis Barragan, Daniele Pauly’s book Barragán: Space

and shadow, walls and colour is an in depth look at

Barragan’s search to capture and create shadows in his

designs. In Mexico, the sun is sharp and overpowering,

so dwellings are places of refuge. Shadow and dark

spaces away form the hot and bright sun provide a

means of relief; Barragan sees the importance and

beauty of “shadowy” spaces. The presence of shadow 11 Pallasmaa 46.12 Pallasmaa 47.

sculpts the inside of the dwelling to create intimate

spaces. Barragan criticizes transparent spaces, saying

there is no space, a part from the bathroom, for privacy

or a place one can shut him or herself off in and “feel

sheltered”13. This source is addressing the importance

of shadow as a contrast to the bright sunlight, creating

a calm and peaceful atmosphere for one to inhabit.

Conclusion

The fear and anxieties of modernity has

shaped architecture. The uncertainties and fear of

the unknown prompted the need to flood dark spaces

with vibrant light. Frightened by what couldn’t be

seen but had the potential to harm changed the way

spaces were designed. Modernist architects created

illuminated spaces that were open to one another

and to the outside world, eliminating the irrational 13 Pauly, Danièle, Luis Barragán, and Jérôme Habersetzer.

Barragán: Space and shadow, walls and colour. (Corr reprint of original ed. Basel; Boston: Birkhäuser. 2008; 2002), 158.

completely. In attempts to escape and illuminate the

possibilities of the unknown the sense of intimate life

has been washed away along with the shadow. There is

a mystery and beauty to shadow and darkness; there is

a contrasting duality to them. Western culture has the

opportunity to rediscover its infatuation with the beauty

created by the depth of shadow as well as understand

the possibilities of what lies within the depth of that

same shadow. In the darkness a sense of identity,

previously washed away by the light, has the possibility

to return. In the shadow a sense of home and place

within architectural spaces can be restored.

REFERENCES

Brownlee, David Bruce, David Gilson De Long, Museum

of Contemporary Art, and Philadelphia Museum

of Art. Louis I. Kahn: In the realm of architecture.

(Los Angeles; New York: Museum of Contempo-

rary Art; Rizzoli, 1991)

Freud, Sigmund. The Uncanny. (New York, New York:

Penguin Books, 1940)

Libeskind, Daniel and Sarah Crichton. Breaking ground:

[adventures in life and architecture]. (New York:

Riverhead Books, 2004)

Pallasmaa, Juhani. The eyes of the skin: Architecture

and the senses. (Chichester; Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-

Academy; John Wiley & Sons, 2005)

Pauly, Danièle, Luis Barragán, and Jérôme Haber-

setzer. Barragán: Space and shadow, walls and

colour. (Corr reprint of original ed. Basel; Boston:

Birkhäuser. 2008; 2002)

Tanizaki, Jun’ichirō. In praise of shadows [Inʼei raisan.].

(New Haven, Conn.: Leete›s Island Books. 1977)

Vidler, Anthony. The architectural uncanny: Essays in

the modern unhomely. (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT

Press, 1992)

development

Determining an appropriate site and

program for this thesis was crucial. My site had

to be charged, inspired by history and has traces

of memory. Next I need to determine a program

that could help aid my thesis and not solve it.

No Haunted Houses, Fun Houses, Hostels, or

Museums.

To say I struggled with program would be

an understatement; I changed my program three

times in one week.

I needed to find a program that would be

appropriate in shadow as well as could address

issues of identity, way finding and estrangement. It

seemed to be an impossible task. Nothing seemed

to fit, until I was given a suggestion: Death. This

was an opportunity for all the pieces of my thesis

to come together.

SITE When it came time to choose a site it was

important for me to find a site that had traces of history

as well as an open area to provide a lot of light. The

site I chose is located in East Boston, a former point of

entry for immigrants coming to Boston. Inspired by the

uncanny, I am drawing from the unsettling feeling of

immigration, an issue important to Boston’s past and

still continues today. People no longer immigrate by

sea, but through the neighboring airport. Immigrants

often have a feeling of being displaced, searching for the

feeling of home in a culture completely different from

their own. There are also insecurities and anxieties felt

by the residents when a new and unknown presence

comes into their established community.

