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A Phenomenological Study of Contemplative Experiences: Implications for Interior Design

Rinkle Shah

Bachelor of Interior Design

Principal Supervisor Associate Professor Dr. Jill Franz

Associate Supervisor Associate Professor Dr. Dianne Smith

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree

of

Masters by Research 2009

School of Design

Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering Queensland University of Technology

This research work is dedicated to my grandfather the late Somalal D. Shah

A phenomenological study of contemplative experiences: Implications for Interior Design

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Abstract This research reports on a project concerned with the relationship between the

person and the environment in the context of achieving a contemplative or

existential state – a state which can be experienced either consciously or

subconsciously. The need for such a study originated with the desire to contribute

to the design of multicultural spaces which could be used for a range of activities

within the public and the personal arena, activities including contemplation,

meditation and prayer. The concept of ‘sacred’ is explored in the literature review

and in primary interviews with the participants of this study. Given that the word

‘sacred’ is highly value-laden and potentially alienating for some people, it was

decided to use the more accessible term ‘contemplative’. The outcomes of the

study inform the practice of interior design and architecture which tends currently

to neglect the potential for all spaces to be existentially meaningful.

Informed by phenomenological methodology, data were collected from a diverse

group of people, using photo-elicitation and interviews. The technique of photo-

elicitation proved to be highly effective in helping people reveal their everyday

lived experience of contemplative spaces. Reflective analysis (Van Manen 2000)

was used to explore the data collected.

The initial stage of analysis produced three categories of data: varying

conceptions of contemplation, aspects of the person involved in the

contemplation, and aspects of environment involved in contemplation. From this,

it was found that achieving a state of contemplation involves both the person and

the environment in a dialectic process of unfolding. The unfolding has various

physical, psycho-social, and existential dimensions or qualities which operate

sequentially and simultaneously. Two concepts emerged as being central to

unfolding: ‘Cleansing’ and ‘Nothingness’.

Unfolding is found to comprise the Core; Distinction; Manifestation; Cleansing;

Creation; and Sharing. This has a parallel with Mircea Eliade’s (1959) definition

of sacred as something that manifests itself as different from the profane. The

power of design, re-contextualization through utility and purpose, and the

existential engagements between the person and environment are used as a basis

for establishing the potential contribution of the study to interior design. In this


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way, the study makes a contribution to our understanding of how space and its

elements inspire, support and sustain person environment interaction –

particularly at the existential level – as well as to our understanding of the multi-

dimensional and holistic nature of this interaction. In addition, it points to the

need for a phenomenological re-conceptualisation of the design/client

relationship. In summary, the contributions of this research are: the exploration of

contemplative experience as sacred experience; an understanding of the design of

space as creating engagement between person and environment; a rationale for the

introduction of a phenomenological approach to the relationship between designer

and clients; and raising awareness of the spiritual in a holistic approach to design.

Keywords Contemplative Experience, Phenomenology, Existential Experience, Sacredness, Sacred Space Experience, the Unfolding, Core, Distinction, Manifestation, Creation, Sharing, Person-Environment Relationships, Interior Design.


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Table of contents

Abstract ........................................................................................................... iii

Keywords ......................................................................................................... iv

List of Figures ................................................................................................ vii

List of Photographs ...................................................................................... viii

List of Poems .................................................................................................... x

Statement of Original Authorship ................................................................ xi

Acknowledgements ........................................................................................ xii

Chapter 1 CORE .......................................................................................... 1

1.1 Thesis format .......................................................................................... 2

1.2 Background ............................................................................................ 6

1.3 Need for research .................................................................................... 8

1.4 Approach ................................................................................................ 9

1.5 Summary .............................................................................................. 12

Chapter 2 DISTINCTION ....................................................................... 14

2.1 Phenomenology, sacred and contemplative experiences ..................... 15

2.2 Theorists and related phenomena ......................................................... 29

2.3 Architecture and sacred spaces ............................................................. 34

2.4 Summary .............................................................................................. 48

Chapter 3 MANIFESTATION ................................................................ 53

3.1 Phenomenology as manifestation .......................................................... 54

3.2 Research process ................................................................................... 55

3.3 Summary ............................................................................................... 64


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Chapter 4 CLEANSING ........................................................................... 65

4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 66

4.2 Functional/physical relationships .......................................................... 67

4.3 Psycho - social relationships ................................................................. 81

4.4 Existential relationships ...................................................................... 104

4.5 Summary ............................................................................................. 113

Chapter 5 CREATION ............................................................................ 120

5.1 Introduction ......................................................................................... 121

5.2 Power of design ................................................................................... 121

5.3 Purpose versus utility .......................................................................... 123

5.4 Existential engagements ...................................................................... 125

5.5 Context and what is possible from it ................................................... 129

5.6 Summary ............................................................................................. 131

Chapter 6 SHARING ............................................................................... 132

6.1 Design as creating the potential for contemplative engagement ......... 133

6.2 Phenomenology and the designer/client relationship .......................... 136

6.3 Spirituality as a holistic, higher order design concept ........................ 137

6.4 Conclusion ........................................................................................... 138

Appendix.. .................................................................................................. 143

References .................................................................................................. 212


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List of figures Figure 1.1: The process – inquiry into contemplative experiences ................... 3

Figure 1.2: Scope of the study ......................................................................... 13

Figure 2.1: A map of phenomenology for the design disciplines ................... 17

Figure 3.1: Methodological stages .................................................................. 55

Figure 3.2: Data collection from the final interviews ..................................... 58

Figure 3.3: Process of analysis ........................................................................ 62

Figure 4.1: A special place .............................................................................. 87

Figure 6.1: Act of sitting ............................................................................... 139

Figure 6.2: Interaction with water ................................................................. 139

Figure 6.3: Views of natural scenery ............................................................. 140

Figure 6.4: Colours, textures or artworks ...................................................... 140

Figure 6.5: Person’s five senses .................................................................... 141

Figure 6.6: Personalized solutions ................................................................. 142

Note: The above figure numbers are aligned with the respective chapters.


