Constellation of the architectural Uncanny : a quest for ‘otherness’ “The Uncanny resides in the unconsciousness, home of

How can we legitimize a research into ‘the ‘The architectural Uncanny’ stands for a certain the repressed desires and memories . Some would say this
architectural Uncanny ‘ inside an educational approach in architectural design and architecture in has nothing to do with architecture whatsoever, only with
environment ? general: it is a trans-disciplinary research instigated
mental illnesses.”
by wonder and fear. The research looks into fugitive
“Others propagate the idea of architecture as a pure and
Receptive towards architectural phenomena connected to existential
Mental anguish and is conducted by 1 tutor and 3 supreme collection of lifeless buildings : to my mind this is
challenges
Pro-jection generations of students . We ask ourselves the only half of the story! I would claim Architecture deals with
Remedy to Synchronic Import danger central question: can we implement anguish issues that are both familiar and yet strange. This
overprotecti Utopia as a driving design force in architecture? idea of contradiction is a driving force. Extinguishing this
on force : that would be a mental delirium!”

Our objective is to introduce affective and ‘other’

Experience of time
values in interior architecture (alteration, deliberate
Infliltration of Sublime inclusive “When I drew up the Carceri series, I did this without
friction, otherness, contradiction …) –including the
Unconscious imagination that triggers traditional values such as light, space, sight, etc. - as considering whether it would be considered to be
anguish to develop strategies of deliberate resistance in architecture or not. My drawings represent a mental
essentially 3 domains : pedagogical practice, design
Acceptance Time representation and the theoretical understanding of
space, a reality as such, enough to engage in
Mortality
of change and the architectural ‘Uncanny’. These 3 domains tend to architecture as a discipline driven by fiction. My work
2 decay overlap and influence each other. inspired many generations and continuous to do so”

fiction
Wonder As an educational practitioner, the pedagogical “My book Metamorphosis controversially introduces the
Fear A priori and a transgenerational realm is probably quintessential as it pushes our
3 concept of alteration. This transformation gives rise to
posteriorri understanding of a risk oriented environment with
often conflicting, contradictory and non-preset
an eerie feeling of estrangement, but makes us also aware
reflection Philosophy
interests. of our kinship to animals.
We are envisaging the emergence of a specific I would assume that this alteration and awareness is initially
educational environment consisting of both embodied in interior architecture, the discipline
Trans students and tutors transgressing the artificial
1 that transforms familiar things into ‘otherness’ .
World of disciplinary bandwidth of age, gender, profession etc. We have
Art
Intentional Shared Responsibilities Psychology developed an educational model that helps us
Towards Erratic monitoring the (changing) needs of such an
Quest for
risks Bottom-up environment in order to adapt the environment “The Uncanny is in tune with the music of universe. When
Complexity
approach accordingly. we see the stars today, we look back in time. The light is
transmitted million years ago . A star that can be
1 Geology witnessed from the earth, might already be extinguished!
Geography The representation of the architectural Uncanny Our sun – a star – will at some point inevitably collapse
Desire : fullfill a sense Indeterminate History is guided by deliberate fiction and imagination, a and destroy the earth. Architecture is not only about
of urgency Care Empathy
knowledge construction of an imaginary world that questions allowing the comfort of sun to enter, but also about
Unexpected our being-in-the-world. Through its representation transmitting the ‘unsettling anticipation’ of
we are invited to fictionally experience a reality. The
‘Uncanny’ investigates to what extend techniques
2 nocturnal phenomena : our imminent
such as rhetoric, (non)preset narratives and ‘closure’ departure“
Affectionate play a role in this process of making something
Participation values present.
“Hey, I know comics are considered to be for kids , yet
Cooperation
they contain a wealth of techniques that are useful for
We are equally actively designing trans-disciplinary architects : there’s a particular narration and atmosphere
methods that enable emergence of tailor-made in comics that transmit values, that are often forgotten or
design studios. For instance, in the ‘Onheimelijk’ repressed in architecture. These representational
studio the leading theme is interiorized,
techniques convey both abstraction and recognition.
conceptualized, guided, widened and altered
throughout the years. The consecutive theoretical
3 In my opinion, architects should be more receptive in
The constellation represents a timeline . This gives rise to the birth of star like These peripheral themes will eventually gravitate to understanding cyclically feeds the other two integrating ‘foreign’ techniques, but a lot of them
The exploded core radiates wonder and themes as proposed by students heavier notions as assimilated by the researcher. domains ( educational and designerly practice.) are only interested in abstraction and purity of the
anguish. ( indicated in grey ) . (indicated in green) discipline. ”
MENTAL MAP OF THE UNCANNY UNIVERSE ABSTRACT