COMPILATION of ARTICLES on EMPHASIS in DESIGN

Post –783 -Gautam Shah

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These Blogs were published on https://designsynopsis.wordpress.com/

1398 De-emphasis in Design
1397 Emphasis in Design
68 Emphasis in Expression
205 Condensation and Elaboration of Content
882 Abbreviation, Condensation and Elimination in Design

1398 DE-EMPHASIS in DESIGN

If, Emphasis is distinguishing ‘few’ things in a set, de-emphasis cannot be the inversion of it, meaning not distinguishing many things. De-emphasis is to reduce the importance or prominence of things or elements. So, emphasis reflects ‘parts to the whole phenomena, but de-emphasis is not the negation or reverse of it. Emphasis is relative, a dilemmic condition.

Can de-emphasis be achieved in design, except by blinding of the perception? The ‘white spaces’ in a crowded creation like low pitch sound or silence, actionless mime or statuesque dance postures, absence arabesque in architecture, are not de-emphatic or de-stressing propositions.

‘De’, as a prefix derives from Latin de (reversing a verb’s action) =down, down from, away, off, undoing. But emphasis vs de-emphasis, is very similar to the raveling vs unraveling, both carry nearly similar actions.

De-emphasis could be a design strategy that aims to divert the attention from specific to a general or nominal situation. This could be any part of the content, shapes, colours, textures, motif, pattern, compositional value (size, scale, extent), or action enforcing buttons, etc. De-emphatic conditions aim to diffuse, discourage, avoid or delay the actions, at least for a while. De-emphasis creates a dilemma or mystery, encouraging deeper involvement, breaking of the continuity, regulations, traditions and consistency.

De-emphatic designs occur, by employing several means like, Asymmetry to challenge the Balance, Separation to counter the relationships of proximity, Breaking alliances emerging from similarity or dissimilarity, avoiding the Repetition forming familiarity, masking or camouflaging the existent Traces, such as links, implied directions, shadows, etc., managing the juxtapositions that ensue Comparisons and Contrasts.

With de-emphasis in compositions, some whites or nothingness emerges. This can be made contributory. And let the Gestaltic closure, allowing the mind to subtly bridge it.

1397 EMPHASIS in DESIGN

The emphasis in design is accidental and intentional.
Accidental emphasis is often not realized by the original designer, but, users with their intensive exposure with the entity realize it. The users, however, have few means to reinforce or de-escalate those effects. Yet if they can manage the process, it becomes mostly accidental.

Intentional emphasis reflects highly personal involvement of the designer, which may not be appreciated by the user. Users, may ‘correct’ by placing things that have greater emphasis.

Emphasis in Design, occurs through several means, like, contrast, juxtaposition, scale, position, repetition, delay, concentration, rarity, oddity, etc. Emphasis occurs by elimination or dilution of less-necessary and comparable things. The elimination of content leaves ‘white-spaces’ which can be filled in by symbols, abbreviations, surrogates or metaphors. The content to be emphasized, can have restricted exposure in time and space. Designers emphasize their input to brand their name and also achieve new insights.
Emphasis in design is used to register ephemeral matters like concepts, new ideas, narratives, anecdotes, couplets, quotations, footnotes, end-notes, linkages and other sensorial effects.

Emphasis in design is often created by de-emphasis, through elimination of introductions, details, situational connections and obvious conclusions. These create curiosity, forcing drawing of personal inferences.

68 EMPHASIS in EXPRESSION

The emphasis in presentations occurs by condensation of the subject matter.

□ Condensation eliminates all less necessary contents, and thereby increases the clarity, reduces the expression size, delivery time, perception effort, etc.

□ Condensation is also done by use of abbreviations and symbols that replace large units of contents. These include idioms, proverbs, metaphors, and signs.

□ Condensation is often used to restrict the access to a specific class of audience, like magicians’ instructions.

□ Condensation is employed to colour a document as a personal style statement.

□ Condensation processes information and makes a very abstract expression. Abstracted expressions are exploited to achieve new insights.

Elaboration is achieved by augmenting the context of difficult to understand concepts, events, situations, or objects. It is also done by using the same word in different context, and using similar words (synonyms and antonyms from a thesaurus) to redefine the meaning. Multiple explanations help amplify content. Elaboration is achieved by inclusion of anecdotes, couplets, quotations, footnotes, end notes, and other sensorial effects.

Emphasis is often created by intentional de-emphasis. Obvious details, concepts, ideas, conclusions are not put forward at the nominal time and space, but are placed at the end, or the audience is allowed to draw its own inferences.

The condensation and elaboration are employed to colour a document as a personal style statement.
Processed information often becomes so comprehensive that it becomes a very abstract expression. Abstracted expressions are exploited to achieve new insights.

882 Abbreviation, Condensation and Elimination in Design

Elimination, Abbreviation or Condensation in Design makes an expression succinct. The need first arose in writing and speech making. Writing and speech making, use poetry which cannot be impromptu or free of metaphors, so inefficient as a manner of conveyance.
A wit and proverb, both are effective, if are concise in delivery and wording. Both convey a larger meaning in shortest time and with smallest content. In courts, public forum discussions, this was a good practice.
Just to be brief, in time (delivery) and space (content), people first resort to Condensation through scaling. Scaling includes faster delivery of speech, writing in smaller or closer fonts, expression with use of complex Mudras or transient gestures in dance or drama, finer motifs and complex patterns in crafts and buildings.
Detailing the content using Abbreviations like symbols, metaphors, matrices, elaborations and external reinforcements.
For Briefness, the next manner is to exploit the intervening time and space, like pauses in speech, interim quietude, ‘white spaces, transparencies, spatial distancing, etc.
Elimination of the useless, occurs only as an exercise on hindsight, after substantial creation already in place. One begins to strip away, but without losing the essential purpose and identity. The nett result is paintings, sculptures, buildings, furniture, garments, products are redesigned and redefined. There is often lack of any strategy or justification. After the elimination, contents largely miss out on the conveyance (of idea).

205 CONDENSATION and ELABORATION of CONTENT

We primarily express, to communicate and record our experiences. Both of these processes are about recollection and re-enactment. These also help us to organize everything to a concept and recover the missing sets of information. Communication imparts information to someone, or secures a reaction, whereas Recording organizes the information for posterity.
■ Condensation of Content:
Condensation eliminates all unnecessary and less necessary contents, and thereby increase the clarity, reduces the size of expression, delivery or transmission time and effort required for perception. Condensation is also done with use of abbreviations and symbols that replace large units of contents. These include idioms, proverbs, metaphors, and signs. Condensation is often used to restrict the access to a specific class of audience, like magicians’ instructions.
■ Elaboration of Content:
Elaboration is achieved by augmenting the context of difficult to understand concepts, events, situations, or objects. It is also done by using the same word in different context, and using similar words (synonyms and antonyms from a thesaurus) to redefine the meaning. Multiple explanations help amplify the content. Elaboration is also achieved by inclusion of anecdotes, couplets, quotations, footnotes, end notes, and other sensorial effects.
■ Emphasis:
The Emphasis occurs by both condensation and elaboration of the subject matter. Condensation and elaboration, both are employed to colour a document as a personal style statement. Emphasis is often created by intentional de-emphasis. Obvious details, concepts, ideas, conclusions are not put forward at the nominal time and space, but are placed at the end, or the audience is allowed to draw its own inferences.

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SPATIAL and TEMPORAL MEMORIES –Issues of Design 46

Post -781 –Gautam Shah.

Memories relate to mental processes of remembering, retaining and recollecting our experiences. These mental processes are sporadic and do not have any predictable order, logic, proportion or mix. The memories have no latent value, till these are used to relive experiences, traumas or pleasures. The purposes of knowing or visiting the past, largely remains obscure. Often, what is being recalled is of uncertain scale, spread, or character. Memories that animate locations, sites, objects, spaces, places, environments and intra personal relationships, are dominant, but not necessarily vivid. Memories that acutely involve spatial elements have strong context for recall, unlike the memories related to time.

Spatial memories are distinct from Temporal memories (time related). An event is a significant occurrence in a sequence of time. The occurrences of the past are distinguished by the relationship through time. In comparison, a happening (also an event) is a significant spatial reference of existential now.

Spatial memories reveal the state of relationships, between objects, people and environment. These offer relatable facets, at, one to one, one to many, and many to many levels. In contrast to this, the temporal recollections are randomly scattered. The sequences reflect the sensorial strength, personal relevance, altered perception due to cognition and the cause, why-how the memories are recalled. Temporal sequencing begins to be relevant in the context of spatial elements. Spatial setting indicates, location, position, orientation, movement and direction and the difference between objects and live beings. The relationships between objects, beings and environment in space, pose too many variants for any comprehensive consideration.

