"…'looking' and 'seeing' can be very different, but perhaps
we have never reflected enough on how closely related 'sight' and 'non-sight'
are, in the sense that the action of seeing something inevitably involves
a more or less conscious focusing on some things to the exclusion of
others. Our existing knowledge guides our sight; hence what we see,
what remains in our minds, is totally subjective and arbitrary." La
Biennale di Venezia Exhibition Monica Dematte
Professional
architects often investigate the relationship between art and architecture.
My thesis will explore the relationship in terms of the distinction between
looking at displayed art and seeing (perceiving) the surrounding architectural
space.
Architecture
does not have a direct impact on the physical environment exclusively;
it has a profound influence on mental perception as well. Museum design
insipires questions about the ultimate effects of architectural space:
the effect of the museum's design on revealing themes of displayed art,
the effect on spectators' mental perception through movement, and the
correlation between the two.
Museums
are designed specifically for the diverse types of art exhibited. The
typology may vary while the ideology remains consistent. A primary goal
of museum design is to create the museum's identity: an identity composed
of the museum's content and context. The creative process of developing
this identity is generated by a harmonious marriage between looking
and seeing. Looking can be interpreted as a static moment whereas seeing
involves movement in space. To look is to be informed of the content
of the object displayed, whereas seeing is subjectively and arbitrarily
based on the existing knowledge of the observer.
"Space was clarified not only in the picture, but in the place where
the picture hangs…If the picture plane defined the wall, collage begins
to define the entire space..." Inside
the White Cube - O'Doherty Brian
Looking
and seeing may also differ in terms of their physical and psychological
vision boundary. The harmonious combination of these differences will
allow us to see entities in the space (exhibited art, users of the museum,
different activities taking place in the space, and architectural elements)
as layers of action that define the space.