The Power of Atmosphere

In an attempt to define the psychological basis of architecture, Heinrich Wölfflin explored the lawfulness of space in relation to its effects, drawing on the argument that “every building produces a specific impression within a whole range of moods” (1994 (1886): 149). His observations, although subject to certain limitations, anticipated the theory of atmosphere, the notion of which has been increasingly discussed across many disciplinary fields in recent years. Atmosphere was also used by Andreas Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos to illustrate the fusion between space and normativity – namely a “lawscape” where “every surface, smell, colour, taste is regulated by some form of law” (2013: 35). Lawscape calls, however, for exploring law beyond merely contractual agreements and verbal regulations, as it directs attention towards its material, spatial and corporeal dimensions. It also invites the exploration of the term law in its polysemy, bearing in mind that it has been deployed to describe both social and natural orders. Moreover, it brings to the fore the affective qualities of atmosphere that constitute “a sensory background” (Thibaud 2011: 2013), and, consequently, a background for socio-spatial relations. In this regard, atmosphere is to be approached as a relational field that entails the distribution of norms through the sensible, hovering in an intermediate realm between manipulation and appeal. That is, an intensity by which the bodily states are regulated – increased or diminished – and turned into actions. By expanding the notion of atmosphere in terms of its affective qualities, often concealed by its poetic potential and far less considered in architectural discourse, the intention is to present Atmospherology – to borrow Tonino Griffero’s terminology (2014 (2010)) – as a particular material practice based on the effects by which it lays claim to affective and, hence, societal orders. In doing so, a series of paradigmatic works of atmospheric engineering will provide a canvas for discerning the means of creation of that thick and almost viscous spatiality analogous to the dense mist composed of bubbles of affects – that is, the particles that are charged with power and normativity. References Grtiffero, T. (2014 (2010)). Atmospheres: Aesthetics of Emotional Spaces. Ashgate Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos, A. (2013). Atmospheres of law: Senses, affects, lawscapes, in Emotion, Space and Society 7, 35-44. Thibaud, J-P. (2011). The Sensory Fabric of Urban Ambiances, in The Senses & Society. Vol. 6, 2, 203-215 Wölfflin, H. (1994 (1886)). Prolegomena to a Psychology of Architecture, in Mallgrave, H. (Ed.) Empathy, Form, and Space: Problems in German Aesthetics, 1873-1893. Santa Monica: The Getty Center For The History of Art and the Humanities, 149-190