시각 중심적 건축의 한계와 불투명성으로서의 공간 = A Critique of Ocularcentric Architecture and the Opacity of the Space

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The modern architecture presupposes the modern system of space. The modern system of the space is theoretically based on the Newtonian theory of the absolute space, according to which all the spaces are independent of all the things and homogeneous. That kind of space is ocularcentric geometric space freed from the ordinary experiences and other senses except vision. The modern architecture pursues the spatial transparency by making the visual sense absolute and isolated from other senses such as tactile sense, olfactory sense which can not be measured objectively. Louis sullivan`s motto Form follows function is the most dramatic expression of the ocularcentric architecture, and Le Corbusier`s ``modulor`` or Mies`s ``universal space`` implies the efforts to realize the modern architectural ideal into the individual buildings. But the modern view of space leaves some serious problems in that it blocks the possibility to approach the space sociologically. The irony that Mies`s Seagram building once regarded as an architectural symbol of modern ideal to go beyond the historical limits and absolutely universal looks very outdated now reflects the paradox of modern architecture. It is in this context that finnish architect Juhani Pallasmaa said The inhumanity of contemporary architecture and cities can be understood as the consequence of the negligence of the body and the senses, and an imbalance in our sensory system. The ocularcentric architecture and art stimulates human thinking and vision but doesn`t make people feel like that they are rooted in their environments. It destroys real human existence living in the present mixed with memories of the past and anticipations of the future. As for the material, the traditional materials such as stones, bricks, and trees get the additional beauty as time passes. But the artificial materials such as glasses, enamelled metals and synthetic plastics show off their brilliant surfaces by removing the trace of age. In an essay named ``building, dwelling, thinking``, Heidegger said that building is essentially dwelling, and dwelling is not just being physically in a building but being comfortable with the traces of past memory and time. The space is not the universal space. It becomes a specific place communicated with my body and experience. Building is not constructing space but making places. In that respect it is ``thekne`` in its ancient greek meaning, which means making visible what was hidden. Karsten Harries relates ``thekne`` with materiality in the architecture. He thinks that architecture in its essence ``can not represent`` nature or things but only each architecture ``re-present`` the primordial model of the building, ie primitive hut, respectively with its proper materials. In this process ``re-presentation`` comes out the materiality that was hidden until now. Architects such as Alva Aalto, and Herzog & de Muron are regarded as the representatives who emphasize the materaility in the architecture. The emphasis on the materiality is engaged with the new perspective of the space. Space is not just seen by eyes but also perceived by other sense organs. Space is opaque. As art theorists such as Hildebrandt and Rosalind Krauss pointed out, the emphasis on the materiality in the contemporary sculpture is related with the idea that space is opaque. The contemporary sculpture focusced on the materiality leads the spectators to move their eyes very close to it and feel the tactile surfaces. The reason that the modern architecture becomes the most transparent architecture in spite of the use of the most opaque material, ie concrete, lies in the fact that it optimizes the spatial structure functionally according to the geometric systems. It is reflected in Mies`s famous statement Less is more. The emphasis on the materiality is engaged with the new perspective of the space. Space is not just seen by eyes but also perceived by other sense organs. Space is opaque. As art theorists suc