The site chosen briefly served as an entry point

for immigrants to Boston. Once they arrived they were

processed on the ship (or in the nearby immigration

station) then would proceed into America. From the

dock they would ascend a staircase, known fondly to

immigrants as ‘The Golden Stair’ acting as important

transition moment that symbolizes the arrival into

American and its promised opportunities.

Along Marginal Street the area is

underdeveloped. Lots along the waterfront remain

vacant, abandoned and overgrown. A large fence

separates the visitor from the water and the view of

the Boston skyline. The site holds a strong memory

but has a lost sense of history, place and identity. It

is a very strange and unsettling feeling walking along

Marginal Street, the feeling of disconnect between land

and the water creates a feeling of the displacement

and disorientation for the visitor. These emotions and

historic traces that exist on side provide opportunities

to explore elements of shadow and the uncanny.

east boston ma

I noticed an important axis in the Golden stair, the only street in the close contexts that breaks through in that direction. The primary vehicular circulation is oriented in the opposite direction. Looking also at the importance of the view back to the city: the new home and destination of immigrants after their journey.

In this diagram I was looking at the voids located in the area. The waterfront is abandoned and leaves traces of the industrial and boating yards. This area also touches the airport, a large piece that pushes on the community. Between these large voids of space are the residential communities. I was looking at how

green space related and started to reclaim the voids. There is a greenway that connects to Piers Park then traveling up the golden stair to a park. My project can start reclaiming the void and reclaim the history that exists along the waterfront.

seperated from boston by fencefences line marginal street, land is vacanthouses do not view out toward the waterno connection to history, water once importantsense of estrangement/disconnect-needs repair

strong VISUAL connection to BOSTON

How can the presence of SHADOW help reclaim a sense of identity and history in EAST BOSTON?

East Boston is the SHADOW of Boston

MARGINAL STREET WATER FRONT//EAST BOSTON

Blocked off from the water, there is a strong disconnect created by the boundary. Losing any sense of place or feeling of identity for the area.

PROGRAM

When confronted by death you are faced with

extreme emotions. Suddenly your entire world has

shifted and you are forced to ask yourself questions

about life and death. Most have spiritual beliefs to help

answer these questions and guide them through their

loss. Where do people without religion to find meaning?

How do you understand matters of life and death

without spiritual beliefs? Where do you go to celebrate

the life of a non-religious person?

The program I chose to explore my thesis is a

funerary chapel for non-believers. This facility will serve

as a place to memorialize someone’s life and act as a

final resting place. Within the program I have created

there are opportunities for individual mourning,

intimate gathering spaces and large service spaces

that serve to memorialize the life of a passing friend or

loved one.

For those who are returning to visit and

remember someone who has passed can explore the

Garden for the Departed. Meandering through the

Garden the visitor is faced with Columbarium walls and

Mausoleums. Along these paths there are moments

to be discovered, small pockets to stumble upon while

lost in thought. In these space you can sit and reflect or

wonder the grounds lost in thought.

Beneath the earth surface holds the service

spaces, here is where you begin the journey for

meaning. In the shadow, the visitor is disoriented,

pulled around the corners by moments of bright light.

The journey starts alone, and then moves into a viewing

room to say final goodbyes and show condolences to

loved ones. Finally you move back to the shadowy light,

where a service takes place in the Memorial Hall.

PUBLIC Service & Celebration Lobby area = 2 x 3,000 sq ftLarge Memorial Hall= 6,000 sq ftMedium Memorial Hall= 3,000 sq ftSmall Memorial Hall= 1,500 sq ftPrivate viewing/mourning room Processional Hall

RemembranceMausoleumColumbarium for 2,000-5,000 urns Garden of Remembrance

PRIVATEAdministration & Support Offices & meeting areas= 1,000 sq ftLarge storage = 2,000 sq ftCold room= 300 sq ftPreparation room = 300 sq ftHolding Facility = 450 sq ftOffice= 3x 150 sq ft

GARDEN FOR THE DEPARTED

goodbye

walk

rem

embe

ranc

e

gard

en

columbariumcollection

reflection

acceptance journey

program//adjacencies & transitions

entry

grief

chapelremembrance

crematorium

lossviewing

. Turning the corner is when you see it, Boston’s harbor and the city sky-line. Finally feeling like you have arrived, you don’t notice there aren’t many buildings on the waterfront. Just one.

