{"id":19373,"date":"2014-09-17T21:45:36","date_gmt":"2014-09-17T19:45:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/not-only-objects-2\/"},"modified":"2015-11-09T16:33:13","modified_gmt":"2015-11-09T15:33:13","slug":"not-only-objects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/en\/not-only-objects\/","title":{"rendered":"Not only objects"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this world, which has by now become so complex and variegated, where productivity seems to set the pace and rhythm of existence, the definition of identity, self-assertion, the need for security, all contribute to produce a state of tension which needs to be dealt with. In the search for a solution, or in other words for a way to create a possible equilibrium for our I, our living space plays a crucial role, both because it becomes a projection of our interior space, and because it comes to condition the latter. The latest studies in the field of neuroscience confirm this relationship, for instance stressing that the motory system, especially the areas of the cortex located in the dorsal and ventral path, activate in the representation of space and the categorization of objects, a wide range of functions that go beyond a simple control of movements, and that are associated with the different dynamics of action. But without having to resort to neuroscience, our everyday experience continuously remind us that space, and the objects that populate it, truly produce states of conscience, in addition to stimulating sensations.
\nJust like people, objects and places attract, repulse, cause fear, pain, joy, anger, or in other words emotions. These may be conscious or otherwise, they may provoke behaviours or merely inner turmoil, but they certainly contribute to create a balanced formation of the sense of self. And it is precisely this sense of self that has, in the course of history, oriented the transformation of the home, along certain guidelines that have involved affections and interests, parental bonds and legal relations, consumption and production, myths and ideologies. It has been a matter, in the single cases, of defining an own space for living, both as safe haven and shelter and as an expression of one\u2019s personality, as a response to individual needs and, finally, as demand for new emotions.
\nTo make the interiors more welcome and pleasant, to furnish them with objects that make it easier to relax: this is the challenge faced by 21st century architecture and design, whose creative efforts are aimed at the creation of environments capable of both astonishing and making those who live there feel perfectly at ease, to an ever-increasing extent turning the space for living into a space that is defined, orderly and functional, aimed at facilitating a clear perception of oneself, a greater sense of equilibrium. The idea is a space of great formal simplicity that is nevertheless anything but banal, that is not reduced to a structure determined by function, objects that let the eye rest, inspiring serenity, reflection, surrounded by an interior designed to be as liveable as possible. It is not a matter of practical and functional minimalism but of a much deeper need, that suggests a search for a global comfort capable of making life easier in a world that has become too frenetic and that is, in some aspects, unstable and insecure, a comfort that means certainties and securities, but above all convivial domesticity, to facilitate relations with friends, relatives and life partners that may be regenerated through a shared and participative use of the space.
\nOne error that should in any case be avoided is to focus on the creation of the object as such, for instance by forgetting that an armchair, be it ever so ergonomic, will not as such determine a situation of relax if it does not relate to a living space connoted in this sense. An armchair may be so comfortable that it is easy to fall asleep in it, but sleep does not as such imply a situation of relax: even the depressed fall asleep in a comfortable armchair, but this does not mean that their sleep is relaxing; an exercise bench may facilitate the development of muscles, but gymnastics do not necessarily produce wellness, as even a neurotic may work out for hours and hours in the gym without thereby reducing his tension. The object designed for relax must thus find a place in a living space conceived for this purpose, a space charged with special significances, which thus facilitates the relationship with the object in question.
\nAs Jader Tolja writes in a book published by Zelig in 2003 and titled Thinking with the body, \u00abthe space each of us surrounds him or herself with is just one of many metaphors of the basic strategy of the individual\u00bb, which consists precisely of appropriating a subjective space by defining its \u201cborders\u201d, thus establishing the \u201cdistance\u201d from the rest of the world; and the more one perceives this distance, the more one becomes appreciative of feelings of security and protection which already, as such, make it easier to relax.
\nA space delimitated within one\u2019s home, and a furniture element that distinguishes this space from those dedicated to ordinary use, eluding its ordinary functionality without denying it, are the ideal ingredients for creating a possible situation of relax; an element that helps this space to become special, one that is not limited by reality, a place for escape, for dreams, for play: a space that is \u201cdifferent\u201d from the ordinary, or even an ordinary space with a somewhat \u201cdifferent\u201d atmosphere.
\nHowever, such an operation is anything but foregone, because our culture has for some time been dominated by a use of the space characterized by canons of functionality and thus, at least apparently, by rationality. It is a use that is restrained by precise economic criteria, aimed at avoiding waste, that takes care not to be too lavish with building volumes, ceiling heights, areas of passage. There are naturally some exceptions, especially in public buildings, and in this case there are some leading architects who seek to break down the barriers of functionality.
\nA new trends seems to lend a hand in this sense: it favours a certain contamination of the living spaces. If we take a look around, we may notice that more and more attention is dedicated to kitchens and bathrooms, places where possible experimentations are accepted. The kitchen is once again becoming a place for spending time together, almost a return to the historical memory of the Italian kitchen, and the bathroom is encroaching upon the space of the bedroom to become a place for relax where one may perhaps, by closing the door, leave the world on the outside.
\nIf we are to believe what architects and designers say, a great revolution is about to take place in the bathroom:\u00a0already some years ago Ludovica Palomba wrote, in the Corriere della sera: \u201cToday the bathroom must lead us to a total sensorial experience, it must be gratifying for body and soul, but also fun\u201c. It suffices to consider that until some time ago the bathroom was relegated to the end of a corridor, a purely functional place, and certainly not a place for living. Everything is due to a new appreciation for the body, a recovery of its positive sides and overcoming of an exaggerated sense of modesty. To spend more time on oneself is no longer considered a luxury, but almost a duty. We must go back to the Romans to find a civil home where there could conceivably be a space dedicated to the wellness of body and mind. We have made the transition from the \u201ccommonplace\u201d, to the \u201cloo\u201d, to the \u201ctoilet\u201d, to the \u201cbathroom\u201d, from a place that was almost hidden inside the house or even placed on the outside, to a place which plays an important role, to the point of invading other parts of the home: the bathroom is no longer a utilitarian room, but a place to live in. An industrial design aimed at relaxation, rest, pleasure and the wellness of body and the mind is therefore a welcome novelty, especially if it helps us to venture beyond the limits of the spas, and to recover a culture of living characterized by a rediscovered and more holistic domestic dimension.<\/p>\n