Spatial memories help form a transient layout with, edges. This offers a chance to imagine the missing clues. But in larger and complex spatial experiences, it is not easy to recall all the elements, and their organization. The variations due to the directional environment effect makes such recall all the more difficult. On a well-traveled road, the back way scene seems very different.

In narratives (descriptions, stories, poetry, elocution, recitation, films, drama), the time sequences are of different order, as arranged by the authors. Shakespearean plays are set in historically acknowledged (narrated and sometimes drawn or sculpted) spaces. These spaces are established with descriptive imageries within the play and sometimes from the versions that become popular. In architecture, the ‘style of the period’ gets adapted as the spatial image. The original scale, composition and the spatial character are reinforced with evolved motifs, images and symbols. The temporal character of the happening is enlivened by traversing through spatial marks like turns, twists, negotiable distances, hurdles, delays, diversions, etc.

Sensorial perceptions are of many types, and their spatial identities are even more varied. Once it was believed, the spatial character of any presences around us, was due to the duality of sensing nodes (two eyes, two ears), closeness of the related nodes (mouth for taste and nose for smell), or multiple sensing nodes for touch across the body. Later, it was believed, the cognition (process that assimilates the sensorial exposures) refashions the experiences. It is difficult to recreate events like music, touch food tastes, smells, due to their inadequate spatial identity. Though whatever is inadequate, is backed by the recall of the past exposures.

The spatial clues as a combine image emerge from elements like, the surface qualities, edges, form, size, scale, shape, emergence of patterns or arrangements, etc. These are easier to register as totality, but when there is distinct time scale to measure the individual or elemental changes, a scattering of memorable events and confusions occur.

Spatial memory is a form, necessary for recovery of information, conveying the comprehension of perceptions, and logical expression. Spatial memory is necessary for occupying and persisting in a space. The longer (time), one stays, the greater will be comprehension. Spatial memory can also be divided into egocentric (self-centric -one to many) and allocentric (relating to object and object -one to many) actions. Routes descriptions or acknowledgements are prone to errors, and depend on egocentric reference, whereas, formal maps and charts are accommodative to changes and reliable, depend on allocentric reference.

VISUAL TEXTURES -Issues of Design 44

Post -779 -by Gautam Shah

Texture is roughness or surface fluctuations, that also marks surface variations between adjescent elements (such as object-parts, object-background, and current vs past experiences vs expectations).

Roughness (or smoothness) plays an important role in determining how a real object will interact with its environment and how a body will perceive it (through sense of touch and other sensorial perception).

In surface metrology, roughness is typically considered to be the high-frequency, short-wavelength component of a measured surface. However, in practice it is often necessary to know both the amplitude and frequency to ensure that a surface is fit for a purpose. In tribology, rough surfaces have greater area, and so wear more quickly. Roughness (or smoothness) promote adhesion, frictive resistence, and form nucleation sites for increased reactivity.

Textures as Haptic (touch) experience are called tactile texture, physical texture or actual texture. These refer to different densities of micro sized dots, lines, crosses and motifs, in the form of random, repeated, variegated or oriented arrangements. Textures offer haptic sensation on a natural or developed surfaces. These occur on a wide range of materials, including but not limited to fur, canvas, wood grain, sand, leather, satin, eggshell, matte, foods, or smooth surfaces like metal or glass.

Textures relate mainly to the haptic (tactile) experiences, but can also convey other sensorial encounters. Here the textural qualities represent the contrasting conditions. A Contrast is the remarkable differences of perceptions within a class of sensuality. Contrast can be between perception of different sensualities, when these exist synchronically or separately, in time and space. A contrast, as a texture represents distance or difference between two locations or time slots.

Contrasts are explored in narrations, reporting or story telling, where the descriptions replace visual, audio, smell, taste and touch experiences. Audio textures are perceived through persistence of rhythm, sound quality, intermittent poses, starts and ends of delivery, timbre, etc., and all these relate to time scale. Similarly variations in aural qualities are determined by the speaker, singer or sound generating equipment. In addition, the natural and built environments reformat the aural texture (reverberation, echoes).

Many of the aural gaps or breaks that cause aural texture get bridged by the visual corroboration in ‘live shows’. Gestures, postures, garments, etc. visually convey more information for ‘back-benchers’. Video recordings are better than audio captures. Silent keying devices make more sense, if accompanied by micro sounds of actioning through the display device.

Food textures are contrasts of visual, taste, smell, besides the tactile experiences through fingers, tongue, palate, or teeth. Real food textures are offset by the smell, and sometimes through past experiences.

It is a common happening, where the tactile texture is compensated by other senses or even past exposures. The tactile texture is a haptic phenomena and can function through active participation of the body, or indirectly through sensors that amplify or de-amplify the sensation (typ. stethoscope).

Tactile and visual textures, though of different classes of sensualities, often the one needs to be replaced by the other. Visual conveyance of textures is used in digital transfer of information (like, digital merchandising through visual means such as static images, films, videos, non-touching display of products or sensors like cardiogram, thermometers, etc.). There are also few rudimentary reverse processes, like braille language, where tactile data is conveyed.

Visual textures reflect ‘the tactile expression’ of a surface, mainly the roughness (or smoothness). Visual textures cannot reflect other haptic experiences, such as warmth (or coldness), moisture, resilience, electrical charges, etc. Visual textures, sometimes, inadvertently convey many other associated values, such as the degree of smoothness through the gloss, colour differentiation between illuminated and shadowed surfaces through reflection.

Visual texture is a false volumetric variation. This is manipulated by level and direction of the illumination, colour and contrasts between adolescent elements (object-parts and object-background). Visual textures are also formed by morphing directional patterns over objects. The surface quality is affected by the type of gloss, sheen or matt characteristics, which in turn are governed by the angle of illumination, dark-light surface colour, and contrast. Glossy surfaces are perceived as ‘hard’ whereas surface with sheen are sensed as soft or ‘handle-able’.

Artists produce or suggest textures in order to enhance the notion of reality. This is done by intimately connecting the source of light within the scene and also through direction of the shadows for actual architectural space. Painters, since primitive periods of cave painting, have taken advantage of the texture of the substrates (natural or scratched), roughness of pigments and additives, and strokes of colour application. The illumination and shadows are so intimately ingrained that resulting object form and the surface texture, both seem awkward in museum displays (strongly lit from top-down) or son-et-Lumiere (mostly lit from bottom-up).

Many forms of real textures are created for their visual appeal, rather than their tactile relevance. Surface textural effects are constructed by indenting patterns in plaster work, or through colour differentiation of joints in flooring and masonry works. Large scale architectonic elements used on architectural facades in the form of windows, columns, pilasters, pediments, eaves, projections form textures. Printed patterns with Black and white added (tonal) colours over leather, fabrics, paper, metal sheets, flooring ceramics tiles, etc. enhance the tactile sense.

Chiaroscuro (Renaissance period) uses strong contrasts between light and dark areas through colours, for achieving a sense of volumetric effect in the composition. Impasto is texture forming application to build textures through thick paste like oil colours and strokes with rough brushes or spatulas. Strokes and patches were the basic tools for impressionistic paintings.

Visual representation of textures carry a wide range of indirect messages, remembrances and evoke diverse sentimentalities. Visual textures were means of representing the experiences, or conveying ephemeral imagery, such as in story-telling, writing, record keeping, dance, drama, geographical mapping, selling or merchandising, etc. The fuzzy textural detail in any visual representation implies distance (farness), whereas the clarity reflects the nearness of the object.

Visual textures are also used in murals and paintings to differentiate identically coloured surfaces (walls, clothes, body-parts, terrain features, parts of skies, distances, etc.). Creating visual textures is not an easy process as it can reveal the ‘phony’ sources of illumination. Monochrome arts use etched or engraved surfaces for implying the visual texture. Frottage is a technique of rubbing a pencil, graphite, chalk, crayon, or another medium onto a sheet of paper that has been placed on top of a textured object or surface. The process causes the raised portions of the surface below to be translated to the sheet. The term is derived from the French frotter, which means ‘to rub’.

A Collage is a composition of visual and tactile textures, where the presence of edges become the key elements of expression. Modern day paints and media (paper, colours, constituents) offer both visual (sheen, matt, gloss) and tactile textures.

Colour and texture of soils are visually revealed through the moisture, present state of green cover and ingredients of soils. These was once done by comparing mono focal and bifocal visions. Now aerial remote sensing images are processed through colour separation techniques. Similar techniques are used to study MMR images.