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List of photographs Photograph 4.1 : A place to walk and sit ......................................................... 68

Photograph 4.2 : A place to sit ........................................................................ 68

Photograph 4.3 : A place to eat, talk, reflect ................................................... 69

Photograph 4.4 : Sitting, standing, contemplating .......................................... 70

Photograph 4.5 : A flexible space ................................................................... 72

Photograph 4.6 : A simple space ..................................................................... 73

Photograph 4.7 : An organised space .............................................................. 74

Photograph 4.8 : A well maintained, neat space ............................................. 74

Photograph 4.9 : An intense space (a) ............................................................. 75

Photograph 4.10 : An intense space (b) ........................................................... 76

Photograph 4.11 : A place that feels divine .................................................... 76

Photograph 4.12 : A place of colour and energy ............................................. 76

Photograph 4.13 : Mass, void and water (a) .................................................... 77

Photograph 4.14 : Mass, void and water (b) ................................................... 78

Photograph 4.15 : Mass, void, light and transition .......................................... 78

Photograph 4.16 : A space of free movement and circulation ........................ 79

Photograph 4.17 : A space of controlled movement ...................................... 79

Photograph 4.18 : A space encouraging circulation ........................................ 80

Photograph 4.19 : Orientation in time and space ............................................ 81

Photograph 4.20 : Seasonal time ..................................................................... 81

Photograph 4.21 : A place to pause and be introspective ................................ 83

Photograph 4.22 : A place to wait ................................................................... 83

Photograph 4.23 : A place of ‘nothingness’ .................................................... 84

Photograph 4.24 : Abundance & connection with nature ............................... 85

Photograph 4.25 : Connection to nature and other ‘things’ ............................ 86

Photograph 4.26: Connection to the spiritual .................................................. 87

Photograph 4.27 : Natural materials ................................................................ 88


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Photograph 4.28 : Fresh (authentic) produce .................................................. 90

Photograph 4.29 : Light, colour, pattern ......................................................... 91

Photograph 4.30 : Elemental experience ......................................................... 91

Photograph 4.31 : A patterned space ............................................................... 92

Photograph 4.32 : Craftsmanship, time, contemplation .................................. 93

Photograph 4.33 : Light and shadow ............................................................... 94

Photograph 4.34 : Light and dark adding contrast .......................................... 95

Photograph 4.35 : Symbolic space .................................................................. 96

Photograph 4.36 : Symbolic expression ......................................................... 97

Photograph 4.37 : A designated sacred space ................................................. 98

Photograph 4.38 : A private sacred space ....................................................... 98

Photograph 4.39 : A serene space ................................................................... 99

Photograph 4.40 : The human presence in form ........................................... 100

Photograph 4.41 : An emerging spirit ........................................................... 101

Photograph 4.42 : Body of water ................................................................... 102

Photograph 4.43 : The ocean ......................................................................... 103

Photograph 4.44 : Relaxing by the ocean ...................................................... 103

Photograph 4.45 : Sitting by the water .......................................................... 104

Photograph 4.46 : Exhilarating smell ............................................................ 107

Photograph 4.47 : A quiet space .................................................................... 109

Photograph 4.48 : Being present in the environment .................................... 112

Photograph 4.49 : Nothingness ..................................................................... 116


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List of Poems Poem 5.1: We become one ............................................................................ 126

Poem 5.2: What sacred is .............................................................................. 127


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Statement of Original Authorship

The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted to meet requirements for an award at this or any other higher education institution. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made.

……………………………………

Rinkle Shah

……………………………………

Date


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Acknowledgements

My sincere and foremost thanks to my principal supervisor Dr. Jill Franz without whom this journey that I undertook as part of this research work would not have been possible.

Special thanks to my associate supervisor Dr. Dianne Smith for adding the pinch of creativity in every conversation we had.

Thank you both Jill and Dianne for your untiring support.

I owe a debt of gratitude to the following people:

QUT and the administration staff of the Research Office for giving me the guidance and support to keep going from beginning to end.

QUT library and its staff for obtaining documents worldwide with such an ease and respect.

Scholars, architects and designers whose work I have referred to in this thesis. It is the source of an unceasing inspiration for me.

All the participants of this research whose inputs make this work ‘incredible’.

Rowena McGregor, Lucinda Giblett and Elizabeth Bridon for their assistance with editing the thesis.

Research office friends Jenny, Mini, Simon, Mathew, Cara, Rafeal and Beck for having healthy conversations with me around research, design and life.

The most cherished people of my life my sisters Kinjal, Jinal and Nidhi, and friends Vineeta, Deepti, Sumeet, Vesna, Sasha, Ravi, Ann Lambert and Maulik for all the love, enthusiasm and fun they bring to me. I will always seek this from you guys!!!

Binamasi and her family, Chintan, Rujuta-Viralbhai, Jaybhai-Ashruti, Moulin, Harsh-Nirali, Siddhi-Jay, Swaroop, Viral, Aditya Dugar, Bhavin Jani and Dr. Paul Smith for being like my family in Australia. It has been my good luck and a


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pleasure to having got to know you all. I have counted on you for everything while I have been in Brisbane. Thank you.

Hardik - Bhabhi, Kaka - Kaki, Foi – Fua, all my amazing Mamas - Mamis, cousins Palak, Manan, Vicky, Sonu, Montu, Shreya, our family members and relatives back in India for always being there. My roots lie with them.

Ba (my Nani) for coming to Australia and staying with me last year – It was extremely extraordinary of her to do so just for me.

Last but not the least an enormous sense of reverence and gratefulness to my parents for everything I have.

Core – Distinction – Manifestation – Cleansing – Creation - Sharing

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Chapter 1 CORE ................................................................................. 1

1.1 Thesis format ........................................................................................ 2 1.2 Background ........................................................................................... 6 1.3 Need for the research ........................................................................... 8 1.4 Approach ............................................................................................... 9

1.4.1 Phenomenology at two levels ................................................................ 9 1.4.2 Personal journey .................................................................................. 10 1.5 Summary ............................................................................................. 12


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Chapter 1 CORE „Core‟ is the introduction to this research. It sets up and outlines the focus and argument of my study which involves revealing and describing qualities of contemplative (sacred) space in terms of its experience by a cross section of people in the general community. The aim of the study is to understand the essence of this experience; that is, how it is created or generated through the engagement of a person with the environment. Such knowledge, it is believed, is fundamental to designing spaces that have existential meaning for a multicultural society across a variety of environments such as work, home, and public spaces.

From a phenomenological perspective, „Core‟ is the context in which the participants of this research operate. Their narrations and my involvement as a researcher are central to the thesis. The concept of „Core‟ is also significant in terms of the focus of the study. As Kristensen (1992) states: “It is certain that where all attention is devoted to the essential core, as is the case in Hellenistic mysticism, reflection about practical life displaces practical life itself” (p.112). In relation to the associated concept of the „sacred‟, Moore (2002) describes how “Something starts from the core and grows outwards in all direction with time” (p.313). From here, the research and its story unfolds.

1.1 Thesis format

Phenomenology is the study of lived experiences, and this thesis has a phenomenological framework. It is presented in six chapters labelled: Core, Distinction, Manifestation, Cleansing, Creation, and Sharing (Figure 1.1). These phenomenological classifications also relate to the stages of the research, and are interconnected and linked to each other through the pattern of emerging or unfolding to reflect the holistic experience of sacredness. It is through these stages of unfolding that the sacred experience is understood. The unfolding of core, distinction, manifestation, cleansing, creation and sharing arises essentially from the data collected in the empirical stage of the study.


