“Feelings of security, comfort, meaning and familiarity are of particular importance, the sensible organisation of the environment, the unconscious meanings and messages of the space, scale, and the sensory and stimulating context are natural to the therapeutic environment of the mentally disturbed”
Alvar Aalto on designing Paimio Sanatorium, Finland
RQ. How can design address the reflective mind in fast paced western society?
Abstract
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” Albert Einstein
Pressured conformity to the mechanical ideals of fast paced Western society is taking its toll on the mental capabilities of its population at large. Through pressuring the human mind to constantly operate in mechanical mode, far beyond its ‘normal’ jurisdiction, we are mentally suffering the consequences. Due to this phenomenon, we are indeed in a historical rift, where the rate of mental instability in our Western society is dangerously skyrocketing. That being said, there is a serious opportunity for design to intervene in the mental well-being arena. Design can assist our mental wellbeing through addressing the human mind in a context that reflects its natural operation, where the personal stresses of society can be more considered in a way that the mentally balanced mind can deal with better. This research will explore how the concept of escapism can be designed in everyday activities to assist the essential human nature of the reflective mind to find mental release from the increased stresses of society. This research will also describe how through accentuating the emotional experience of these activities in the design approach will allow an opportunity for design to respond to the human mind on ‘reflective’ rather than mechanically reactive grounds.
Introduction
1550 BC, in the oldest medical journal ever discovered, the Ancient Egyptians described what we know today as depression. Over three and a half thousand years later, mental illness affects tens of millions of people internationally and rising. What is interesting is that this number alarmingly increased with the fast paced mechanical ideals of post industrial society. This design research will look at how design can find an opportunity through this phenomenon to address the mental needs of people in society, as we know it today. The initial stages of design research will explore this occurrence in more detail, looking specifically at how society has been moulded to the ideals of the industrial revolution and what the ramifications have been on the mental well-being of it’s population. The first chapter will also explore the concept of social conformity to reactive thought, how we can break away from reactive thought by addressing the more humanly natural reflective thought and finally how design can assist us in this endeavour. The second chapter will analyse the findings of a study that was conducted for the purposes of this design research to establish what spatial values are relevant in addressing the mental well being of those living in a stress pressured western society. Finally this design research will explore a contextual platform and means that design can offer opportunities for our population to manifest their reflective mind untainted by the conditioning of fast paced western societal ideals.
Chapter One. “But we have made our biggest mistake in confusing conformity in action with conformity in thought” Victor Papanek
“Good girls don’t cry”, is a value in childhood teachings, familiar to probably most of us growing up in a western society. We live in a society that does in fact, place a lot of value on conformity, especially from an early age. In some cases, conformity is not all that bad, that is, until conformity starts to govern more than just the aspects of society fit for it’s purpose. The conformist ideal becomes particularly dangerous when it is coupled with the mechanical speed ideal following from the industrial age (Honore 2005, p15). When the mechanical speed ideal was accepted as integral in the way of life of post industrial western society, to keep up with this fast pace, we were expected to accept the machine as our life model; to not only behave like machines, but also think like machines (Honore 2005, p16). The major consequence of this utilitarian approach to society is that there are no allowances for human error, particularly in relation to how exactly the human speed of thought can adequately conform to this ideal, or more commonly not (Bohm 1996, p6). The paradox is that instead of questioning the validity of a fast paced mechanically driven society on the basic nature of our human existence, we fall back into the conformist trend of not ‘wanting to rock the boat’ of how collective society accepts the fast paced mechanical society as the accepted norm (Papanek 1997, p155). Therefore our struggle is two fold, on one hand we either mentally suffer in silence trying to maintain an appearance that this societal norm actually works for us, or alternatively, we mentally suffer in silence in fear of ostricisation from our own society as the idea of human ‘weakness’ does not fit in with the utilitarian ideal.
(insert own photograph related to mechanical conformity in thought with quote. “the human brain naturally flits from one thought to the next. In today’s fast society where we are all under pressure to think quickly, reaction rather that reflection is the order of the day” Norman 2004, p120)
“What happens if we are unable to operate in such an aggressively conformist environment? We “blow our top” and are taken to the nearest psychiatrist for help. The first thing this human specialist in human thought and motivation may want to say (if not in so many words) is “well, now, we must adjust you” and what is adjustment, if not another word for conformity?” (Victor Papanek 1997, p154). What Papanek is describing is a reactive thought process exhibited by his psychiatrist, which is a result of the mechanical conditioning of our Western society. Paradoxically, the response that was given by Papaneks psychiatrist, which is common within the framework of a utilitarian society, is not actually helping the situation at hand, by any means. Ultimately, one could say that, it is even worsening the problem, because not only is it trying to fix a problem using the same utilitarian framework that harnessed the problem in the first place but also this reaction does not give validity to the fact that the feelings of mental inadequacies we are feeling, have serious negative ramifications in motivation, perception, action and operate very persuasively in almost everything we do (Bohm 1996, p81). Actually, these negative ramifications are quite evident in the fact that western society today is experiencing unprecedented stress levels in our general population than ever before, where there is a steep and steady increase from the industrialisation period (AIHW 1998). This illustrates that no matter how hard we try to suppress these feelings of mental inadequacy, the human brain cannot constantly function under a mechanical regime (ibid), and consequentially we are stressing ourselves out more and more by trying to force our brains to act in this way where naturally it cannot commit.