The Visual texture, is also referred to as ‘implied texture’, as it is not detectable by our sense of touch, but realized by our sense of sight. Visual texture is illusionistic impression of a real texture. Any texture perceived in an image or photograph is a visual texture, a static two-dimensional surface. Though video or films, offer little more distinctive experience, due to the variations in capture and illumination. Visual textures are enlivened by other concurrent sensualities, like clicking sound of a key being struck, some food ingredients of a recipe producing a crunching noise, a smell producing cooling (or other sensation) effect in mouth or nose, a seemingly smooth chocolate offering sense roughness on chewing, etc.

Physical and Visual textures, are evident through the contrast. Contrast is the remarkable difference of perception within a class of sensuality. So tactile and visual textures, though of different classes of sensualities, the former needs to be replaced by the later, as we do not have (yet) the means to record or project the other.

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COMPILATION of BLOGS Articles on CONTRASTS

Post -778 -by Gautam Shah

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These articles were originally published (during May2018-Jan2023) on my Blog site > https://designsynopsis.wordpress.com/

164 SPACE PERCEPTION and CONTRAST
Space Perception relates to Recognition of Contrast. Contrast makes things conspicuous to attract the senses. Contrast is a scale, due to the differing stimuli. The differences in stimuli occur due to variations of distance, direction, rate of change, shape, size, extent, and effects of environment.
Contrast is obvious, in reference to ‘things’ that are perceived well, against something weaker, duller or of different nature. Contrasts are also contextual, with the phenomenon of foreground and background. Contrasts occur due to the power of persistence of a happening or its recall.
Contrasts, manifest in current design through presence of elements like directions, sequences, repetitions, masking, framing, thematic continuities, sensorial consistencies, associated fables and explicit explanations.
Contrasts also occur through Recall and the clues are intently or casually included in a Design composition. The clues could be similarities, leftover-trails of the past happenings or subtle insertions relevant to a person or group or for particular time and space.

384 CONTRAST in DESIGN
Contrasts occur with an edge that is a spatial position or time delay. Spatial contrasts are experienced concurrently whereas Time contrasts are sequential. Contrasts’ simultaneity may occur as some reference to the past. And, the reference need not be a personal experience. Contrasts’ successiveness in time is not always contagious.
Continuity is antithetical to contrast. The segment across the edge needs to have some continuum to belong to the same composition. The carry-over of form, scale, compositional elements and sensorial effects occur on both the banks of the edge. This ‘varied consistency’ becomes the vocabulary of contrast recognition.
Contrast makes things conspicuous to attract the senses. Contrast to be obvious, occur with some reference. The reference is formed by a ‘thing’ that is stronger by juxtaposition of some weaker, duller or different elements, by its power of persistence in reality, and as a recall. Often clues are included in the composition for the recall. The clues could be similarities, leftover trails of the past happenings or subtle insertions relevant only to the person experiencing it or in that time and space. Other design elements that offer contrast include presence of directions, sequences, repetitions, occlusion by frames, thematic continuities, sensorial consistencies, associated fables and explanations.

676 CONTRASTS -contextual effects
Contrasts take place as the contextual effect. The contexts occur with juxtaposition. Two entities or different experiences of the same entity must occur in the same or sequential time and space.
Contrasts show up as the variation within the same sensorial experience or between different sensorial faculties. The former occurs in seeing and listening where the nodes are slightly distanced apart. The later types multiple sensorial perceptions, occur because some functions have similarities. Typically, we can, scale-measure a space, through hearing, seeing and touching.
There are many diverse contexts even when the other “thing” is absent, nonexistent, faded, concealed, occluded or camouflaged. Where and when, some details are required, other senses or the past remembrances fill-up the specifics.
We create visual emphasis by accentuation of colour, illumination, texture, patterns, surface exposure duration and extent, etc. We generate audio accents by sound pitch, pressure, time gapping, replaying in different frequencies, etc. Touch experience is controlled by proximity, duration, exposure of body-limbs, extent and additional information such as temperature (warmth-cold), moisture, breeze, etc.
Contrasts occur within the same reference of framing. Such contrasts are of position, orientation, scale or direction. Contrasts also occur as reference to remembrances. Virtual reality contrasts the referential things into slightly familiar set up. Alienation is a state of being cut off or separation from a person or group of people, and this offers a contrast of absence-presence.

686 CONTRAST and CONTEXT
A design creates as well as implies contrasts. The contrast can emerge from co-placement of things, but such simplistic duality of shapes, extent, proportions, etc. cannot be a design. For a contrast to be meaningful there must ensue a valuable connection to something else. The contrast offers a scale and so makes things conspicuous to attract the senses. This is just the beginning of design.
The contrast divergence, occurs in Real and Hyper time-space realms. The hyper realm consists of past experiences and cognitive expectations. The cognition evaluates the strong experience and offers personal and invisible contrast.
Contrast is obvious when it has some reference, a Context. The context is formed by a ‘thing’ that is stronger in juxtaposition of some weaker, duller or different elements, by its power of persistence in reality, and as a recall. The purpose of contrast could be to endow a specific or abstract meaning. Contrast could also come about as an unintentional result.
The contexts often occur as clues, included in compositions for recall of some other (hyper) reality. The contextual clues could be similarities, leftover trails of the past happenings or subtle insertions relevant only to the person experiencing it or in that time and space.
Other design elements that offer contrast include presence of directions, sequences, repetitions, occlusion by frames, thematic continuities, sensorial consistencies, associated fables and explanations.
There are many extreme concepts that are contextually contrasting, like the heaven and hell. A Low or Narrow space is realized in reference to the physiological adequacy, its profoundness, or through anecdotal knowledge. Literature, Art, Architecture, Performing arts exploit the contrasts for enhancing the context.
In Design, one needs to resole the conflict between contrast and context. The depth emerges from contrast due to the foreground-background differentiation. Architectural entities are contrasted in size, scale, style, placement, orientation, and environmental conditions, thematic content etc.
A design has internal and external contexts. Internal contrasts are part of the designed entity, so within the ambit of real experience. External contrasts occur through the embedded or implied metaphoric clues for connection.

1039 CONTRAST EFFECTS
Contrast is perceived when two (or many) different things or experiences manifest simultaneously, Successively or Cumulatively. Contrast is always a relative phenomenon. The relationship is in time-space reference, so relates to past, present, future, expectation, satiation and remembrances. Contrast perception is a way of getting better sense of Size, Shape, Distance, Colour, Texture and Vibrancy.
Contrast is important, to define value of a thing, the base or the other. By defining a base, the qualities of the other, though ‘indicated or unsaid’ come into being. Contrast means noticeable difference. A contrast cannot occur without the ‘other’. Contrast can also happen, when two things face each other or coexist, but must have some physical proximity or virtual linkage.
Leonardo da Vinci, probably, was first to notice that adjacent colours visually affect each other. The colour adjacency conditions occurred in several conditions. First set of conditions occur, when colours of different ‘families’ are seen simultaneously or consecutively. Second situation, happens when two different ‘tones’ of the colour are placed adjacently for depicting the light-shadow conditions. Third state occurs when colours are remembered, usually in a wider context of the things and happenings of the moment and recollected in a different perspective.
Successive contrast is the effect when things or experiences occur one after the other (noted by Renaissance painters like Vinci). This is also due to the after image that is retained by the eyes or mind, even after the event.
Simultaneous contrast is what happens when things or experiences get affected by the surroundings or contextual environment (known to Art World since 18th C).
Mixed contrast appear when very strong or persistent things or experiences leave a trace to alter the next lot of perception. Michel-Eugène Chevreul (1786-1889, colourist+dye chemist) “In the case where the eye sees at the same time two contiguous colors, they will appear as dissimilar as possible, both in their optical composition (hue) and in the height of their tone.” His theories of colour provided justifiable scientific basis for the Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painters.