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Figure 1.1: The process - inquiry of contemplative experiences


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Chapter One is the Core, or the introduction, where my study begins and evolves. The Core sets the context of my study and the chapters that follow represent the process and outcomes of the research work.

Chapter Two is the Distinction or literature review. Distinction is something that is not taken for granted. It involves deliberately isolating and interrogating something in order to understand it more clearly - instead of just assuming it or acting on it without question in our day to day activities. Usually in our speech, actions and transactions with the world, we are pre-occupied with our own actions and habits. It is only when we distinguish something that we can fully recognize, change, modify or transform it. Therefore, Distinction is relevant here as the phenomenological labelling of Chapter Two, the literature review of my study. It distinguishes what other scholars, authors and experts have already said in/about my subject area (in the context of sacred, sacred space, phenomenology, experience of space, and contemplative experience). Distinction sets up the platform for my study through the literature review, where the data collected from other scholars offer a foreground for my investigations of the specific area, and my subsequent contribution to the interior design field.

Chapter Three is the Manifestation that describes the methodology that I have used to conduct the study. „Manifestation‟ is about appearance or presence of spirit. Generally, it is said that it is due to the presence of spirit that evolution takes place. As one of the definitions of sacred, Eliade (1959) says that sacred is something that manifests its own self in a wholly new order (p.11). Therefore, Chapter Three is labelled „Manifestation‟ because it is where I, as researcher, come into the picture and adopt phenomenology as the methodology for this research. As the researcher, I play a critical role in terms of data collection and analysis. My spirit appears here in terms of selecting participants, setting up interviews, generating interview questions, and conducting the interviews. It always remains in the study and is an influence on its outcomes and value.

Chapter Four is the Cleansing which is the analysis and findings from the interview data. The process of manifestation connects with the process of cleansing, which is the process of emptying, clearing, filtering, distilling, removing assumptions, distractions, quietening down and reaching the achievement of nothingness. In this state of nothingness, experiences such as quietude, silence, pre-stilling (or stillness), and peace are felt. The state of nothingness, or the process of cleansing, is the transitional phase to experience the


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final effect which can be the feeling of release, happiness, love or serenity. Therefore, it is from nothing that everything can be created, and the process of generating a space of nothingness is part of the experience of sacredness. It forms the necessary and inevitable aspect of sacred. As discovered in the interviews, cleansing is the space to create what one wants for oneself. It is undertaken to refine and make sense of lived, contemplative experiences. It is by letting everything go and making space clear that one can then create space for what can be or for what is needed. In other words, cleansing is the process that gives rise to creation.

Chapter Five is the Creation – the meaningful discussion based on the literature review and the research findings. „Creation‟ is the act of inventing or designing something. It is after the process of „Cleansing‟ – the achievement of the state of nothing – that creation can begin. „Creation‟ as Chapter 5, therefore, involves meaningful discussion of the analysis and outcomes of the interview data and literature review.

Chapter Six is the „Sharing‟: a summary of the study‟s outcomes and their significance for interior design. „Sharing‟ is the process that enhances the creation. It is after „Creation‟ that sharing with others is possible. When something is revealed verbally or communicated to another person, it becomes real. This revelation or communication is also the sign or benchmark of the completion of the process of creation, and makes the whole experience of sacred full and complete. It is by sharing that one achieves satisfaction and happiness. It is also through sharing that we acknowledge creation. The value that my findings bring to the context of interior design is the realisation that we, as interior designers, help create meaningful, pleasurable, and sacred engagement between space and persons. I have found that such meaningful engagements can be generated in the design context through the purposeful use of the following features or principles:

The act of sitting while reading, thinking, meditating, talking, watching, praying, teaching, can help to generate important realizations.

The interactive use of natural elements; for example, the sound or sight of water, contributes to experiences of serenity, purity, calmness, reflection, austerity or pause.


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The use of the natural can consist of something more than specific natural elements beyond the built environment. For example, a view of the horizon, vast scapes of greenery, physical distance and visual closeness can also establish feelings of harmony, peace or wholeness.

The use of artworks and natural materials can provide a refreshing experience, or the feeling of authenticity and naturalness, in sensitively designed built spaces.

The use of one or more of the five human senses is another approach to generating meaningful engagements between the space and person. For example, the presence of the human spirit through sensual associations (such as appeals to the sense of smell) can provide a feeling of divinity and sublimeness.

This is what I have found in my research work and my thesis outlines and explains this discovery. Its phenomenological classifications – core, distinction, manifestation, cleansing, creation and sharing – are, in my view, part of any sacred experience and, at the same time, the means or process of composing or achieving a sacred experience. I began my research with the question: „What are the essential qualities of sacred space‟. My response is: through the process of unfolding, any space that allows core, distinction, manifestation, cleansing, creation and sharing is a sacred space, and the experience felt in that space is the sacred experience.

1.2 Background

Envisaging our present scenario of multicultural societies and thinking about the future of design compels me to inquire as to what can make new spaces contemplative, irrespective of history or religion. The feeling of sacred is highly personal and intimate for each person depending on his or her own values, beliefs and upbringing (Eliade 1959).

As a designer, I am becoming aware of an increasingly global and multicultural world. McLuhan (1960) popularized the term „Global Village‟ as the world shrank, with instantaneous communication effectively eliminating distance as information was transmitted at an unprecedented pace. In a similar vein, Mooney and Evans (2007) note that the context of citizenship is shifting. They identify the term „Glocal‟ and its range of meanings revolving around the relationship between


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global markets and processes, and local needs and nodes. They explain that “These identities, which have their origin in a locality and history, are often shared by diasporas linked by telecommunications” (p.118). („Diaspora‟ is the term used in relation to any number of cultural and/or ethnic groups dispersed around the world from their place of origin yet still identifying with it.) Terms such as „Global city‟ and „World city‟ also reflect the changing times (Sassen 2001). Harvey (1990) sees time and space compressing in relation to the speed at which travel and communication occur, and this influences our experience of the world. The world is becoming homogenised, united either physically through travel and migration, or virtually through advancements in information and virtual technology (Mooney and Evans 2007).