ARRIVAL

Some spaces feel dark and unsettling completely enclosed with only a small opening to let daylight fall into the room. Others allow glimpses into one another, obscuring the view through screens and opaque glass. You can see flashes and movements of the activities beyond. The darkness is making you feel uneasy. What is happening in this room? What is that person doing? Questioning your environment you move into another space. This room feels different, the shadows moving across the wall is intriguing. You decide to sit here a while.intriguing. You decide to sit here a while.

SPACES

Nothing looks familiar. Your eye is searching for something familiar. You’ve spent weeks looking at images, you thought that something would stick out once you were here. You start to become disoriented; all of the buildings are start to look the same as you quickly move past them.

APPROACH

CIRCULATION

You enter into a dimly lit room, once checked you are given a tour. As you move through the dark and constricting corridors you start getting disori-ented. Where is she taking me? The further you get the harder it is to re-member your way back. You move down into the earth, rooms start open-ing up to the hallway. Suddenly you are lead to a staircase, moving back up to the surface, traveling farther up into the building.

I determined early that the sequence and narrative were very important elements to developing my thesis. These were done early on and helped determine how I approached drawing perpectives throughout my entire thesis.

methodology

It was important to me to find a methodology

that would best explain my thesis. I wanted to

explore the best technique to explore and represent

all the ideas that I have spent so long developing.

Through this exploration I found the best way to

consistently represent my thesis from process to

final product.

Throughout the semester I focused on how

to develop a sequence of spaces and the best way to

experience and render shadows. My medium was

charcoal. I charcoaled everything; from drawings

to models. My perspectives were always set up

the same way, as a storyboard. Documenting the

approach, arrival and then the space. Quality of

light was explored by building models out of foam

core, peeling back the smooth glossy layer and the

covering the textured surface with charcoal.

Throughout my process I would set up the page the same way: Approach, Arrival & Space. This perspective sheet documented an early interpretation how one would arrive at this place and possible lighting conditions for the lobby space. I wanted the lobby to be a contrast between darkness and bright light entering from above.

charcoal

Initially I explored orthogonal walls and curves, in this drawing one would have to turn the corner to arrive at a viewing room. In this space the visitor would mourn in the shadows, the only source of light would be on the casket.

Moving from the viewing room the visitor arrives at the chapel. The apertures created a moment where light flooded the aisles and then the seats were sitting in the shadow.

In the garden spaces I wanted there to be objects to create shadows. In this case it was the idea of a possible structure and the columbarium wall.

To understand how to make shadows and the affects of various apertures I made models, lots of models. Developing various spatial and transitional moments that could occur within my building.

I created these models out of foam core. Experimenting with texture I began peeling away the glossy surface from the foam core. After looking at precedents I decided that a textured wall captures textures best. Creating a depth to the wall and a movement to both the light and shadow when reflected on the surface.

Once the models were made I applied a layer of charcoal so the darkness and shadows of the space could clearly be seen. Photography each model in natural light allowed for a better understanding of how the shadows worked. Moving the models in the light showed how the moving sun would effect the shadows movement through the space.

The next few pages document examples of this process.

models

Models also helped me develop and explore how spaces can relate and interact sectionally. These are examples of how the viewing room and the memorial hall can view into each other.

To better understand this sectional idea I would draw a charcoal perspective or a quick sketch inside of my sketchbook.

Within these sectional models I explored movement and transition. How one would enter and move from one space through another. Here I experimented with a new material: opaque glass. Movement would be shadowed and seem ghosted behind the surface

The movement of the sun determined location of each space and the quality of light I wanted the space to receive (morning or afternoon light). Also used to explore the existing site axis then later creating my own.