1044 POINTILLISM -a technique of colour contrasts
Michel Eugene Chevreul, the chemist, who worked with dyes and colours and who formed the first Colour wheel, wrote a treatise “Law of Simultaneous Colour Contrast, 1839″. There were many great artists since 14th C, who experienced the contrast effect of closely spaced colours. These effects were exploited to represent multiple shades on frontal (illuminated) planes and off the side profiles.
By 1860s many artists were trying to add ‘personalized realism’ to art which came to be known as impressionism. Here they did not mix colours on the canvas or formatted grades of shades, but exploited the contrast-effect of primary vs. secondary colours. Colour contrasts of yellow-blue, orange-purple (indigo), red-blue green (aqua), and purple (pink)-yellow, were used. Few Impressionist painters learnt the craft through book-based knowledge, but mostly through experiment and by emulating others. It was only Seurat who systematically worked on it.
Seurat used a form of painting in which tiny dots of primary-colours are used to generate secondary colours. The colours are closely placed on the canvas as dots or points. The colours blended in the viewer’s eye. It produced greater degree of luminosity and brilliance of colour. The white space, if any were part of the effect.
A set of complementary colours paired are made of cool vs. warm colour. Orange, reds, and yellows are the warm whereas on the opposite side are cool colours like blues, greens, and purples. This is often called simultaneous contrast, ‘the highest contrasts available on the colour wheel’.
Pointillism (first used in 20th C), derives from French pointillisme, or pointiller (mark with dots). Pointillism is also called divisionism and chromo-luminarism. It is usually categorized as a form of Post-Impressionism. Pointillism, as term is used in many other fields. In music, montage (literally ‘putting together’) or sound collage (‘gluing together’), are used to create musical scores. Stipple engraving uses patterns of dots of various sizes and densities to form tonal variations.

1054 COLOURS and CONTRASTS
Monet said: ‘A Colour owes its brightness to the force of contrast, rather than to its inherent qualities’. He also said that primary colours look brightest, when they are brought into contrast with their complementary’.
Colour contrast has drawn attention in drawn art forms as well as architecture, sculptures, ceramics, textiles and craft items. Colour contrast emerges primarily, when a ‘different, lighter or darker colour is placed next to the other one. But colour-contrast also emerges when a colour comes under differing levels of illumination or shadows. These realizations were conspicuous in 3D forms. Such colour contrast perception in natural or other illumination and its shadows are affected by the ‘local’ reflections. The subtle grades of contrast emerge due to varied brightness, from objects in different directions and in different intensities due to many colours of the reflecting surfaces.
Such a realization for emergent colour contrast came to drawn-arts from mosaic arts. Early drawn arts were comparatively ‘flat’, as perhaps the medium of art Fresco (was pigment impregnation onto wet plasters). The colours were zoned with outlines and had little scope for colour mixing or edge diffusion. Details were in Tempera, but had to wait for the surface to dry out thoroughly. As a result, artists, used intense contrasts to ‘add drama and mystery to the paintings’. To sustain the drama of narration, the body contours, folds of fabrics, difference between nearby and far-off objects, colour contrasts were required. Details, which, if added, show many levels of contrasts, created diffused or sober compositions. A way out was to add contrasting backdrops. These were in brighter but contrasting colours, often with gold gilding.

1269 SILHOUETTE -edge of scene
A silhouette is a visual edge. The term is used for imagery of tall entities, usually from a low point. The silhouette is effective for the reductive capture, as it overcomes the inter-zone details. The image imprint is stronger due to the distinct contrast between the object and the background field. The background field is ‘clean or dulled’ due the difference of distances from the observer. The background could also be eliminated.
The Silhouettes was used, in Egyptian art, for figure-presentation and eliminate the ‘angled’ views of the human figures’. The black pottery of Greek antiquity created such images using single colour. Silhouette painting was useful tool for portrait and figure painting, as it truly duplicated the body proportions, lines and curves. This was the reason coinage carry ‘side view’. Police ID pictures inevitably carry a side view besides the front view. Sculptures need side views to replicate a ‘good form’.
Digital face recognition tools began with frontal views, but a silhouette can also extract substantial information about ‘gender and age’. Animation artists add ‘depth’ to the character by including few side views. Shadow play theatre of Indonesia uses 2D cutouts but enrich the silhouette with back ground illumination, transparency of the image and position from the screen.
The scenario has changed during the last century due to the aircraft and satellites. Both have provided means observing buildings and terrains from higher elevations. This has been a key factor in shape forming of not only high rise buildings but also large footprint structures.
The composition of roofs (and entire structure) in making the skyline and silhouette, is pre-visualized for different atmospheric conditions, planned illuminations, and viewing positions including ground and air.

1296 GLARE
Glare, is two directional words, a bright dazzling light comes to the eye and a fierce piercing look from the eye. In both the manners, it is a visual discomfort. In the first case pupils of eyes turn smaller, and for the second, perhaps, enlarged.
The human eye can function quite well over a wide range of luminous environments (within certain time frames or sections), but does not function well if extreme levels of brightness are present in the same field of view (within same time sections).
The glare arises due to the contrast between the aperture and the adjacent field, and can be eliminated by many different methods. The bright light coming from a window or door aperture is from direct solar radiation, due to highly reflective sky, surface or sources in the surroundings.
Glare due to natural light can last for few minutes to few hours, but glare due to road lights, illuminated sign boards and headlights of moving vehicles are best controlled at the face of the building. Shop fronts with glazing combined with dim-lit interiors, reflected the brightly lit objects of the surroundings.
Glares can be reduced by masking the opening or by increasing the interior brightness of the room. The glare can also be avoided, by placing the source of glaring illumination on the back or side faces.
Glare is etymologically linked to harih and hiranyam (Sanskrit), Persian daraniya, Avestan zaranya, Greek khlōros, =all meaning gold, golden, greenish or yellow colour.
Gleam is a small, steady pleasant light. A glimmer is a faint blinking light of twilight stars. Glisten, a softer, Glitter a harder-metallic shines, and Glister is just bearable light. Sparkle and Scintillate, represents bright to varying lights. Coruscate are rapid brilliant flashes, the aurora. Flicker is of varying strobing or pulsating light. Flash is a sudden burst of blinding light.

1337 CONTRAST -PHENOMENA OF PERCEPTION
Contrast occurs as inevitable phenomena of perception. It occurs within same class of perception and also across the perceptions. It is experienced as a happening for a single person, but where the perceptions can be qualitatively defined, and if that can be expressed or transmitted, than it becomes a matter of concurrence.
Contrast is contextual. Contrasts are happenings of scale (size comparisons), time (of eventualizing, order of occurrence, sequencing), distancing (between the object from the perceiver and between set of objects), persistence (of experience, traces of earlier events, trauma, remembrances) and tools (used for perception, magnification, diffusion, intensification).
Perceptions occur simultaneously (typically taste and smell) and are complicated by time-space incoherence. When, stimuli present without any rational, a ‘simultaneous contrast effect’ is an example of time-space incoherence. Very often coherence and incoherence, both are required to acuate the contrast phenomena of perception.
Contrast is intensively used to alter the quality of perception. Some effects are permanent and remain with us till some other contrasting phenomena presents itself. Contrasts dramatize the situation, and so are impressive and an effective manner of conveyance.
The contrast effect was theoretically recognized by 17th C philosopher John Locke. In the early 20th C Wilhelm Wundt identified contrast as a fundamental principle of perception.

1350 SILHOUETTE -minimalist presentation
A silhouette is a minimalist presentation of reality. It’s an outline, boundary, edge, contour, or the profile of a figure, object, built-form or scene. It is limited perception, so a momentary expression, unless recorded.
Silhouettes of the earlier era 18-19 th C, were monochrome captures (with dominance of black, against real white or nonexistent spatial background). It was a dark shape seen against a light surface.
There were TWO intents in capturing the silhouette. One, Silhouettes were side ‘portraits’ giving sufficient detail for recognition of the figure, and, Two, it omitted all the details that were difficult to capture and could reveal too many characteristics of the person, objects or scene. The phrase à la Silhouette came to mean ‘on the cheap’. Silhouettes were used for, Primitive cave art, early Egyptian art, Greek pottery and for Roman coinage. To day outlines are used for road signs and abstracted tabs or button signs to ride over the cultural and language barriers.
Silhouette presentations have two basic elements, the Figure and the Background. And both have seen changes in the past two centuries. The Figures use tonal variations to adjust the contrast with the background and some inclusion of details to form the tonal variates. The Backgrounds recognize the diffusion of the depth of objects, occurring in the backdrop. Architectural scenography distinguishes both the elements.