With this new world characterised by globalisation, migration and multiculturalism (Bilimoria 1996), a sense of self and sense of identity have become major concerns. Regardless of this, and perhaps because of this, the need to provide existential meaningful spaces for people remains as a central role of design and architecture. In the Anatomy of Human Destructiveness, German-born US psychoanalyst and philosopher Erich Fromm (1977) explains the existential split in man that would become unbearable could he not establish a sense of unity within himself and with the natural and human world outside. Studies by Cloninger (2004) on human well being reveal that contemplative experiences help people reduce their stress in day-to-day activities and promote their holistic well being. With the changing economies and capitalism of our age, Albert (2006) explores „Parecon‟ – participatory economics that seeks to fulfil four key values: solidarity, diversity, equity and self-management. A vision of the economic structure of a new post-capitalism, „Parecon‟ postulates agendas where a world of much greater choice, freedom and justice is possible. Frank (2005) questions whether money buys happiness, while Helliwell and Putnam (2005) explain the social context of well-being. Marks and Shah (2005) propose that well being is a manifesto for the flourishing society. Burns (2005) describes the role of the natural environment in well-being, advocating „a naturally happy, naturally healthy‟ theory. These set a clear need for everybody to experience the space in different ways for their own well being, growth and development. The need to experience meditative spaces becomes more and more critical with the changing times (Freeman, 2000, p.3).


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1.3 Need for the research

Churches, temples and other places of worship exist for the religiously inclined to find peace, reconciliation, hope and blessing. Architecturally, such places are mostly products of our past, and are rich spaces in terms of design as a reflection of time and culture. In today's world, what sort of space would give these same feelings of peace, reconciliation, hope and blessing? How can space generate these feelings in other built environments such as homes or offices? Indeed, do we need this experience at all in this busy, chaotic, global e-world of today? As human beings, we will always feel the need to relax, to rejoice and reconcile with our own self, so there is a need to define that space for today's time: sacred space in which a person comes to terms with his or her self (Fromm 1977), and feels relieved and revitalized (Cloninger 2004).

In years gone by, one‟s sense of identity was based on established links to land, region, family and occupation. Today, however, physical movement and geographic displacement of people due to the demands of economic and social change can lead to a questioning of one‟s own identity – one‟s origin, future, purpose, activities and relationships (Bilimoria 1989). This adds to the need for spaces where one pauses to attend to these fundamental questions (Freeman 2005), and their clarification, Richardson (2004) tells us, promotes individual well being. Here, the environment can play a role, as what and how one feels can be evoked by certain places or spaces (Hauser 2007). Therefore, the design of contemplative or sacred spaces that provide the context for self-reflection is essential in today‟s context, where the dynamics of change are ever present.

In Australia, communities are being created by new arrivals from different parts of the world, cultural backgrounds, and nationalities (Bilimoria 1996), thus creating a multicultural nation with diverse people, migrants and students (Connerley 2005). Paradoxically, this diversity highlights the importance of individuality (Albert 2006), and thinking about human beings as individuals is critical for this discussion. There is the need also then to explore the nature of contemporary spaces that will enable people from diverse cultures to connect or reconnect existentially. Eliade (1959) says “Sacred space possesses existential value” (p.181). So what are the qualities in such spaces that enable such sacred, contemplative or transcendental experiences for a diverse population? Modern day architects such as Tadao Ando, Steven Holl, Peter Zumthor, Billie Tsian and William Tods are known to design spaces that produce such experiences (Hogrefe


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2001 p.58). However, there is little published that describes the actual nature of the interaction between the person and the environment from the perspective of the person. This study seeks to address this gap by revealing the qualities of these person environment interactions and the aspects of an environment that contribute to a person‟s experience. The study‟s outcome will give designers a clearer understanding of how to design spaces to invoke – possibly transcend – physical, cognitive and emotional experiences.

1.4 Approach

A phenomenological approach is adopted to achieve the aims and objectives of this study. Phenomenology, according to Seamon (2000), is the study of lived experiences as related by people in their own words, and Rudolf Otto (1992) explains that phenomenology is significant in understanding the essential qualities of individual phenomena. Most significantly for his research, phenomenology is a prominent methodology in the study of the existential qualities of different experiences.

1.4.1 Phenomenology at two levels

Phenomenology is explored in this research at two different levels. Firstly, as explained above, it is used to format the thesis. Core, Distinction, Manifestation, Cleansing, Creation and Sharing are terms generated from phenomenology and they represent and address the process or unfolding of this research.

In Questions of perception – Phenomenology of Architecture, Steven Holl (1994) says: “Architecture holds the power to inspire and transform our day-to-day existence” (p. 40). He describes phenomenology in respect to architecture, sensory perceptions and intentions of space, all aspects relevant to my research: “While sensations and impressions quietly engage us in the physical phenomena of architecture, the generative force lies in the intentions behind it” (p.41). In other words, as interior designers or architects, we can undertake conscious exploration of human behaviour and the human senses and mould the space accordingly (Pallasmaa 1994). Holl further explains: “Words cannot substitute for authentic physical and sensory experience” (p. 40). Furthermore, the attempt to convey heightened awareness, according to Rilke (1994), is “A matter of becoming as fully conscious as possible of our existence” (p.40). Phenomenology acknowledges the state of being fully conscious of, or aware of, individual


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experience. An awareness of one‟s unique existence in space is essential in developing a consciousness of perception (Cloninger 2004).

There is also a phenomenological approach to the process of the study. Data were gathered from literature, from personal experiences of the researcher, as well as from a diverse group of participants. Through a process of photo-elicitation, participants were invited to show images of spaces that they considered produced a state of tranquillity or contemplation. They were then encouraged to use these images to describe elements in the space that they felt contributed to this experience. The data were analysed to establish common elements or the essential qualities of the spaces. A reflective and silent analysis (Holl 1994) of the data was undertaken to produce an in-depth phenomenological understanding of the experiences.

1.4.2 Personal journey

I am a Hindu by religion, born and brought up in India, now an Australian living in Brisbane. When I came alone to Australia to seek my future, my grandfather told me to go ahead and pursue my dreams, as God would take care of me. However, he said that I should pray everyday and he assigned me a ritual for so doing. He was so precise in his instructions that he told me it would take 11 minutes of my time everyday and I could do it whenever I found that time. My inclination to inquire about the essential qualities of sacred space is partly influenced by this experience.

I came to Australia because I wanted to travel and see a different part of the world. Or, perhaps it was destiny. On coming to a foreign land, I realized things that I had always taken for granted. I thought about the basic necessities of life – food, shelter and clothes and how they are different in a new country. I learnt about the power we have as human beings, a power that God or nature has given to us. I learnt how I used my power to create what my life as a human being is „now‟. This is about taking responsibility, becoming humble and understanding human nature as it is and as it is not. It is about love. It is about knowing that, when I make drawings for a client‟s house as an interior designer, or when I am designing their bedroom‟s door handle – it is not because I am paid to do that, but it is because I am created by God to do that work. This is what made me realize the spiritual aspect of my being and the spiritual aspect of life. This realisation, in turn, has led me to explore the spiritual and sacred in the Interior Design field.


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This research is the outcome of that exploration, and, in the journey, I have found answers. Indeed, the whole research process itself has been, for me, a sacred one.

