Yuchen Fang
The Poetics of Space
The Poetics of Space is a book which puts forward special and interesting ideas about space. The book uses phenomenology and symbolic meaning to analyses architectural space from a unique perspective rather than puts forward a certain point.
In the book of The Poetics of Space, Bashera Gaston believes that space is not a container for filling objects, but a place for human consciousness. This book discusses how much can the building and space influence users' awareness and dreams beyond the function, sculpt and other objective elements. The most advanced architecture is not a building entity but a person's inner space.
“We experience solitude in the corner and we experience the ascent of dreams on the stairs.”
The book's amazing depiction and analysis made me feel great, people might not imagine how much the cellar, attic, stairs, drawers, corners and other ordinary things can quietly influence our consciousness. Besides, they might not imagine how the
author can use such space to write these details of space which can be explained clearly in a few words. In the book, my favourite part is about the corners. The corners are physically present in each space. When the corner is used as a metaphor for “remoteness” or “shelter”, it is no longer a geometrical morphology which is made up of simple frames, walls and ground. People feel lonely in the corner, but also enjoy safety in it. To some extent, even in the wilderness, a person can also build a corner with both hands or spirit.
When reading this book more, I feel it is more profound, and even rather obscure. I find it hard to generalise simply. Space may be full of philosophical meaning, and it is always an endless exploration.
The Poetic of Space, Gaston Bachelard