This model was a tool for placement. A massing was made from foam core and was secured to the cardboard by pins. Allowing me to easily move each space through each iteration of design.

product

Consistency between process and product

was important to me. My goal was to create

a cohesive final product. From the start of the

semester I used charcoal and I did not want

the shadowy discovers made through out the

semester to be lost.

Final drawings were produced in AutoCAD

then acetoned onto craft paper. This paper was

chosen for its dark earthy color. Once transferred

the drawings were carefully hand rendered with

charcoal, pastels and pen.

Several representation techniques

were tested to create desired effects. The

images of shadows were clearly depicted in

final representation with help from numerous

Photoshop layers, charcoal and the laser cutter.

site (roof) plan: 1/32”=1’-0”

underground plan: 1/16”=1’-0”charcoal rendered

underground plan: 1/16”=1’-0”

This line drawing of my underground plan was produced in AutoCAD then was laser cut onto a piece of acrylic. The acrylic plan was then pinned to the wall two inches to the drawing casting a shadow on to the hand rendered version of the plan. This drawing can be seen on the next page.

underground plan: 1/16”=1’-0”charcoal rendered with arcrylic overlay

New technique created to give the drawing depth and have the drawing create a shadow of the drawing onto the drawing

site section: 1/16”=1’-0”charcoal rendered on craft paper Enlarged above to show spatial detail

perspectives

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5

6

7

8

9

To help explain the experiential aspects of my project I created a series of charcoal perspectives on 10 sheets of grey scale paper. Starting from how the visitor arrives, through all the spaces underground the perspectives end on the pier. The following images are arranged sequentially and the diagram above acts as a guide to the area each sequence is drawn. Each page highlights the approach, arrival and space.

Arriving boat you make the journey across Boston harbor. Approaching a long Columbarium wall that runs along the dock. The boat pulls right inside of the building. Surrounded by water and a simple platform you exit the boat. Light enters through small circular holes, leaving you only with glimpses of light and water.

perspective 1

Once inside you descend underground through a slow moving dim elevator. Exiting you notice a dark area with niches carved into the earth. Here you sit and get lost in thought, still in shocked that you are here today. Continuing on you are unsure where to go, following the curved walls and headed in the unknown light in the distance.

perspective 2

Ahead of you is a large heavy door; slowly you slide it open along the track in the floor. You chose a seat close to the back in the dark shadowy room. A beam of light streams down from the front of the room. This light casts a soft light onto the casket of your departed friend. You work up the nerve to say goodbye then continue on.

perspective 3

Following the curving staircase you slowly move back up through the earth. As you move up the shadows get lighter until you reach a large threshold. A bright light pours through the aisles as you find your way to a seat. After the service you get up and move around the heavy wall you are faced with a tall glass window. You are level with the expansive sea in front of you; strangely you take a seat in another wall perspective 4

You head to the Mausoleum to visit with your grandmother. Pushing the heavy wooden door open light pours down casting soft light onto the grave markers. You glimpse up and see a fleeting glimpse of movement and sky from the level above. Entering the dark eerie corridor you take the elevator up to the next level. Siting up here you look in the sliver that unconsciously draws your eye back beneath the earth to the shadows moving against the floor.

perspective 5

Faced with a curved wall you have to choice which way to go. You move right, follow the curvy wall to the next space. In the front of the room there is an opening that pulls light down from above, casting light into the dim space. You head to the staircase, feeling a strange feeling of release as the compressed ceiling disappears.

perspective 6

Up the stairs a flicker of light is visible in the threshold pulling you in. Once seated you look up and have a view of the bright blue sky. This makes you think of happy memories as you bask in the warm light that flows down from the windows above. There is softness to the shadows and you find comfort in the space and your journey through the mysterious darkness.perspective 7

Going around the other bend in the hallway you approach the final viewing room. This space is small, a small opening lights the room, making this space feel dark and confined. As you glance up at the light you notice a movement to the shadow, you realize you have caught a glimpse of a person in the space above. Walking up the stairs you take a seat in the memorial hall, looking over you can see the same shadowed movement beyond the wall; someone walking outside.