Phenomenology is the methodology of my thesis, as stated before. I take it as my supervisor Dr. Jill Franz‟s blessings to me because it is the area of her expertise, and my study benefited from her own research findings and her invaluable experiences.

Inspired by Steven Holl, Gadamer, Pallasmaa and Ando, I take on my responsibility as an interior designer and researcher to be „an activist of consciousness‟ and to inculcate meaningful experiences in built environments. Thus, I ask myself the following questions:

If a temple has to be designed on the Gold Coast, how would I (as interior designer) envisage it? Would it be based on traditional Indian temple architecture, or would it be based on the local Australian context and contemporary design ideas?

Or

How do I, as an interior designer, utilize the best of traditional Japanese house-making techniques in designing contemporary Brisbane houses?

Or

How would I design an office space that would remarkably enhance the productivity of its staff, and at the same time make it a place where every staff member comes happily to work?

Or

How would a room in any house be, such that a person can go in to relax, unwind after a day at work and just be with the family?

Or

How can a space make a person happy? How can I design that space?

These questions represent an academic curiosity about the experiential aspect of space. What in a space makes one feel what one feels? What contributes to a person‟s experience? What and how does one feel in any given context?


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1.5 Summary

The study informs cross disciplinary fields on the subject of sacredness in terms of its relationships with individual experience, the built environment, the designing process and the designer-client relationship. It provides defined parameters and characteristics of a „space‟ that can operate (in today's context) to bring a person to an awareness of self – of how to relax, to be inspired or to be happy. Such qualities, it is advocated, can be applied to many types of spaces such as offices, homes, schools, universities, bus stops, and so on.

1.5.1 Contributing to interior design knowledge

The study is about understanding the essential qualities of sacred space to inform interior design practices. The attempt here is to learn about our values from the golden scripture of the past and to apply these values to the design of spaces suitable to the changing contexts of today and tomorrow. Therefore, the space that will be designed as the output of this study will be rich in values and relevance for both the present and future.

I attempt here to introduce sacred space in interior design from the standpoint of how spaces are experienced, even before considering religious aspects. I am inspired by what Moore (1977) has to say that “We have believed that until we can begin to understand how buildings affect individuals and communities emotionally, how they provide people with a sense of job, identity and place, there is no way to distinguish architecture from any everyday act of construction” (p.2). The study is the culmination of understanding the experiential aspect of space by understanding lived, contemplative experiences; this understanding is then used to understand the essence of sacred space. This research contributes to the knowledge of the existential value of space through phenomenology, and informs the design of spaces for contemplation – or „sacred spaces‟. To spread this knowledge and awareness is my responsibility as an interior designer.

The terms „core‟, „distinction‟, „manifestation‟, „cleansing‟, „creation‟ and „sharing‟ originate from contemplative experiences, forming as they do the underlying structure that plays an integral role in the formation of contemplative experiences. They also relate to my activities as the researcher and make this thesis a holistic text – a lived text. Finally, they are part of the essential qualities of sacred space: it is through distinction that we achieve a difference in the core of a certain area. Figure 1.2 explains the spectrum of the study: the start of the


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journey of this research thesis, and the scope and direction of its evolution. This then leads to Distinction, Chapter 2 of the thesis.

Figure 1.2 : Spectrum of the study

As Cloninger (2004) explains:“Universal unity of being is all loving and omnipresent because its essence is an eternal sharing of divine being”.

The Spectrum of this study

Sacredness in today‟s time (E.g. Hinduism in Australia)


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Chapter 2 DISTINCTION ............................................................... 15

2.1 Phenomenology, sacred and contemplative experiences ................ 15 2.1.1 Concept of sacred ................................................................................ 19 2.1.2 Concept of contemplative experience ................................................. 23 2.1.3 Spirituality ........................................................................................... 24 2.1.4 History, time and sacred ...................................................................... 26 2.2 Theorists and related phenomena ..................................................... 29

2.2.1 Theories supporting lived experiences and the underlying structure .. 30 2.2.2 Nothingness ......................................................................................... 32 2.2.3 Phenomenological experiences ........................................................... 33 2.3 Architecture and sacred spaces ......................................................... 34

2.3.1 Sacred life examples ............................................................................ 39 2.3.2 Cleansing as part of sacred .................................................................. 44 2.3.3 Meaningful engagements in terms of culture and changing times ...... 45 2.4 Summary ............................................................................................. 48

2.4.1 Space as „accomplishment of purpose‟ ............................................... 48 2.4.2 Human senses and interaction with built environment ....................... 48 2.4.3 Well being and emotions ..................................................................... 51


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Chapter 2 DISTINCTION Smith (1997) states, “We may begin with the distinction evident in experience between the open, public, and neutral space in which the activities of ordinary life take place and shape, and those spaces where it is possible to break through routine and habitual responses in order to find ourselves confronted with the fact of existence and with the question of the purpose of our life as a whole” (p.130).

In this chapter of the thesis I present a review of literature relevant to the thesis topic. I label it „Distinction‟ because it draws out and gives emphasis or „distinction‟ to what other scholars and authors have to say in this subject area. In providing a context for this study, it also forms a basis for distinguishing between the outcome of the study and current knowledge, thereby facilitating an understanding of the significance of the study and the nature and extent of its contribution.

The literature review encompasses three areas, namely: phenomenology, sacred and contemplative experience; theorists and related phenomena; and architecture and sacred spaces. „Sacred‟ is the concept connecting these areas understood to be used in different ways such as: an abstract concept; a form of architectural expression; or behaviourally such as when it is associated with certain rituals.

Contemplation is defined by the curator of the Contemplation Environments Exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts of the American Crafts Council (Jan. 20 to Mar. 8, 1970) as: “Meditation on spiritual things, as the act of considering with attention; as musing, as study” (p.7). The exhibition emphasizes qualities of space that bring contemplation by stating that, “There can be said to exist a kind of ineffable presence in the architectural space itself which exerts a quieting, peaceful influence on the mind and emotions of the individual who enters it” (p.8). „Individual sensibility‟ is another key aspect that is linked with architectural requirements for contemplation, and explains how contemplative experience is connected to sacred experience.

2.1 Phenomenology, sacred and contemplative experiences

Phenomenology is the study of „phenomena‟: the appearance of things, or things as they appear in our experience, or the ways we experience things. It is the study of structures of experiences or consciousness. It is concerned with lived experience. Phenomenology, according to the „Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy‟ develops a complex account of: temporal awareness (within the


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stream of consciousness), spatial awareness (notably in perception), attention (distinguishing focal and marginal or horizontal awareness), awareness of one‟s

own experience (self-consciousness, in one sense), self-awareness (awareness-of-oneself), the self in different roles (such as thinking, acting), embodied action (including kinaesthetic awareness of one‟s movement), purpose or intention in action (more or less explicit), awareness of other persons (in empathy, inter-subjectivity, collectivity), linguistic activity (involving meaning, communication, understanding others), social interaction (including collective action), and everyday activity in our surrounding life-world (in a particular culture).

