Rewind

I realized just now, that in my effort to move forward with a project that has been almost two years in the making, I forgot explain just exactly what I am doing in Paris. It is a little bit funny since so many of you sort of followed along without any real understanding of what I am trying to achieve. So here is the proposal that won me the 2009 Jon A. Jerde Traveling Fellowship:

Abstract

When we see a musical instrument, we know something about its textural quality, its craftsmanship, and its tone. It evokes a mood and emotion, and we can hear the visual sound projecting from its form. And yet, a violin is often best experienced through the other senses, in this case hearing, because it provides a more human experience.

The same can be said of the city of Paris.

Theoretical context

In trying to understand genus loci, or the spirit of a place, visual stimulus should be taken into account, but what of sound, touch, and temperature... All of these sensorial aspects work together as a composite to form a composition of multi-sensory experience.

What does a chapel in Paris after Sunday morning mass sound like, and why does the space command your silence? Why does it not? What are the environmental sounds tied to the high streets of London and how does that change our experience of the architecture? What is it about the sounds and sights of Quincey Market that make it feel comfortable, what are these sensibilities?

It's indisputable that although the eyes and the ears are two different senses, when working together in the composition of a space, the effect is much more memorable. What I wish to achieve is a different means of documenting the architectural experience of a place. We cannot divorce ourselves from the power of vision, but when we consider it within a larger context of the human senses, I believe we can achieve a value that is honest and of this place and time.

Proposal

I propose to study this phenomenon at different architectural scales. I plan on visiting Paris, the ostensible city of lights, in order to document the soundscapes in each urban environment. I have chosen specific places to document because they have been aurally etched into my memory, and I constantly find myself looking back on those experiences, painstakingly trying to bring that element of grace into the work.

This in no means will satiate the understanding of experience in a place, but I hope it will at least open the flood gates for discussion.