To the problem of corporeality in design: the experience of "phenomenological" architecture

The relevance of the research is justified by the need to develop a multidimensional space of understanding in the field of "body-oriented" design, involving both Western and Eastern designers. Within the framework of the article, the authors turn to the phenomenological "theory" of architecture as the most internationally influential "body-oriented" approach, emphasizing, however, that a phenomenological "theory" cannot be built exclusively on the Western model. The problem of the study lies in the insufficient degree of reflection of culturally determined differences in the phenomenological "theories" of architecture: at least two – Western and eastern, based on a fundamentally different understanding of physicality. The goal is to establish a difference in the understanding of physicality by Western and Eastern designers, to take a step towards a comprehensive understanding of the "space of possibilities" for the development of "body–oriented" design. The authors of the study compare the approaches of Western and Eastern architects in two directions: interpretation of the experience of moving a body in space and attitude to the material. In the course of the study, the authors of the article point out that the difference in the understanding of physicality between Western and Eastern architects lies in the fact that in the West physicality is understood as the "embodiment" of a person, and in the East as the "communication" of a person with the world. From the point of view of interpreting the experience of moving a body in space, the authors of the article conclude that the "Western" approach is aimed at intensifying the proprioceptive experience and forming a sense of "flow" of space, and the "Eastern" approach is aimed at creating conditions for a person to live a personal experience of traveling through mountains and a sense of "one–bodyedness" with the world. From the point of view of the attitude to the material, the authors of the article come to the conclusion that the "Western" approach tends to the slow living of sensations in one's own body (flesh) in the process of its interaction with the environment, while the "Eastern" approach is associated with spontaneity, which is a consequence of the developed human ability to "resonate" with the world (we are talking about an empty body, or a body as a "place of non-being"). From the point of view of the development of "body-oriented" design, the authors of the study note the attractiveness of the "Western" approach to design in today's rapidly changing world, however, according to them, such an approach requires full dedication from the designer.

body-oriented design, corporeality, phenomenological architecture, Steven Holl, Wang Shu, Juhani Pallasmaa, Tadao Ando, parallax, guanxiang, shintai