Classical phenomenologists such as Husserl and Merleau-Ponty typically speak of pure experience or lived experience – experience just as we find it. It is these qualities that make phenomenology pertinent to my study. Heideggarian notions of „is‟, „being‟, „time‟ and „nothingness‟, I propose, are integral aspects of sacred and contemplative experience. According to Heidegger, the essence of any space is „nothing‟ and „is‟. He further explains „Is‟ as „Being‟, and defines „Being‟ as “empty as an abstract concept and at the same time a surplus” (p.99). The essence of time is when being itself is experienced as presencing.

„Presencing‟ is emergence as transition – connection between being and time. Jean Muc Lurion talks about phenomenology and „Nothingness‟. Seamon (2002) describes the bodily dimension of human experience as the connection between people‟s action and physical spaces + places in which those movements take place. He talks about how the space becomes place, bringing together different living and non-living beings. It is about persons and their everyday environmental experiences through three overarching themes or structures, namely: movement, rest and encounter. His study is based on more than 1 500 personal observations on the subject. The conference proceedings „Physical comminglings: Body, habit, and space transformed into place‟ by Seamon (2002) maps different ways in which the habitual, bodily dimension of human experience works as a connection between people‟s actions and physical spaces and places in which those movements take place. He notes that, while the physical environment is sometimes taken for granted, it is a source of interpersonal stimulation and exchange. Seamon examines the habitual nature of everyday environmental behaviour (such as the experience of going to work daily from home and the route he/she takes), or the experience of swapping rooms in a hostel, and so on. His research focuses on the role of bodily intentionality in facilitating attachment to the geographical world, and on the ways in which spatial and physical qualities of


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the geographical world, in turn, can support or stymie particular aspects of bodily intentionality. At the same time, the author emphasizes that the habitual sphere of the life-world sets the stage, potentially, for unplanned, spontaneous events and situations that evoke a sense of pleasure and festivity.

Figure 2.1: A map of phenomenology for the design disciplines by Wang and Wagner (2007)


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A map of phenomenology by Wang and Wagner (2007) shows different aspects of phenomenology. I use this map to explain the origin of my study and how it progresses through different aspects of phenomenology as it evolves to produce final outcomes. Wang and Wagner say that “The spontaneity of creativity and charged aesthetic experiences at special locales are just a portion of a larger domain of phenomenology that can inform the design fields” (p.5). They divide the map into four quadrants: individual phenomenology; phenomenology of history and culture; phenomenology of design production; and phenomenology related to metaphysics.

Individual phenomenology involves the immediate, subjective engagement of a person with his or her surrounds, which is the primary focus of Husserl and Heidegger. Wang and Wagner (2007) say that, “From this starting point come many of the now-established technical terms of phenomenology: Husserl‟s intentionality of consciousness, Heidegger‟s being-in-the-world and Dasein (“there being,” or “being there”), and Merleau-Ponty‟s flesh-of-the-world (chiasm)” (p.17). Recent prominent scholars in this area, such as Alberto Perez-Gomez and Juhani Pallasmaa, describe what sensual experience consists of in terms of phenomenology and experience.

For Turner (1979), sacred space is described in terms of Space as centre + meeting point + microcosm + transcendent presence. In From temple to meeting house: the phenomenology and theology of places of worship, Turner (1979) uses phenomenology as a method to analyse the temple as sacred space. A temple is commonly understood as a place where the idol of God is worshipped. People go to a temple with faith in, and love for, God. God symbolizes abundance, hope, justice, peace, strength, love, growth and universe. In this, a place of worship exhibits four characteristics: the sacred place as centre; the sacred place as meeting point – junction or intersection; the sacred place as microcosm of the heavenly realm; and the sacred place as immanent-transcendent presence. Similarly, Turner (1979) describes temple type in terms of: the temple as centre; and the temple as microcosm (a place representing an earthly construction or model of the heavens/cosmos, where the temple‟s roof/ceiling symbolises the sky/heavens; the floor, the earth and the space between the human word); the temple as meeting point (place for god to visit people and a place of meeting for worshippers (people themselves); the temple as immanent – transcendent presence – physical distinction between the special place of gods (stands over/is emphasized) and (over against) the place of people and divinity. Hence, according


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to Turner (1979), sacred place is understood as a place of worship which is a meeting house of worshippers. In this way, the temple functions as a space of junction, interaction, a sacred meeting point between universe and people.

2.1.1 Concept of sacred

Szerszynski (2005) describes sacred in terms of truth and nature. While Campbell (1991) in The power of myth understands sacred as the space where one comes to terms with oneself again and again. Szerszynski (2005) advocates studying the history of the sacred to define and order the sacred for our changing times and future purpose. Otto (1958), in The idea of the holy, considers sacred as holiness itself. It is Mircea Eliade, however, who is known as the father of the „sacred‟. He is a phenomenologist who coined a definition of the sacred. According to Eliade (1959), the sacred is something that manifests itself as being of a wholly different order. It is something that is out of the ordinary for human nature and is, therefore, sacred. Eliade (1959) traces the sacred from its essence of experience (p.41) and, as a religious historian, uses his knowledge to create a theory about the sacred. He says that a place of worship such as the „temple‟ originates from the latin word „templum‟ – which means „sacred space‟ – and „tempus‟, which means „time‟. His work embodies religious myth, symbolism and ritual within life and culture. “Man becomes aware of the sacred because it manifests itself, shows itself, as something wholly different from the profane” (Eliade, 1959, p.21). We experience the sacred when we are confronted by the same mysterious act – the manifestation of something of a wholly different order, a reality that does not belong to our world, or in objects that are an integral part of our natural, „profane‟

world. By manifesting the sacred, any object becomes something else, yet it continues to remain itself, for it continues to participate in its surrounding cosmic milieu (for example, a stone or tree). The whole of human existence and life is sanctified with the importance of the rites and rituals culminated in one‟s being until death.

Space, where divinity comes and goes, is sacred. Power, grace and wisdom are essential qualities that are associated with sacred space, according to Young (1991). In The power of place: sacred ground in natural and human environments: an anthology, Swan (1993) says that “Sacred space transforms consciousness which is like continuous rejuvenation” (p.35). The sacred place has a lot of power and that experience of power is so moving to us that its source is attributed to supernatural referent, says Swan. His text is an anthology (1993)


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which is contributed to by scholars who participated in the Spirit of place symposia series (1988-89) which he and his wife Roberta Swan conducted. The anthology establishes a direct relationship between the sacred place and power, and deals with places all over the world that are sought after as places of power; for example, an old site in Greece, a shrine in Delphi, earth Goddess Gaia, Himalaya mountain, Palenque, caves at Lascaux, Machu Pichhu, Sea Ranch by L. Halprin (contemporary example), and so on. Various experts have given their own definitions of sacred space and how they are associated with the experiences of mankind. In essence, the anthology emphasises that qualities and experiences coming out of love, not necessity, are characteristics of powerful sacred space.

