Alternative Form

Abstract

Formed objects are all around us. Whether it be the juxtaposition of buildings in a major city or a collection of small items in a house, form shapes our everyday life. The mere presence of physical form gives us a sense of direction, placement, and orientation in space. Thus, form is not solely about an aesthetic encounter, but rather a navigational tool that physically links us to the intangible. Space, on the other hand, evokes an empty, formless quality. This was first articulated as a physical construct in “The Production of Space” by Henri Lefebvre. Lefebvre, referred to this preexisting, limitless expanse beyond all human understanding as “absolute space". On the contrary, he posits his own theory known as “social space”, which claims that space is produced when two or more people engage in social activity. This project does situates itself in a position that neither accepts nor rejects either theory, but rather attempts to inject its own into the conversation: Space is produced by the physical, psychological, and sensorial interaction between architecture (object) and human (subject). This is achieved by testing and examining the juxtaposition of physical form and the public realm in the form of an 1:1 installation. This process beckons the simple question: how do people, either individually or collectively, interact with form? And can form actively participate in its own right? By establishing a connection between between architecture and subject, suggesting ways in which the two interact, new space is produced.