(insert own photograph related to stress with criticism from Italian resident and shop owner in the Citta Slow town of Umbria “It is all very well for politicians to talk about slow this and slow that, but in the real world it is not so easy” Honore 2005, p81)
American Physician David Bohm (1996, p81) suggests that there is a way for the brain to break free from its mechanically conditioned mode of thinking captor. Bohm (1997, p8) outlines, that “unless there is an opportunity for reflective thought to respond beyond the framework of such mechanical mode of operation, thought as a whole will inevitably entangle itself in a growing mass of problems and difficulties that it cannot resolve”. What Bohn is addressing is a platform in which design can intervene to assist in creating design opportunities that can look at how design can stimulate reflective rather than reactive thinking, where the end goal is to assist the individual to break free from the conditioning of the ideals of our mechanical society and start to think in ways that reflect better the way in which the human brain organically and creatively operates. Theoretician and Architect, Juhani Pallasmaa (2001, p213) states, “the values inherent in our built environment should be the values inherent in our basic human needs”. If this is the case, we are at a specific time in history where our surrounding environment has to consider the fundamental need of human mental wellbeing more than ever. This is supported by the notion that thinking is a process that can only take place from within ourselves, but this process can be stimulated and supported by the things outside us (Day, 2004 p216). Thus, rendering the influence that our built environment can have in motivating our natural mental processes.
(insert own photograph related to the built environment as a mental stimulator with the quote “To be nourishing architecture (design) must match what we need” (Day 1990, p35))
Australian Architect and Theorist, Kim Dovey (2004, p96), states, ”Healthy places often have a strong sense of cohesion or emotional connection between people and built form. The inhabitants feel identified within it’s forms and they share its meanings” A physical architectural example that demonstrates how this can actually work are the Maggies Centres in the UK. The Maggie’s Centres are drop-in centres for people affected by cancer. Journalist Edwin Heathcote (2008) on speaking about the Maggie’s Centres states, "They are buildings to make people feel human when they are at their most vulnerable." One patron’s note in the London Maggie’s Centre guest book supports this claim by reading “ … it seems like this place understands what I am feeling and lets me be not quite so afraid about my cancer”. Another patron Andy Milward (2008) can explain the experience of the Maggie’s Centre as "Although the design and aesthetics of the building are key elements of the Maggie's philosophy, those first impressions of light, calm, comfort, welcome and difference were mesmerising as we gradually took in the surroundings". The emphasis on the emotional values that are facilitated by experiencing the Maggie’s Centre in the above statement gives confidence to the idea that design can also accommodate experientially to the needs of people suffering from mental unease caused by conformity to mechanical thinking in today’s society. This being said, one fundamental importance is that the Maggie’s Centre is a specific place that is designed for a specific niche of the population affected by cancer. What will prove fundamentally important to this design research will be to understand the values in design that can be directly related to the mental needs of people suffering from the mental pressure to conform to a mechanical society.
(insert own photograph of Maggies Centre with the quote “Good behavioural design should be human centred, focusing upon understanding and satisfying the needs of the people that actually use the product” (Foster 2004, p81)
Chapter two . F(l)ight or flight, ‘When the going get’s tough, the tough get going’, American Singer, Billy Ocean
“When things happen so fast, nobody can be sure of anything, not even about themselves” (Kundera 2005, p9), We perceive the world through our senses and nervous system and when society promotes the mechanical fastness ideal that is fundamentally incompatible with how we think on human terms, we feel confused or threatened, our heart rate increases, we start to panic and our instinctual nervous system response resorts to fight or flight mode (Fischer 1994, p79). Of course, as we saw in the previous chapter, this phenomenon is like a dog chasing it’s own tail, as the fundamental reason why we are feeling so mentally uncomfortable is concealed behind the social norm of mental mechanical conformity, and therefore the overarching reason for the mental dilemma is either ambiguous to the person subscribing to this ideal, or alternatively it would go against the gain of society for this person to contest it. Therefore, of course we take flight to escape from the pressure. The concept of escapism is consistent with the findings from 20 participants (mixed gender, from eight different nationalities and aged between 19 to 33 years), in a study conducted for the purpose of this design research. The participants were asked the question; Could you please tell me about the spatial qualities of the place that you go to when you are feeling stressed or pressured? (The participants were probed on their responses using specific questions regarding experiential, atmospheric, sensorial and emotional qualities of their specific spaces). There were consistent values of escapism that were expressed in varying degrees by all participants. These values will be discussed in the proceeding paragraphs, and include the concept of ontological safety and belonging, multisensorial distraction and physical isolation from the stressful threat.
