urban

1. BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE
THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM
(ARC61303)
SYNOPSIS: REACTION PAPER (AUGUST 2018)
Name: TAN YANG ID No.: 0328025
Lecturer: MR PRINCE Tutorial Time:
Reader/Text Title: THE EYES OF THE SKIN,
ARCHITECTURE AND THE SENSES
Synopsis No: 3A
Author: Juhani Pallasmaa
The Eyes of the Skin, from the title we can see the author’s intentions to create a conceptual connection
between the sense of vision and the sense of touch. The text attempts to highlight the importance of sensory
experience in architecture, the movement of the body through spaces.
The author shows a comparison of the images of a prehistoric city and modern city, one is the city of sensory
engagement, where the modern city shows a sensory deprivation. He emphasizes on the presence of and an
enveloping satisfaction through multi stimuli in nature; giving an example of a trek through a forest, and the
feeling of being within the space of a clearing invoked by peripheral vision, complete with the crunching of leaves
under the feet and sap smell that surrounds us through the trek. In Jalan Bukit Bintang, there are large numbers
of skyscrapers covered with glass and steel causing sensory deprivation, not only in terms material, also the
scale gives a heavy impact on the eyes yet it doesn’t welcome people, which people might feel isolated from the
context. In another side, where as Jalan Alor with rows of shophouses, and lots of hawker at night, forming a
sensory stimulating environment to the people, which is a diversified combination of visual interest, sound, smell
and touch, that regarded as multi-sensory experiences. In his view, the task of architecture is to deliver the
meaning through sensory experiences, to affect the individual’s emotions, behavior, movement and etc.
In Summary, He provides plenty amount of architectural and artistical examples while frequently quoted from the
other authors. Those examples not only allowed the readers to put themselves into the scenarios easier, it also
serves as a suggestion on ways of experiencing architecture and art. Throughout the texts by Pallasmaa, I see
another charms in architecture, not merely being functional, it may able to enhance one’s life or in search of a
spirit of a place. Pallasmaa ideas should not only be limited in architecture fields, I believe it is extremely
applicable in different aspects, especially social and cultural aspects. From my experience to one of the oldest
Chinese Temple in Malaysia, Cheng Hoon Teng which is in Melaka, it serves not only as a building that fulfill
spiritual needs of the local, its architecture, structure and every single material details are recording the tradition
and wisdom of ancient Chinese society, creating a unique sense of place in that contexts.
Word Count: 407 Mark Grade
Assessed by: Date 10/24/2018 Page No.