Swan (1993) states that, “Sacred places in nature are the places where people find health, beauty, balance, peace, meaning and love” (p.40). A common finding among cultures all around the world is that, in sacred places, there is more life force energy which has both secular and sacred qualities. The power of sacred sites is affirmed by documenting special experiences that people have at such places. Freud and Jung counsel to pay attention to those moments when the wisdom of the unconscious bubbles up into consciousness in dreams, feelings and voices and awakens our conscious mind to discrepancies that need to be corrected so as to restore harmony and balance in our lives. Sacred places are those that connect us with the larger cosmos and make us receptive to the values that come from reater cosmos. Nature is sacred because it reveals, or symbolises, the Great mystery. According to Norris (2004), the essence of sacred is the idea of metamorphosis which is transformation of form, function and behaviour. Sacred space transforms consciousness in a process of continuous rejuvenation. In „Garden as sacred space‟, Norris (2004) adds that the sacred is often conceptualized as a phenomenon. Bender (1993) on „What kinds of places are sacred‟ includes the following characteristics: physically special places, places where our actions do not dominate, special places enhanced by enlightened building, places of important history/context, places with special electromagnetic conditions.

Stokols (1993), adopting a spiritual perspective of person-environment relationships, says: “Environmental settings are designed not only to facilitate the smooth performance of everyday activities but also to provide places to which people are drawn by virtue of their symbolic and affective qualities” (p.350). Alexander, Anninou, Black and Rheinfrank (1987) advocate a „new sensibility‟ in

design in which human activity, human feeling, colour, and light together create


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an ordinary human sweetness, something almost entirely missing from the works of this century”.

Sheldrake (2000) in Space for the sacred – place, memory and identity, draws insight for „space for the sacred‟ from the theories of different architects, philosophers and scholars such as Robert Mugerauer, Simon Schama, Mircea Eliade, Heidegger, Marc Auge and Paul Ricoeur. The areas discussed are: the difference between a sense of space and a sense of place; the importance of identity for sacred space; culture; Heidegger‟s definition of person; narrative; and history as a spiritual and ethical issue. According to Sheldrake, place is space that has the capacity to be remembered, and to evoke what is most precious. Place is made up of its character and it is always tangible, physical, specific and relational. Space is an abstract analytical concept. It is said that when people are moved away (voluntarily or purposefully) beyond their familiar boundaries, they feel spiritually and humanly dislocated. This gives one insight into the factor of „familiarity‟ as one of the essential characteristics in establishing a sacred space. He brings attention to Simon Schama‟s monumental work „Landscape and Memory‟, where he reminds us that human memory of landscapes has a more powerful effect on our thinking than the actual contours themselves. According to Eliade (1959), “Culture denotes an historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life” (p.187). Culture arises from people in any society existing within a system of signs through which they identify themselves and understand their world. As explained by Eliade (1959), every sacred place is considered „axis mundi‟ – the centre of the world – with its boundaries separating it from profane space. Heidegger (1993) equates „person‟ with „being there‟. This, in itself, gives us an indication of the meaning of the term “being present” – a state one reaches to experience the sacred. Nevertheless, it can be a challenge for built form to affect its users so as to bring them into that state of „being present‟ in order to experience the sacred.

The French philosopher Ricoeur (1995) explains that every human experience is said to be a narrative in the way that we can imaginatively reconstruct it. It is also suggested that every encounter of the sacred is rooted in a place, a socio-spatial context that is rich in myth and symbol or influenced by the same. He says that historical consciousness opens us to possible action, rather than to a passive acceptance of „the way things are‟. In this way of understanding, „history‟


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becomes a critical spiritual and ethical issue. In Nature, technology, and the sacred, Szerszynski (2005) talks about „sacred‟ in reference to its history and to the task of creating it (as needed) for the future in a global sense. His research is based on nature and technology as a means of revealing new concepts of sacred. He talks about the ordering of sacred for future purpose: “We need to „order sacred‟ by engaging ourselves actively in history of sacred” (Szerszynski, 2005, p.12). According to him, the ultimate ground of value and meaning drawn about the sacred is nature and truth. Therefore, the sacred comes from the nature and truth. His work gives insight into the making of a sacred future. He suggests that a full embracing of the finitude and historical embedded-ness of human existence is a prerequisite for an anti-technological move. This involves taking up a new and active relationship with the history of the sacred while, at the same time, being sensitive to new forms that the sacred might be taking. Szerszynski (2005) describes nature itself as sacred – that which is enchanted. While drawing insights on the global sacred, he touches on the history of sacred and suggests that, in order for the global sacred to avoid becoming an archaic and repressive sacralisation of life at the scale of the planet itself, we need an ordering of the sacred which preserves difference while avoiding the agonistic violence of pre-modern polytheism.

Wolfe (2002) uses „temple‟ as a metaphor to understand mystical experiences, and examines the spiritual connection between the human body, temple and universe as macrocosm. His article „Inner space as sacred space: The temple as metaphor for the mystical experience‟ proposes new approaches to the design of sacred space in the contemporary context, by understanding the underlying principles of experiences. His study is built on the supposition that our body is like a temple and our soul is like God. From ancient times there has always been a need for sacred space for human beings. He emphasizes, however, that spiritual values are as equally important as actual physical structures (such as temples) for sacred experiences. He refers to the „Inner sanctuary‟ of sacred space/temple metaphorically as „pure consciousness‟ within oneself/the user. Wolfe (2002) describes the experiences of pure consciousness which are common to contemplative practices as experience of inner quietude, experience of the state of non-desire due to contentment and tranquillity, and experience of transcendence or „awareness by itself‟. He identifies religious institutions – such as temple, church, synagogue or mosque – as confined sacred spaces that allow those experiences. These institutions are treated with reverence – respecting silence that


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gives rise to spiritual focus. However, he positively suggests that sacred spaces can be designed in other contexts, so as to present various interpretations of the stories important to a given religious tradition.

Temple art and design could serve to educate believers about multiple interpretations of sacred stories, so as to encourage the process of internalizing religious teachings. A second approach suggested by Wolfe (2002) is to identity common stories of all religions of the world and then design space to call attention to those stories, themes and metaphors. This also reflects the future of sacred spaces where architects/designers will design spaces for multi-faith or ceremonial gatherings. His third and final approach is to take up the challenge to consider alternative interpretations to designing temples and churches with the intent of reconnecting the devotee to the natural world, and encouraging the integration of science and theology. A single theme, he believes, should be the focus of a given design.