1432 SIMULTANEOUS COLOUR CONTRAST and VAN GOGH
French chemist Michel Eugène Chevreul recognized the simultaneous colour contrast, in a book ‘The Principle of Harmony and Contrast of Colours’, published in 1839. The book discusses how two different colours ‘affect each other’, when placed adjacent to each other.
The Simultaneous contrast is more apparent when two complementary or contrasting (bright-dark) colours are juxtaposed. Many artists, since then have experimented with the simultaneous contrast effects, such through Pointillism, 40 versions of a single scene, Waterloo bridge over the Thames river by Monet, Impressionism, Fauvism, etc.
Vincent van Gogh‘s, the Café Terrace (Café, le soir or Night Café in Arles) is most remarkable work to expound the colour. Van Gogh (in a letter to his brother) says ‘blood red and dull yellow with a green billiard table in the center, and four lemon yellow lamps with an orange and green glow. Everywhere there is a clash and contrast of the most disparate reds and greens.’
Van Gogh uses a simultaneous contrast of complementary colours to convey strong emotions and a feeling of uncomfortable intensity. ‘I believe that an abundance of gaslight, which, after all, is yellow and orange, intensifies blue.’
Van Gogh says (in a letter to his sister) ‘now there’s a painting of night without the black’. ‘It often seems to me that the night is even more richly coloured than the day, coloured in the most intense violets, blues and greens.’. ‘A mere candle by itself gives us the richest yellows and oranges’.
Van Gogh painted it after studying the night sky and his nightly surroundings, like the café at the Place du Forum. The café is now called ‘Café Van Gogh’.

1441 CONTRASTS
A contrast is an experience emerging from a position with something (and, not necessarily contradictory or against). Contrast needs to be contradictory, (Latin =contrāstāre, or Italian contrastare =to resist, to withstand, both the terms, relate to stare, a predominantly visual phenomenon).
A contrast effect is largely a perceptual phenomenon that works on successive (immediately previous) or immediate basis. Contrast effects occur as juxtaposition, with simultaneity and separation of the time and space factors. ‘The contrast is for enhancement or de-emphasis, relative to normal(?) or of the immediate past events, whose persistence still exists.’ Contrast is a reference that is related to the situation and occasion.
Contrast as the perceptual manifestation is strongly affected by the locations of nodes of perception (typically sound-vision, smell-taste, and tactile feel like pressure, temperature, texture, etc.). The cognitive processes are governed by duration, immediacy, need, intensity, multiplicity of events in the past.
Contrast is often referred to as the background-foreground effect, which are believed to exist due to immediacy, density, diversity and novelty. Horror Vacui and Amor Vacui, are two contrasting terms, for time and space, respectively, relating to fear of emptiness or white, and love for fulfillness or density.
Contrasts in built-forms appear in comparable or related things like, the forms, whole, parts, components, systems and the linkages. But some contrasts are so subtle or formless, as these occur through the narrative, purpose or meaning, enshrined in the entity.

ARTICLES on SPACE PERCEPTION

Post 768 -by Gautam Shah

These was supposed to be a series of 15 Lectures, on SPACE PERCEPTION. I was contractually assigned for it during 2018-19, (not at FD CEPT). For some (obvious) reasons, the series was terminated. Later, I had time and inclination to complete the documentation of these 9 articles. Now, If I can wish to complete the documentation of remaining Six (undelivered) articles.

SOME SOUND BITES -Space Perception -I (I) https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2018/02/12/some-sound-bites-space-perception-i/

STRATIFICATION of VISION (II) https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2018/03/02/stratification-of-vision/

PERCEPTION of SPATIAL FIELDS -ILLUMINATION (III) https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2018/03/11/perception-of-spatial-fields-illumination/

MULTI NODAL PERCEPTIONS of OBJECTS in SPACE (IV) https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2018/05/14/multi-nodal-perceptions-of-objects-in-space/

PERCEIVING set of OBJECTS (V) https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2019/03/28/perceiving-set-of-objects/

SMELLS and SPACES (VI) https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2019/05/06/smells-and-spaces/

URBAN SMELLS (VII) https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2019/05/13/urban-smells/

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN OBJECTS (VIII) https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2019/08/01/relationships-between-objects/

TACTILE PERCEPTION (IX)
https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2020/07/28/tactile-perception/

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ATRIUMS Part II -Evolution of the Atrium forms

Post -762
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ATRIUMS 2/3 part series

The chief functions of the Atrium were passive ventilation and equalized illumination. Roman Atrium was a centric entity that tied up all the architectural units of the dwelling. The atrium, ‘as a funnel-shaped roof’ gradually lost its importance to the Peristyle. During the last segment of the roman empire (2nd to 4th C AD), the atriums were adopted in public buildings as a peristyle pattern, ‘a colonnaded space around an open court’.

Peristyle, as a colonnaded space around the atrium, continued to be called the atrium (or Cavaedium). Such atrium-courtyards were not cutouts provisioned in the center of a building, but rather left-over spaces between the buildings, which were reformatted as square or rectangle entities. The atrium was an intervention for connecting not only rooms but also diverse buildings and the street. In this sense, the colonnaded atrium-courtyards were multi-functional access areas, marking the beginnings of hall or vestibule.

For Roman domestic atriums, the connection with the surrounding rooms was fairly intimate and particpatory, whereas, the atrium-courtyards in public buildings, became spaces for sensorial change and transition routes. In both the instances the courtyards operate in spite of the exterior.

Early Christian and medieval church Courtyards, carry an imprint of atriums, due to the flanking colonnades, reminding us of the peristyle (peristyle was an element of Greek origin from 2nd C). This concept of atrium was adopted by the early Christians (king Constantine). Christianity was by now the Roman religion or a state church of the Roman Empire. Churches from the 1st through 3rd C used the classical Greek and Roman architectural elements, though superficially, without any reference to the original style or symbolism. This, however, ensured a complete freedom of the architectural styling.

The old Roman temple had many ‘unsavoury associations with the cult gods and pagan practices’. The old Roman temple had an exterior character (mainly under the trees), where the sacrificial rights were conducted. The Roman Christianity, however, preferred an interior space to conduct the initiation rights. During the per-Constantinian period, Christian churches began to flourish in the typical domestic buildings, often with some readjustment of interior walls. This created larger interior spaces for the congregational worship, such as the ‘domus ecclesiae’ (=meeting or assembly houses). Domestic spaces, in spite of the readjustments were too small and without any grandiose character.

Roman Christianity, began to use, the available Basilicas, which, originally denoted a place of power or for judicial hearings. Basilicas, had insignificant structure, but offered clerestory openings, through raised-roof above the middle aisle (the nave). The religious structures of the king Constantine (Roman ruler who promoted Christianity), set up two types of church structures, and both were called Basilicas. The long, structures, mainly in Roman areas, were meant for congregation (at least initially). In the Eastern side of the continent, like the Byzantine area, the circular form accommodated, the congregations and the burial or commemorative uses. These structures had many local variations, but most important alteration was the cross formed by nave and transept. This clerestory lit space was open and tall like an Atrium.

The Church, through the 4- 5th C, was developing a monastic order. The tradition of celibacy, continued to evolve as a role model for all priests. The church now began to evolve architecturally as a complex entity, with many adjunct units, abutting the main building, like on-site accommodation, library, script copying, management of religious activities etc. Attempts were made to link the scattered units physically and architecturally and project a unified entity. Two types of architectural forms were used for the purpose. An open court or atrium, surrounded by colonnades, or arcades were built in front of the older basilicas. Other enclosed courtyards were also formed, as the intervening space between several buildings. The Spanish (and so Latin American) churches called their version of the atrium, a Patio, and the Italians, a Cortile.

In the post medieval period, large buildings or palaces for bishops, cardinals and others (in favour of the rulers) and smaller buildings by lesser rich, were facing few common problems. These structures were large foot-print entities, where illumination and ventilation for the core zone were challenging. A rational access system to various space segments and floors was required. The buildings began to have an entrance feature called an Andito (pl. anditi -from Latin aditus =hall or passage in a house). This space led to a courtyard or a corridor, (courtyards were climatically more prominent in Southern Europe, whereas, corridors in Northern Europe). Both offered direct and private access to rooms on their edges. An Andito is also a corridor or gallery on the exterior side that partly or fully surrounds a building. (Andite is also a series of openings located inside a church, between the large arcade and the windows of the central nave. It is often used as a synonym for the triforium).

Provision of Andito in buildings began to reform not only the entry space, but unify various spaces into a cohesive whole. This complex exercise was carried out by professional architects commissioned to design (and execute) many of the large and mid size palatial buildings. The trend created buildings with a comprehensive character. The spaces were interconnected with halls, vestibules, passages or corridors. Such planning provisions also achieved an efficient management of services, interior illumination, ventilation, heating isolation (in Eastern Europe) and noise privacy. The buildings now had architecturally unified mass and grand scale.