perspective 8

You reach the end of the winding hallway, ascending up the stairs your eyes slowly adjacent from the shift from dark to light. In the soft shadows you move under the skylight, where the glowing light of the sun falls all around you. Finally you feel ready to go outside.

perspective 9

Wandering through the garden you are lost in thought, stopping only when you find a bench in a pocket of trees or glance over the names of the departed on the columbarium. The questions you have about death become overwhelming, the salty sea breeze pulls you toward the water. Wandering along the dock you follow the wall to the end of the pier. Here you stare out at the waves and reflect.perspective 10

detail model: 1/4”=1’-0”largest memorial hall

detail model: 1/4”=1’-0”largest memorial hall

DESIGN Submerged in the earth the visitor begins

their emotion journey through their grief. The walls

are rough exposed concrete, making the spaces feel

as if they were carved out from the earth. Wondering

through the processional hall the walls curve. Making

you question and uneasy about where you are and

where you are headed. Always around the corner is

the presence of light pulling you through. The support

spaces and mourning spaces are all underground. It

is when you enter the memorial/chapel spaces that

you are at ground level. These spaces act as a place

to celebrate and remember the life of a loved one; this

is why they are the brightest. Each memorial space is

a different size and is oriented in a different direction

based on the angle of the sun.

Pulled out into the water is the largest chapel,

strengthening the visitor’s relationship to the water. As

the visitor searches for questions and meaning they

are disoriented in their environment. The water is their

only reference of place and surrounding. Within the

garden and some interior moments the view of water

is deliberate or denied. An important element to the

project’s design is the relationship between the body

and the wall. Individual mourning spaces and niches

for the coffin are both carved into the wall, creating

an uncanny relationship between the mourner and

the departed. The columbarium walls play a large role

on the ground, becoming structural and organizing

elements.

Historically, an axis already exists on the site.

It was important to maintain that axis but I decided to

offset the axis I created within my building. Building along

the historic axis would cover up its historical memory

and lose its significance to the place. The visitor moves

along the axis, but not directly. Meandering through the

visitor finds his or her way.

conclusion

After completing my thesis I am very proud of how I developed my thesis idea into a project. I found my methodology and final product a great reflection of my explorations into the experimental and narrative part of my project as well as the visual perception of light and shadow throughout the building. I was happy with the final result, but obviously more time would have pushed my design further. I would have loved to have further explored the relationship between the land and the water.

Based on the comments I received during the final critique there are definitely further steps needed to bring my project to a more sophisticated level. What my project lacked was the technical aspects of design. If I had more time analytical drawings of wall thickness, apertures, crisp detail drawings and more sections would have enhanced my thesis and final presentation. My project would have also benefited from a digital model. This could have provided a much more accurate and technical study of light and shadow at varying times and seasons.

final presentation

SHADOWED MEMORIES: EXPERIENCING ARCHITECTURE AND THE UNCANNYDenise N Weber ArchArch

2012Mposter

Adcock, Craig. James Turrell: The art of light and space. (Berke-

ley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press,

1990)

Adcock is writing is an overview of James Turrell’s

work, Turrell uses light to address the nature of visual

perception. Describing how the affects of bright light and

its counterpart shadow affects space and the sensory

experience of light and space. This source is beneficial

to my understanding of how light and shadow can be

perceived and used as a tool to create and shape space

and the way people interact within the space.

Ashmore, Jerome. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari as Fine Art. College

Art Journal 9, no. 4: pp. 412-418, 1950

Jerome Ashmore claims not all motion pictures are art

forms, but most can be considered fine art a movie to

support this is the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. To support his

claim he provided three levels of meaning; surface, literal

and symbolic meaning to distinguish an object as fine art.

The section about surface meaning discusses the per-

ception of what appears on the surface of the projected

image. The painted scenery, use of lines, shadow, lighting,

shadow and motion unite to convey a mood of “instability,

mystery and perplexity”. This source was useful to see an

example of how the uncanny and shadows are used to

create a dynamic relationship. The film The Cabinet of Dr.

Caligari will be a good example to study this relationship,

but I have pulled back from using the uncanny within Ger-

man Expressionist film as the primary investigation in my

thesis to focus more on looking into the beauty and poetic

elements that can be created by designing with shadow.