(insert own photograph related to the concept of escapism with the quote “Society is where everyone hides their real character, then reveals it by hiding – American Sitcom One Tree Hill)
In 1943, Psychologist Abraham Maslow (1943, p376) proclaimed, “Some neurotic adults in our society are, in many ways, like the unsafe child in their desire for safety“ In today’s accelerated and uncertain society, it can be argued that we all have the same childlike desire for ontological safety in varying degrees. Almost all participants in the study described an environment that exerted the concept of safety as a prerequisite to a mentally easing space. The majority or responses were based on the idea of safe places within a home. The idea of home as a safe haven for the mind is not a foreign concept to historical literature. French Philosopher Gaston Bachelard (1994, p6) describes the chief benefit of the house as “a shelter for daydreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace”. This frame of reference is consistent with what many participants described as the experiential or emotional values attributed to the home. One participant reminisced about the hiding under the bed covers when they were a child and feeling like “nothing can touch you” meanwhile, the sofa to another participant had the feeling of safety as it “reassures you and surrounds you” it was a human scaled place to “escape into” as the soft fabrics “cocooned” your body, and comfortably “cradled you” it was described as a place “were you felt like you belonged”.
(insert own photograph related to safety/belonging with the quote “Our house is our corner of the world” Gaston Bachelard or “the process of feeling like you belong to a space arrives when the space has become personal, as though the body has accepted a subconscious alliance with it, and it has become an extension of the body” Merleau-Ponty)
Another common finding between all participants was the experience of multisensorial distraction as a means of escapism. For example, one participant noted the experience of the fireplace as a catalyst for multisensorial escapism from their stressful pressures. The key values found in this experience were “helping you focus on something else” or “being able to turn off”. This value was manifested from the senses being “hypnotised” by the inherent attributes of the fire; “the smell of the wood burning”, “the warmth from the heat on your skin” and “the colours and movement of the flames that were visually mesmerising”. For another participant, the experience of the bath had the same multisensorial escape value that “takes you away from stress”. For them, “turning off the lights” and being submerged in water allows your ears to enter “into a world of different acoustic sounds”, a place where there was “no pressure on your body”, the tactile sensation of the bath water was likened to “a blanket that warmed the body” which was emphasised by the “coldness of the space around”, the “smells of the bathroom” and the “taste of the steam” was for this participant, all part of the experience of “changing scenery from daily stresses”. In all of the participants’ responses that were linked to the multisensorial escapism value, they seemed to share a consistent underlying characteristic. This characteristic was that the participants felt that they were somehow in control of the situation or at least their personal interaction within a situation through their senses that was foreign to the fast paced pressure situation that was causing the mental grief.
(insert own photograph related to multisensorial stimulation with the quote “helping you focus on something else” or “being able to turn off”)
A final common response from many participants was the desire for physical escape from the pressures of their stress. Physical escapism can be extrapolated from the reflections given as; the desire for solitude in the action of displacing ones body away from the perceived threatening catalyst. This can be seen in an example of one participant’s personal safety zone in the shower. The running water was a “security alarm”, “warning others not to enter” as well as ensuring the participant that they were in a place where ”you and your thoughts could be alone”. Lighting also played an important role in this response (similarly across many responses). The preferred lighting was either dimly diffused or natural light and shadows. This response makes sense when you take into consideration the fact that we spend on average 90 per cent of our stress induced day in mostly artificially lit environments (Alexander, 1997, p201). Another type of physical separation was into nature. Where many participant rejoiced in the change of scenery from fast paced society to the natural surroundings of woods, forests, rivers and beaches in attempt to “clear the mind”. One participant reminisced about his childhood and escaping into the woods where he would climb a tree “to see everything passing you by, but you are not apart of it. Other participants expressed the “sounds of branches in the wind”, “singing birds”, “running water”, “moving shadows from trees”, “isolated from daily noise and society” as the “smells that just come natural from being in nature” and key characteristics that symbolised their physical separation from their stressful situations.
(insert own photograph related to physical dislocation with the quote about prospect refuge theory by Jay Appleton”)
The qualitative aspects of safety, belonging, multisensorial distraction and physical separation inherent in the concept of escapism are definitely strong considerations in designing spaces that address the reflective human mind in our fast paced society. But in addition to these qualitative aspects of escapism, we need to know what spatial context would be most applicable to the people that we are trying to address, as well as, by what means a space can communicate these qualities to the best possible outcome.