The entrance or Andito was combined with the hall or vestibule, and it became a common and combinative entity, not just for the street level floor, but for several upper floors of the building. Open stairs connected several floors, visually and functionally. The stairs instead of being entrapped in a stair-case, were housed in a stair-well. This was the New Atrium, it was multiple floors tall (earlier, the feel was available only through the cutouts), visibility of several inclined planes (which was uncommon in interior spaces), angular spatial connections (there were visual angles, but not spatial linkages) and vivacious play of illumination (from sides and top). The opened up multi floor space became a formidable scene of luxury for not only large mansions but tiny homes.

The stair-wells with open and curved flights of varying widths, easy treads and low risers, continuous railings (in spite of complicated junctions and gradients), landings with converging and diverging flights, and the voluminous spaces for great chandeliers, offered new visual interests, and grand ceremonial ascent-descent.

The stair-wells were lit through skylight, creating effects that similar to the Roman Atriums. But Renaissance builders added and sculpted architectonic features like arches, vaults, pediments, columns, niches, etc. in the stairwells, in addition to curved stairs and parapets or railings.

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REALMS of EXTERIOR and INTERIOR

Post 757 -by Gautam Shah.

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Buildings occur as Interior places, connect to the exteriors, or as Exterior spaces intimately connect to the interiors, or emulate many characteristics of the interiors. These connections form multi faceted realms. The realm emerges from the 1–building alone, 2-through the transgression of the form, 3-shadows, 4-morphing of multiple images and 5-translucency and reflections.

1- Building can have a realm of its own, as happens in close-ended architecture (e.g. pyramids) or sites that are far off from other structures. Here the connection may be implied through real imagery or included in the folklore narratives.

2– A building has designed and circumstantial transgressions occurring as outward augmentation and inward contractions. Both make the connections of the building with its surrounding vibrant. In both the cases the surface area increases.

3– Buildings get extended through the casting of the shadows. The shadows are harmonic, as these are directional and in exact scale of the form. The visual-depth formed through the shadows, adds to the realm of the buildings’ scale and proportions.

4– Buildings have elements that transmute the form. The changes occur in terms of sensorial experiences, and so are subjective. Such transformations occur through noncontagious morphing, framing, masking, etc. These effects are so powerful that it can virtually alter the building. Children’s amusement parks, night clubs and musical shows exploit such methods.

5- Translucency and Reflections of the surfaces change the form. Even before sheer fabrics or glass, were used, the gloss, sheen, solid and void were exploited in architecture to modulate the form. The reflection is governed by the angle and surface gloss. These two allow manipulation of transparency and translucency, which usually offer surprising results.

The building forms an impression through the contrast and direct juxtaposition of the elements. These remain as context for the remembrances.

The Interior and Exterior connect directly, ambiguously and obscurely. The direct connections may not be contagious, but can be metaphorically related. Ambiguities result, when one the spatial entity is not sensorially relevant. Obscurity arises when the connections (between Interior and Exterior) are eventual in particular time and space.

A direct or contagious connection between the Interior and Exterior, provides for threshold elements. These elements separate the two realms, by delaying the interaction, spatially and timely.

The ambiguities of relationship between exterior and interior spaces result from the lack of clear distinctions. The interior and exterior have clear roles or recognition, such as scale, environmental affectations, functions, ownership, etc. The interventions of thresholds, the definition of edges or the functionality, can to an extent reduce the ambiguity.

Spaces turn obscure due to many reasons, such as lack of sensorial clarity and concurrent reinforcements, too many expectations, distancing between the exterior and interior, for abandoned properties the lack of narrative, technological redundancy and social-political-economic relevance.

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ARTICLES on Depth and Distance

756 ARTICLES on Depth and Distance from my Blog site https://designsynopsis.wordpress.com/

260 PERCEPTION of DEPTH

385 TERMS for DISTANCES

505 DISTANCE, DISPLACEMENT and INTERVENING SPACE

529 Meanings of DISTANCE

731 DISTANCE and INTERPRETATIONS

824 DEPTH -dimension

921 DEPTH, GRAVITY and SPATIAL EXPERIENCES

956 The MEANING of DEPTH

1066 COLOUR TEXTURE DEPTH PERSPECTIVE

1111 DEPTH as EXPRESSION

260 PERCEPTION of DEPTH -by Gautam Shah

The perception of depth of an object is a multi sensorial and contextual phenomena. Perception of an object is a process of Modelling. It gives an ‘additional dimension to a two-dimensional representation and revels extra information to the field’.

All perceptions are distinguished by basic sensation and delayed or spaced out sensations or shadows. The visual shadows occur due to illumination. Illumination has basic two qualities: orientation (angle) and the strength (brightness). Visual perception shows the ‘other’ (concealed) facets of the objects. Effects of surface illumination are visually perceived as change in the colour tone, intensity and texture.

The perception of depth, inversely indicates both, the position of the perceiver and the mediating context.

Depth is a measure, perceived through vision, hearing, smell and touch or proximity. The presence of dual (two eyes-ears) or multi-nodal (touch) perceptions define the direction and make the depth measure more accurate. The movement of eyes and the ability to focus creates a sense of visual and aural perspective. Here the far-off objects become duller and the intervening distances proportionately change.

385 TERMS for DISTANCES -Gautam Shah

Farther is spelled with far, and relates to the ‘physical distance’. It is a comparisons about how far one thing is from another. Further relates to ‘figurative, metaphorical, or abstract distances’ (as in furthermore) Further means for more information, or to a greater extent, in the abstract sense of distance.

The Middle is that part of an entity which is at an equal distance from both ends. Midst is that point in an entity which is at an equal distance from all parts of its body (skin). In abstract sense midst is more frequently used.

When psychological distance is large, we tend to think in more-abstract terms, focussing on the big picture. In contrast, when psychological distance is small, we focus on the details, the feasibility of options –Rebecca Hamilton

505 DISTANCE, DISPLACEMENT and INTERVENING SPACE -Gautam Shah

Distance nominally refers to physical separation of two objects in space. In a way it implies time or effort required to bridge the separation. The second definition though more relevant is very subjective, as it involves the sensorial capacities. What we could not ‘see’ we ‘observe’ it as time for light to travel. The light-years distanced objects must be marked for change in their location, with reference to a third object. Such objects are marked as a happening. An exploding star, is an intrinsic event that is a measure of time. Stellar distances are intervals in time between two events.

Physical separation has two fundamental involvements, One, where we are judging the farness of a perceptible object, and Two, where we are gauging the apartness of things from each other. Similarly, time is a duration during which objects shift from each other or from some other reference.

In both instances, the distance is primarily comparison, and so a scaled quantity. But it also could be the intensity of the subjective sense of perception.

In static Design (art, architecture, typography, graphics of pattern-motif) the distances are perceived as the intervening space between objects. The mid spaces show how far objects are positioned from other ones. Such interventions of nothingness, form a spatial scale.

Dynamic objects (movies, performances) shift in place and change in time. So in Dynamic designs, the displacement is more relevant. Here, it involves the measure of shift and direction. And that is why Distance and Displacement are often used interchangeably.

529 Meanings of DISTANCE -Gautam Shah

Distance has two fundamental involvements, ONE, where we judge ‘farness’ of a perceptible object, and TWO, where we gauge the ‘apartness’ of two things from each other.

In both instances, distance is primarily comparison and so scaled quantity, but it could be the intensity of the subjective sense of perception. Distance tells us about the intervening space.

Distance is a measure of how far away an object is from other things. Displacement, is magnitude how much, an object has been displaced from its original location and in which direction the shift has occurred. In this sense Distance is a scalar whereas Displacement is a vector quantity.

A modern version of word Distance =remoteness of space, extent of space between two objects or places, an interval of time, remote part of a field of vision. But Distare meant to stand apart and derives from the root ‘sta’ =to stand, make or be firm. Another older variant Distaunce of 13-14 C =a dispute, controversy, civil strife, rebellion, disagreement, discord, strife. Destance of old French =discord, quarrel. Distantia of Latin =a standing apart. Distantem a nominative of distans =standing apart, separate, distant.

Further and Farther are two words not much apart in distance but cause confusion. Further, is of older usage. The word far was loaded with -er to become farrer. This was difficult to use orally. There were two other words close by, fore or forth. And ‘er’ was loaded, but some confusion still persists.

Originally, Further, did not mean more distant but something like more ahead or more forward, more onward. Farther is a physical, measurable or presumptive (metaphorical)distance whereas Further is more or far away.

731 DISTANCE and INTERPRETATIONS -by Gautam Shah

The Distance, refers to a physical measure, a separation, and perception of proximity or remoteness.