Brownlee, David Bruce, David Gilson De Long, Museum of

Contemporary Art, and Philadelphia Museum of Art. Louis

I. Kahn: In the realm of architecture. (Los Angeles; New

York: Museum of Contemporary Art; Rizzoli, 1991)

This book was a collection of essays that coincide with a

different point in Louis Kahn’s architectural career. Look-

ing more specifically at the chapter called “Light, the Giver

of all Presence” the author uses Kahn’s later works as ex-

amples of his simplest and strongest architecture. Kahn’s

use of natural light was an important force in his designs,

creating a mysterious dynamic to the relationship be-

tween silence and light. I’ve started to look at Louis Kahn

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

because of his strong idea’s about light. It is important for

me to look at light, because of its duality and relationship

with shadows.

Franklin, James C. Metamorphosis of a metaphor: The shadow

in early German cinema. The German Quarterly 53, no. 2:

pp. 176-188, 1980.

This article was a look at shadow in early German cinema

and how it can be used as a communicative function.

Discussing Plato’s metaphor of how cave dwellers

perceived shadows and echoes outside of the cave as

reality itself. The perception is weakened, portraying

a diluted hint of reality. Jung’s metaphor for shadow

is also discussed; his theory is that the shadow is the

underside of the human psyche, which provides creativity

if acknowledged and if repressed can bring about the

collapse of the individual. These metaphors became a

narrative device used in cinema. This was an interesting

source because it gave a new element to the discussion

of light and shadow in German films. It provided more

analysis into the physiological effects the metaphor of

shadow has on the human psyche.

Freud, Sigmund. The Uncanny. (New York, New York: Penguin

Books, 1940)

Sigmund Freud investigates the psychology of the

uncanny, relating it to the German translation of the word

heimlich and unheimlich- homely and unhomely. Freud

describes the feeling of the familiar and the comfortable

in relationship to its opposite of what is concealed and

kept hidden. The uncanny is a part of the realm of the

frightening relating to something that is familiar yet

repressed. Freud’s view on the uncanny was an important

source for me to read to get a further and more in depth

grasp of the theory behind the uncanny.

Libeskind, Daniel and Sarah Crichton. Breaking ground:

[adventures in life and architecture]. (New York:

Riverhead Books, 2004)

Daniel Libeskind is a contemporary architect who makes

use of the uncanny as a response to the postmodern

condition, drawing from traumatic history to inspire

his designs. This book is a memoir as well as a detailed

account of his architectural style. He draws from his

background as a Jewish immigrant to explore ideas

about tragedy and hope and how architecture can

memorialize and reshape the human experience. This

was an interesting read, to see how a deconstructionist

architect draws from the uncanny to create a meaningful

architectural experience. This book helped stimulate

my thinking of how to draw from trauma and memory,

influencing my ideas on how to approach setting criteria

for selecting a site. Also providing information on the

importance of light and shadow to his designs that I can

draw from.

Mulgrave, Vic. Designing with light and Shadow. (Woodbridge:

Images; Antique Collectors’ Club, 2000)

Kaoru Mende is a Japanese lighting designer, who is

part of the firm called Lighting Planners and Associates

Inc. This book is about the firms design philosophy and

provides numerous examples of their built work. Mende is

interested in emphasizing the shadows to create subtlety

and depth that more accurately reflects human actions

and perceptions. Focusing on the use of light to create a

lasting impression instead of simply creating functional

urban lighting design. I think this can be helpful to look

into how to create and develop shadow with artificial light

versus the focus on the use of natural light. Mende has

an interesting approach to lighting design, using light as

a tool to enhance the human experience, this is an idea

that has the potential to influence design strategies next

semester.

Pallasmaa, Juhani. The eyes of the skin: Architecture and the

senses. (Chichester; Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Academy; John

Wiley & Sons, 2005)

Juhani Pallasma discusses how the mind, body and

senses can perceive and influence how a space can be

perceived and experienced. Providing a look into how

all the senses can be utilized in architectural design.