Chapter three “Architecture (design) is a human gesture in a human world, and like every human gesture it is judged in terms of its meaning” Amos Rapoport
In the previous chapter the values of escapism were discussed as biologically and emotionally important when someone is trying to mentally deal with a stressful situation, but in reality, escape is not always possible. What is possible is to look at the situations in our daily lives where we find quiet moments to ourselves where the qualities of escapism can be expressed in the spatial design. Bachelard (1996, p136) states “Every corner in a house, every angle in a room, every inch of secluded space in which we like to hide, or withdraw into ourselves is a symbol of solitude for the imagination” Sociologist Lewis Mumford (2001, p67) offers addition insight to this phenomenon in his statement “Today, the degradation of the inner life is symbolised by the fact that the only place sacred from interruption is the private toilet”, even though Mumford was criticising the human ramifications of society today, more importantly, like Bachelard he is offering a platform in which design can address the reflective mind in a context that already allows some personal downtime. Everyday activities such as toileting, bathing, brushing our teeth, putting on clothes, cleaning our house, cleaning the car, shaving, eating, sleeping, relaxing and so on, are all activities in which design can address the reflective mind free from the mechanical conditioning of the reactive mind, utilising the qualities seen in the concept of escapism (Bohm 1996, p48). This being said, a more creative response to the dilemma at hand could suggest that if we were to find a non-rational way for design to express the values of escapism in everyday activities, then we should focus intently on the human experience of the space where the activity takes place.
(insert own photograph related to everyday activities with the quote ”In our peaceful moments we are the sensitive inhabitants of the forests of ourselves” Poet Jules Suervielle)
An experience opposes anything mechanical or rational. It is a quality of humanness that has the possibility to speak to the reflective mind in an emotional way that the rational mind cannot. There are many architectural examples that illustrate how the experience of space goes above and beyond the function of the space and therefore above the faculty of rational thinking. One example is the Brion-Vega Cemetery in Italy, which was designed by Carlo Scarpa. The spatial experience of Brion-Vega Cemetery heads down a path of human consideration on a gestural level. These human considerations include; how one enters the space, how one journeys through the space, how the space responds to human scale, how the space responds to the surrounding context and how the space utilises materials/nature/light/shadow and colour. All of these considerations fundamentally speak to how one emotionally experiences the space. As outlined in chapter one, emotions do in fact change the way we think, they help us gain meaning from our surroundings both consciously and subconsciously and therefore if a space were to express the values of escapism in everyday activities then the human considerations as outlined in the Brion-Vega experience are essentially important to the current design process. Furthermore, through addressing the human mind in a way that reflects its natural operation by accentuating the values of escapism through the experience of everyday activities, this can suggest a positive mental outcome would arise if the reflective mind were given more chances to be freed from societal conditioning. Ultimately, what this could pertain to would be that the mind could be more at ease in dealing with the perpetuating stresses of mechanically pressured daily life in a more creative and successful way that reflected it’s natural mode of operation.
(insert own photograph Brion-Vega related to experience with the quote “Architecture (design) wont be health giving if it is imposed” Day 2004, p215 or/and “We live in a world of the mind in which the experience, remembered, and imagined are intertwined” Day, 1990, p215)
Conclusion
It is true that we are bound to a fast paced society that does indeed promote the ideals of post industrial mechanicalness, as it is also true that there are negative ramifications for the increasing amount of people that are not able to mentally conform to such mechanical ideals. A third and pivotal truth is that we are unable to address this problem in the realm of rational thought and if we want to honestly address this problem in the design context, we need to look at how design can address the qualities of the ‘real’ human mind; the emotional reflective mind. It is my belief that design can address the reflective mind in fast paced Western society, where we can have the opportunity to think more open and creatively to the world around us This can be achieved by offering an opportunity for the reflective mind to manifest itself untainted by the mechanical conditioning of fast paced western society. There are a few key insights that can contribute to the design process that can assist this mental manifestation. These insights include a valuable insight into what meanings and messages the space can convey, as well as the idea of escapism with consideration to its inherent values of safety, belonging, multisensorial distraction in a way that feels humanly comprehensible as well physical dislocation and isolation. Another insight is to look at everyday activities that already provide a platform for mental reflection, such as; toileting, bathing, brushing our teeth, putting on clothes, cleaning our house, cleaning the car, shaving, eating, sleeping, relaxing and so forth. A final insight arose from understanding that people’s emotions play a large part in how we read messages consciously and subconsciously from a space. These emotions can be facilitated by human considerations in the design process such as; how one enters the space, how one journeys through the space, how the space responds to human scale, how the space responds to the surrounding context and how the space utilises materials/nature/light/shadow and colour.
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(insert after the bibliography)
…. But Alice had got so used to out-of-the-way things to happen that it seemed quite dull and stupid for life to go on in the common way…
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