1 Distance is a measure between two points. It reflects a direction, which in turn indicate time and movement. We measure a realistic distance between us and other things. Inversely, we also measure the perceived (likely) distance between known and unknown (a star and earth) things. The first measure is objective and the later one is subjective (till corroborated by other proofs). Yet both assessments, together, provide a comprehensive experience of distances, directions and movements.

2 Distance is separation of two points where the perceiver is a separator, presumed somewhere around the two ends. Two sets of comparisons are made, and disparities for nearness or remoteness of a thing defined. It helps to know which one is available, useful, required size, intensity, etc. Such distance assessment can be personal and comparative, as it depends on the reach capacity, need, experience and group behaviour dynamics.

3 Distance is Perception. Experiencing anything from an external location, the distance is the degree of clarity. The clarity is governed by physical distance from the location of observation. The same distance, can become fuzzy by the intervening things (chaos, noise, echoes, bounce-back, reflections, disturbances, fog, smoke, dust and intermingling of effects). The field of perception is affected by the mediating distance but the cognition the cognition can subjectively enlarge or shrink.

824 DEPTH -dimension -Gautam Shah

Depth is ‘the most existential dimension’. It is the dimension of dimensions, the most inevitable experience of the world and being. Merleau-Ponty (1968) considers depth to be the primary spatiality that grounds experiences of the world. Depth designates the primary dimension that defines the distance between own-self and other things. In this sense the depth allows the ‘coexistence’.

Depth is often considered as the third measure. Width and Length, both are parallel to the gravity, but Depth is usually vertical. Depth is measured from a high to a lower point, or from front to back side. The bottom point of depth is the gravity. Depth and Height are synonymous, except that Depth is downward and Height is upward. Other terms for depth include, altitude, elevation, datum, thickness, etc. Depth relates to a point that is less accessible or fathomable, like depth of water, drawer, field or someone’s feeling. Depth differentiates the front from the background and so reflects the intensity.

Depth gives an additional dimension to a two-dimensional (Width and Length) representation, and revel other qualities of the field’. The perception of depth, indicates information like the position of the perceiver, target and the mediating context. Depth is the distance between the self and other things, even, if the later ones are unreal.

Depth is a measure, perceived through vision, hearing, smell and touch or proximity. The presence of dual (two eyes-ears) or multi-nodal (touch) perceptions define the direction, and make the depth measure more ubiquitous as well as reliable. The movement of eyes and the ability to focus creates a sense of visual and aural perspective. Here the far-off objects become duller and the intervening distances change proportionately.

921 DEPTH, GRAVITY and SPATIAL EXPERIENCES –Gautam Shah

All Depth perceptions are due to the presence of Gravity. The realization that Depth offers primary ground for all our sense of spatiality, it came with little realization and initiative to explore it. The presence of gravity, was so obvious and difficult to distinguish, unless one moves out of it. This happened, in very limited sense, in last 2-3 centuries.

The space was perceived to be a pre-given entity, defined by our body position, movement, pace, direction and orientation in it. It was perceived to be throughly dependent on our body. The next realizations were the biases of faculties of perceptions. The biases occur due to the directionality of stimuli, single, bi-focal or pervasive nodes of perception, strength (due to age) and preferences (needs).

A space is a sense. It is not a static Euclidean entity, ‘a physical container or a conceived object’, but rather a dynamic thing with personal involvement. It is interactive, flexible, and extra ordinary potentials.

The depth and gravity are elements of subjective sense of space. Length and Width define the location and direction of planner movement, but Depth connects and separates one’s self and other things. Illusionary depiction of Depth as the third dimension has been used to expose hidden spatial elements. Some of the techniques for depth were, Askew views, perspectives, illusionistic realism, high contrasts, shades and shadows. 3D views or walkways as CAD tools offer little more quickness and variety.

Other tricks of Graphics helped the revelation of concealed depth, through delayed or spaced out realizations of the ‘after-effects like traces, shadows, context, front-back, etc.

The gravity, does not reveal itself in any manner. As first tries, it is being reinforced through multiple sensorial scales. As a person moves, creates direction and orientation, and generates scales. These can now be used as cues to define multiple sensorial concurrences. Media, like TV, interactive merchandising, games, etc. are likely to go beyond the traditional tick sound of keys being pressed or notification for wrong actions. 

956 The MEANING of DEPTH -Gautam Shah

Depth is perceived as the ‘inner’ facet of existence. It could be vertical, oriented to the gravity, and also horizontal, as the separation or connection between the body with other things. It also a metaphysical dimension, which, reveals other things, even if this is unreal. We say looking inside the space though, it is up and away from our gravity. Similarly we say viewing deep inside the microscope or telescope.

Depth and Height are synonymous, except that Depth is downward and Height is upward. Depth is measured from a high or low level to a lower or higher point, respectively. Depth is also from the front or the back to back or front, respectively.

Depth relates to a point that is less accessible or fathomable, like depth of water, drawer, field or someone’s feeling. In this sense, depth is about the capacity to negotiate or overcome a difficulty. Emotionally depth means abstruseness, extent of sagacity and penetration. Depth of expression has intensity, density, complexity, strength and seriousness.

Because of the dynamics of horizontal and vertical, Merleau-Ponty (1968) considered ‘it as the primary spatiality that grounds experiences of the world’.

Depth designates the first dimension, where one experiences the distance. Depth as a dimension is involved in perception of distance as much as for volume. As a dimension, depth reveals the ’proximity through distance’.

Depth is perceived by many senses of the body. The multiplicities of depth related sensorial experiences, make it, not only memorable bur re-creatable. Depth indicates information like the position of the perceiver, target and the mediating context. Distance gives a wider perspective, but Depth offers a better or detailed insight.

Visual depth defines the position of objects by connecting and separating them in space. Audio depth has many facets, the sound could be of high or low pitch, direct or reverberated. Depth of smell and Taste, both reflect the intensity of experience. Tactile Depth is the reach of experience to subcutaneous level. Depth is a measure, perceived through the sensorial faculties.

1066 COLOUR TEXTURE DEPTH PERSPECTIVE -Gautam Shah

From the days of Roman interior Murals, the Perspective was used to arrange ‘built or spatial’ elements in a composition. These were scaled for depth, but not specifically illuminated. The visible sides for greater effects of the depth were made darker. For a long time the Illumination and shadows could not be properly integrated in any purposive manner.

It was from 1700s, Capriccio style of art for drawing fantastical architectural buildings and ruins, with inclusion of occasional staffage (figures), began to exploit the perspective. Areas of painting were illuminated through a direct single source of illumination or atmospheric distributed light. Areas that did not get illumination were treated to be darker, thus creating a sense of contrast for depth. Capriccios were too detailed, and so the tonal gradation, could not be recognised and executed.

In Asia, perspectives did not occur, though some inclined planes formed the depth. But the scaling of elements and figures was extremely illogical. The depth was through spatial zoning, like, frontal areas were filled in with elements dominantly involved in the narrative. The next zone was of supportive elements like architectural and landscape features. The background, was used as a contrasting plane of lighter tones. The ethereal elements included here served to balance the composition, by their ‘white space’ presence. There was complete absence of graded or directional illumination, and shades for shadowing.

Illuminated and shaded areas are differentiated with the tonal variations of the same colour (monochrome) or with different hues. But this effect is enhanced by texture contrast formed by physical roughening of the surface, like the gesso and impasto in art. Gesso is the base or foundation treatment, which imprints a texture on the art surface. Impasto effect is created by laying the paint in very thick layers, so that can allow brush or painting-knife strokes to be visible.

1111 DEPTH as EXPRESSION -Gautam Shah

Depth designates the first of all the dimensions. It is a measure, how close or far, one is from the gravity, and from other objects. According to the Newtonian perception, every subject-object has some capacity of gravity. But it is always less than any other planet (Earth is close so has strongest gravity) or the Sun. By connecting to the gravity, one achieves stability, by separating out from the gravity, one is prone to pulls of other bodies.

Gravity makes everything connected or separated. There is an enigmatic bond among all things, whether one calls it the Near connection or the Far separation.

Gravity is the link between the subject and the world. Gravity, as the force de majeure, dominates over all measures, over width and length. Depth and Height are synonymous, except that Depth is downward and Height is upward. Depth differentiates the front from the back, and so reflects the intensity. Depth reflects concentration, assimilation, densification and comprehension.

Depth as a measure of Distance, and so implies a Direction. Distance can me measured, if both the objects are experienced simultaneously or alternatively bridged. Depth judgements can be personal, but the Distance, once measured is real.

We say, looking inside the space though it is up and away from our gravity. Similarly, we say viewing deep inside the microscope or telescope. The measure of deepness is down or inwards, like a deep place, deep waters, deep winter, etc. Emotionally depth means abstruseness, extent of sagacity and penetration. Depth of expressions has intensity, density, complexity, strength and seriousness.