Commonly architecture is created under consideration of

sight. Pallasma claims that the suppression of the senses

has lead us to a feeling of detachment and alienation in

the built environment. This feeling created by the neglect

of the senses relates to my thesis ideas of the uncanny

and the feelings of estrangement that connect with

the topic. I focused in on the section about shadows,

Pallasma discusses the importance of darkness in a

practical sense. Darkness helps the eye perceive depth

and think clearly. This source also references in praise

of shadows and ideas of transparency in architecture,

providing insight into the loss of intimate life in today’s

culture.

Pauly, Danièle, Luis Barragán, and Jérôme Habersetzer. Bar-

ragán: Space and shadow, walls and colour. (Corr reprint

of original ed. Basel; Boston: Birkhäuser. 2008; 2002)

Luis Barragan is a Mexican architect who predominately

deals with issues of color and space. Important

intertwining elements are light and shadow and issues of

intimacy and transparency. Light is so bright in Mexico

it is important to design spaces that are shielded from

the sun’s rays within the shadows. This source is really

good source in relating different elements of my thesis.

Barragan sees the importance and beauty of “shadowy”

spaces. The use of shadow sculpts the inside of the

dwelling to create intimate spaces. Barragan criticizes

transparent spaces, saying there is no space a part

from the bathroom for privacy or a place one can shut

him or herself off in and “feel sheltered”. This source can

help influence my thinking about the positive aspects of

shadow and a persons desire to inhabit darkness as a

space removed from light as well as a intimate place that

provides seclusion and reflection.

Takeyama, Kiyoshi. Tadao Andô: Heir to a tradition. Perspecta

20, : pp. 163-180, 1983.

Tadao Ando’s architecture is derived from the influences

of Japanese culture and the emotional relationship to

human beings and physical objects. This article compares

Ando with Sen no Rikyu, one of Japan’s greatest tea

ceremony masters and architect of tea pavilions.

Rikyu designed differently than the traditional grander

and formal spaces, reinventing them to express the

aesthetic values found in humble houses of the common

people. Ando and Rikyu have many design similarities,

one of them being the use of light. Focusing on how

small amounts of light can effect dark spaces. This is

an important look at how spaces are designed by a

Japanese architect, this is opposite of how western

architecture is designed. It was written that southern

orientations were avoided because bright illumination in

the space would be unsettling; an interesting contrast to

the western perception of the use of light and darkness.

Tanizaki, Jun’ichirō. In praise of shadows [Inʼei raisan.]. (New

Haven, Conn.: Leete›s Island Books. 1977)

In Praise of Shadows is an essay that claims

that the presence of shadows in various aspects of

Japanese culture provide a sense of beauty that could

not be seen if it weren’t for varying degrees of light and

darkness. To support his claim, Tanizaki breaks his essay

into sixteen sections, each describing how the beauty of

shadows diffuse into every corner of Japanese life and

he compares how this differs from the use of excessive

illumination in the West. This source was a look at how

shadows can be perceived in a positive light, looking at

how darkness can affect objects, spaces, people and

experiences. This source was important to my research

because it presented a non-western approach to the idea.

Vidler, Anthony. The architectural uncanny: Essays in the modern

unhomely. (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1992)

This book is a collection of essays that discuss

the unsettling qualities seen in architecture today.

Using the idea of the uncanny as a metaphor for a

fundamentally unbelievable modern condition. Reflecting

on questions of social and individual estrangement.

Vidler, Dean of the School of Architecture at the

Cooper Union, uses the work of present day architects

(Koolhaas, Eisenman, Diller+Scofidio) as well as urban

theorists to describe the problems with domesticity.

The introduction of this source as well as the preface

was essential to my understanding of the theory of the

uncanny as well as its relationships to contemporary

architecture. Also looking at his essay entitled ‘Dark

Space’ which looks at how the fear of the dark led to

the fascination of the same shadowed areas and the

invention of the spatial phenomenology of darkness.

Another essay ‘Transparency’ looks at how modernity

is haunted by transparency; people need to be open to

themselves, each other, society and this reflected in

modernity’s universal transparency of materials and

space. This source was influential in the development of

my topic, pushing me toward asking questions about the

unsettling qualities of shadow.