The Eyes of the Skin

Explore the relationship between architecture and the sensory experience with the fourth edition of this groundbreaking work First published in 1996, The Eyes of the Skin is a classic of architectural theory. It asks the far-reaching question why, when there are five senses, is one single sense-sight-so predominant in architectural culture and design? With the ascendancy of the digital and the all-pervasive use of the image electronically, the subject is all the more pressing and topical since the first edition's publication. Juhani Pallasmaa argues that the suppression of the other four sensory realms has led to the overall impoverishment of our built environment, often diminishing the emphasis on the spatial experience of a building and architecture's ability to inspire, engage and be wholly life enhancing. For a student reading this text for the first time, The Eyes of the Skin is a revelation. It provides a fresh, compelling insight into architectural culture which continues to inspire more than a quarter-century after its initial publication. The fourth edition of The Eyes of the Skin also features: - The author's latest views on the emphasis of place, unfocused perception and existential experience - Updates and clarifications throughout, to reinforce how our sense of self in the world remains our most important sense with the greatest architectural impact - An updated Foreword that touches on the current understanding of the seminal importance of the existential sense The Eyes of the Skin is a must-read for all architecture students, who will find its insights transformative.

Juhani Pallasmaa is one of Finland's most distinguished architects and architectural thinkers. He has held a number of prestigious positions throughout his career, including: Rector of the Institute of Industrial Arts, Helsinki; Director of the Museum of Finnish Architecture, Helsinki; and Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Helsinki University of Technology. As well as, a member of the Jury of the Pritzker Prize (2008-2014). He has also held visiting professorships at several universities worldwide.

Foreword vi Introduction Touching the World 2 by Juhani Pallasmaa Part One Vision and Knowledge 10 Critics of Ocularcentrism 14 The Narcissistic and Nihilistic Eye 16 Oral Versus Visual Space 17 Retinal Architecture and the Loss of Plasticity 20 An Architecture of Visual Images 24 Materiality and Time 25 The Rejection of Alberti's Window 28 A New Vision and Sensory Balance 30 Part Two The Body in the Centre 33 Multi- Sensory Experience 34 The Significance of the Shadow 39 Acoustic Intimacy 42 Silence, Time and Solitude 43 Spaces of Scent 46 The Shape of Touch 48 The Taste of Stone 50 Images of Muscle and Bone 51 Images of Action 54 Bodily Identification 55 Mimesis of the Body 56 Spaces of Memory and Imagination 60 An Architecture of the Senses 61 The Task of Architecture 62 A Door Handle, A Handshake An introduction to Juhani Pallasmaa and his work by Peter MacKeith 64 Apertures 72 Poetics 81 Notes 88 Index 99 Picture Credits 103