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BEHAVIOUR in SPACES -a re-look at various lecture versions (2008-2017)

Post 731 –by Gautam Shah

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BEHAVIOUR in SPACES has seen many changes Since 2008 or perhaps earlier date when it all began. There are several Print and NET-based versions (www.gautamshah.in) Some are linked here.

A > These were rather un-organised or Random Topics on Behaviour in Space with 2013 (tentative outline for the series) I used to talk-discuss in 2013
1 Behaviour
2 Inhabitation
3 Interior Spaces
4 Behaviour in Interior Spaces
5 Domains
6 Domains and Spaces
7 Task Settings

B > This was little more formalized in 2016
1 Human Behaviour
2 Inhabitation
3 Place identity
4 Domains
5 Domains and Spaces
6 Exterior and Interior Spaces
7 Spaces Sizes and Shapes
8 Behaviour in Spaces
9 Manifestation of Behaviour
10 Expression and Communication
11 Privacy and Intimacy
12 Task Settings
13 Amenities and Facilities
14 Space Planning
15 Real and Virtually Real

C > But the series had started in 2014 with following topics
These all at INTERIOR DESIGN ASSIST .
1 INTERIOR DESIGN and the LOCUS
Blog 15Mar2014 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2014/03/15/interior-design-and-the-locus/
2 LONELINESS and Space Design
Bog 19Mar2014 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2014/03/19/loneliness-and-space-design/
3 SPACES for INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Blog 185 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2014/09/15/spaces-for-interpersonal-relationships/
4 SPACE and HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
Blog 30May2014 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/space-and-human-behaviour/
5 SPACE –USERS or OCCUPANTS
Blog 2June2014 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2014/06/02/space-users-or-occupants/
6 VIRTUAL SPACES and INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Blog 8Jun2014 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2014/06/08/virtual-spaces-and-interpersonal-relationships/
7 IDENTITY in a SPACE
Blog 159 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2014/08/20/identity-in-a-space/
8 HUMAN BEHAVIOUR in SPACE
Blog 251 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2014/11/21/human-behaviour-in-space/
9 PLACE and SPACE for INHABITATION
blog 321 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2015/01/30/place-and-space-for-inhabitation/
10 SPACE and USERS
Blog 343 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2015/02/21/space-and-users/
11 POSTURES and BEHAVIOUR
Blog 347 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/postures-and-behaviour/
12 EXPRESSION and SPATIAL BEHAVIOUR
Blog 361 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2015/03/11/expression-and-spatial-behaviour/
13 SPACE SIZES and HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
Blog 410 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2015/05/02/space-sizes-and-human-behaviour/
14 PLACE in SPACE
Blog 417 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2015/05/09/place-in-space/
15 SPATIAL BEHAVIOUR
Blog 512 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2015/09/07/spatial-behaviour/
16 PRIVACY and INTIMACY as spatial behaviour
Blog 524 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2015/09/29/privacy-and-intimacy-as-spatial-behaviour/
17 SPATIAL PRIVACY
Blog 562 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2015/12/20/spatial-privacy/

D > LINKS to BLOGS on BEHAVIOUR in SPACE (16 DEC2015-APR2016 One semester Lecture Series) These all at INTERIOR DESIGN ASSIST .

1 EVIDENCE of HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
Blog 566 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2015/12/31/evidence-of-human-behaviour/
2 INHABITATION
Blog 567 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2016/01/02/inhabitation/
3 Behaviour in Interior Spaces PLACE IDENTITY PLACE IDENTITY Blog 569 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2016/01/06/place-identity/
4 SPACE DOMAINS
Blog 572 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2016/01/15/space-domains/
5 DOMAINS and SPACES
Blog 574 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2016/01/20/domains-and-spaces/
6 GRADES of EXTERIOR and INTERIOR SPACES
Blog 576 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2016/01/27/grades-of-exterior-and-interior-spaces/
7 SPACE SIZES and SHAPES
Blog 579 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2016/02/03/spaces-sizes-and-shapes/
8 SPATIAL SETTINGS for HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
Blog 581 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2016/02/11/spatial-settings-for-human-behaviourspatial-settings-for-human-behaviour/
9 REFLECTION OF BEHAVIOUR
Blog 585 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2016/02/23/reflection-of-behaviour/
10 EXPRESSION and COMMUNICATION -as behaviour in space
Blog 587 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2016/03/04/expression-and-communication-as-behaviour-in-space/
11 PERSONAL SPACE for BEHAVIOUR
Blog 589 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2016/03/10/personal-space-for-behaviour/
12 SPATIAL DISTANCING and BEHAVIOUR
Blog 590 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2016/03/11/spatial-distancing-and-behaviour/
13 LONELINESS, ALIENATION and SPATIAL BEHAVIOUR
Blog 591 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2016/03/15/loneliness-alienation-and-spatial-behaviour/
14 TASK SPECIFIC SPACES
Blog 594 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2016/03/29/task-specific-spaces/
15 SPATIAL BEHAVIOUR with AMENITIES, FACILITIES, UTILITIES and ENRICHMENTS
Blog 597 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2016/04/09/spatial-behaviour-with-amenities-facilities-utilities-and-enrichments/
16 SPATIAL ORGANIZATION of OBJECTS and BEHAVIOUR
Blog 600 https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/2016/04/19/spatial-organization-of-objects-and-behaviour/

E > This is a Series on Behaviour in Space DEC2016 to DEC2017
These al at DESIGN ACADEMICS

1 – SPACE and HUMAN BEHAVIOUR https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2016/12/28/space-and-human-behaviour/
2 CONSTITUENTS of HUMAN BEHAVIOUR in SPACE https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2017/01/12/2-constituents-of-human-behaviour-in-space/
3 SPACE and the PLACE https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2017/01/25/3-space-and-the-place/
4 SPATIAL FEATURES for INHABITATION https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2017/02/02/4-spatial-features-for-inhabitation/
5 – SPATIAL BEHAVIOUR and DOMAINS https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2017/02/12/5-spatial-behaviour-and-domains/
6 – TYPES of SPACES for BEHAVIOUR https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2017/02/16/6-types-of-spaces-for-behaviour/
7 – SPACES SIZES and SHAPES https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2017/02/22/7-spaces-sizes-and-shapes/
8 – EXPRESSION of BEHAVIOUR https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2017/03/02/8-expression-of-behaviour/
9 – HUMAN BEHAVIOUR in Expression and Communication https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2017/03/20/9-human-behaviour-in-expression-and-communication/
10 – BEHAVIOUR and DISTANCING in SPACE https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2017/03/30/10-behaviour-and-distancing-in-space/
11 – TASK SPECIFIC SPACES https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2017/04/18/11-task-specific-spaces/
12 – SPATIAL REORGANIZATION https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2017/06/13/12-spatial-reorganization/
13 – PERSONALIZATION of SPACE https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2017/06/28/13-personalization-of-space/
14 – SPACE PLANNING and HUMAN BEHAVIOUR https://designacademics.wordpress.com/2017/12/19/14-space-planning-and-human-behaviour/

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BLOG links for Articles on BALANCE and MOVEMENTS

Post 724 –Gautam Shah

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Few Links of articles on BALANCE, MOVEMENT as published on my Blog site   https://interiordesignassist.wordpress.com/

BALANCE in DESIGN – Part 1

BALANCE in DESIGN – Part 1

BALANCE in DESIGN – Part 2

BALANCE in DESIGN – Part 2

MOVEMENT and BALANCE – Issues for Design -5

MOVEMENT and BALANCE – Issues for Design -5

PERCEPTION of BALANCE and MOVEMENT

PERCEPTION of BALANCE and MOVEMENT

VISUAL PERCEPTION of MOVEMENTS

VISUAL PERCEPTION of MOVEMENTS

PERCEPTION of MOVEMENTS

PERCEPTION of MOVEMENTS

DYNAMIC CURVATURES -Issues of Design 24

DESIGN, MOTIF, PATTERN -Part 1 -Issues of Design 25

GEOMETRY -Issues of Design -21

GEOMETRY -Issues of Design -21

MODELLING of OBJECTS in SPACE -issues of design -20

MODELLING of OBJECTS in SPACE -issues of design -20

MORPHING the ARCHITECTURAL GEOMETRY

MORPHING the ARCHITECTURAL GEOMETRY

STABILITY of BUILT FORMS

STABILITY of BUILT FORMS

DRAPERIES

DRAPERIES

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