Feeling of Space

 

Age and sense of space is related. The question is – how does a human being experience Space – how does the human  being develop this experience?

If we consider our extremely young ages and observe toddlers, I think that the very first sense of space that it gets is through mother’s touch and the feel of the skin, her noise and smell and eye sight and taste (of milk). This starts to create a bond to something immediate and it is reciprocated. As the toddler grows, the senses are the primary source of nourishment and helping the toddler to perceive space through the haptic experience of smell, taste, sound, touch and eye sight. It helps the kid to therefore navigate and memorize steps involved in navigation. Memorize all things – sensorial to the visual forming one whole experience – ranging from security and comfort to lonesome experience. In this case – the feeling of security is generated only if the signals are immediate and reachable. The imagination is yet to develop into a strong intellect, wherein things (out of sight) can be projected and inferred.

As we grow, this imagination kicks in and the boundary of our spatial comfort (in terms of navigation and feeling) grows. The static space of a particular scale impacts an individual in different ways – the same space (in different stages of life) will feel comfortable, overpowering, congested and perhaps comfortable again at different points in his/her life. To me perhaps, the growing individual means equal to extended boundaries of imagined space. This also has a relationship to the speed of one’s thoughts.

In elders, when the senses become weak, they again desire an intimate proportion/scale of space wherein, they feel secured – hence desiring smaller alcoves, niches, smaller crowd, reachable points, gentler slopes for navigation, clarity in movement and so on.

Being empathetic to these nuances means to, therefore visualize space from that angle of perception.

 

Of course, we also have certain ‘preferences’ regarding scales and proportions. Personally, I prefer an intimate relationship with space and its perceivable proportions. Others may prefer expansive spaces regardless of age. This is also something a designer should be aware of.

Finally, there is a universal preference of feeling of security, comfort, interactive, community – generating space. This is ingrained in defining proportions of spaces which create an impact on us.

When I think of space, I think through feelings. Any space that evokes a feeling of silence, contemplation, love and care and intimacy is excellent, according to me. The quest is to know the relationship of architectural elements that evoke these feelings in us.

Finally, as our mind expands and gets connected with cosmos, our imagined boundaries may dissolve and so will dissolve idea of space-time. In other words, we will reach a zone of transcending intellect and feelings (thought/force) and experience bliss (zero vibration).

So perception/ experience of space exist in manifested world of thoughts. Consciousness is reached by transcending this fact of perception. So, to the answer of - if space and time exist – it all depends on what ‘form’ is the force of mind operating!