2.1.2 Concept of contemplative experience

„A call to study and contemplative space: A think piece‟ by Marilyn J. Llewellyn, PhD (1996) explains the experience of sacred space by exploring the concepts of: study group, the idea, openness, contemplation, power, grace, and wisdom. This article emphasizes the importance and characteristics of „study groups‟ where knowledge is explored and exchanged within the group through direct interaction and participation. She believes that the environment generated during these knowledge exchanging discussions offers contemplative space, which is transformed into sacred space through the respect and power of the interaction (Llewellyn, 1996).

She states that, in general, „study‟ is viewed as thought or meditation directed to the accomplishment of a purpose and is, therefore, also contemplative and sacred. Her study concludes that sacred spaces can be constructed by creative spaces that come to embody significance and meaning. Young (1991, p. 309), in tracing the etymology of the word „sacred‟ in the ancient world, notes that: „In the beginning supernatural power is experienced by primitive man as energy that interrupts or intensifies the normal flow of events‟. The word for such „supernatural power‟ favoured by anthropologists since Durkheim‟s The elementary forms of religious life (1915) is „the sacred‟ that denotes a range of experience set apart from, and opposed to, the everyday profane or secular: “The spaces where such divinity comes and goes hold sacred” (Young, 1991, p.310).


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With respect to contemplative spaces, Bachelard (1969) says that “Their common goal is to alter perception and thought and this is a complex matter of the interaction between the space and the person entering it” (p.83). Contemplative experience narrates the experience of being there and the realisations that have occurred as part of one‟s experiences.

2.1.3 Spirituality

The spirit of Asia: Journeys to the sacred places of the East by Michael Freeman and Alistair Shearer (2000) showcases mirrors of faith in examples of sacred places from the east and from religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Hinduism is discussed here as the main religion of Asia, with different temple forms located all over the continent. The temple is said to be a microcosm of heaven on earth, something that has the power to save humanity from becoming the greedy, blind and brutal agent of its own decline. The Shastras (the Vedic texts) particularly encourage the building of sacred structures and praise the role of the donor as a respected religious duty which, in tandem with the sacerdotal professions of builder, craftsman and artist, serves to elevate the whole society. The text describes sacred sites still existing throughout the East from early times. They are constructed in accordance with the eternal laws of nature and, therefore, according to Shastras (the Vedic text), have great longevity. The overriding aim and necessity of human life is to live in accord with this Law (known in Sanskrit as dharma; in Chinese, as Tao), and failure to do so results in suffering. Natural law operates through myriad laws of nature. These are experienced and personified in the East as a celestial hierarchy of presiding spirits, gods and goddesses which create the specific conditions that shape our nervous systems and give rise to the richly varied cultures through which human experience is organized. The sacred site is the place where we are brought to reconnect with these casual energies and the cosmic intelligence that they administer:

„Man follows the laws of earth,

Earth follows the laws of heaven,

Heaven follows the laws of Tao,

And Tao follows the laws of its own nature‟

Source: Tao te ching, as quoted by Freeman (2000, p.65).


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It emphasizes the power of community through different rituals and examples of Pagan, Burma, Hill of Light, Arunachala, Cow worship, Nandi (the joyous) – Shiva‟s bull and Shiva-the God of Transformation.

Thomas Moore (2002) in The soul's religion: Cultivating a profoundly spiritual way of life describes different steps or qualities that lead to spirituality including: mysteries, emptiness, holy ignorance, believe our-self and trust others, be comfortable with certainty, and freefall. He defines „belief‟ as closeness to faith that requires sophisticated love and trust. „A believer‟ according to him is one who can remain loyal to life no matter what happens. Religion, as he says, offers many constructive and comforting ways to live in the presence of mystery. It teaches us how to perform rituals that connect us with nature and life without any need for explanations. It offers powerful, complex images as well as ancient techniques for contemplating the incomprehensible. Religion is reverence, vision, piety, practice and compassion. If a tradition serves as an appropriate vessel for these virtues, then it is a religion in a real sense and, if an institution could truly foster these qualities, then it would deserve to be called a religion.

The word „re-ligion‟ means connecting back. In our religious lives we connect with the source of our existence and the origins of time. Beneath all reforms lie the eternal realities: the need to be inspired toward a communal, ethical and reverential life, and the need to gather and make a culture of belief. Everything that starts from a point/core and grows/manifests in all directions/space with time is called sacred by Moore (2002). This is the experience of sacred. Spirituality of religion (as captured in this book) is religion as a spirit of growth. Spiritual experience of life is also explained through metaphors of landscape such as mountain, valley, desert. In Landscape as sacred space – Metaphors for the spiritual journey, Lewis (2005), for example, has used physical spaces such as mountaintops, deserts and valleys – spaces that are at once familiar, yet strange – as metaphors to relate to moments or experiences in any person‟s life. He says that life is a journey of the human search for meaning, purpose, identity and belonging – a journey which is facilitated by spirituality and religion. The book also introduces language that enables exploration and discovery. He says that “spirituality is something beyond joy or sorrow and it is about „being present‟” (p. 51), and provides an environment that opens our imaginations to new understandings. He shows us how spiritual landscapes empower us to live mindfully in the presence of God as everyday mystics with a deeply rooted social consciousness.


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Overall, phenomenology provides an experiential and existential methodology to further understand and describe these concepts of contemplation, spirituality, sacredness (discussed above) and their interconnection.

2.1.4 History, time and the sacred

Historically, the origin of the universe is explained according to the centuries old Hindu epic Bhagvad Gita, written by the very renowned sage Ved Vyasa. It has 18 chapters describing the creation of life and the universe according to Hindu mythology. Chapters 1- 6 are devoted to Karma yog (actions in devotion to God); Chapters 7 - 12 deal with Bhakti yog (deep love towards God) and Chapters 13 – 18 explore „Gyan yog‟ (knowledge about God). The methodology of this epic is highly significant because half of its text/chapters are devoted to explaining the values and qualities of the epic itself. This highlights the fact that gold is merely like any other ordinary material if one does not realise its qualities and values. Similarly, only by knowing the qualities and values of this text, can one understand its importance in one‟s life. One of the ways to know anything or someone, in other words, is to understand its/their qualities, characteristics and attitudes. Thus, the text powerfully sets its own context of knowledge. Central to this knowledge is the assertion that there are, in total, 28 basic elements (Tatva) involved in the creation of our universe. The journey of every life from birth to death emerges from these 28 elements and goes back into those 28 elements. The whole universe in all its forms and variety is made up of those 28 basic elements and holistically it is considered to be sacred because Hindu itself means being sacred.

Bilimoria‟s research in the context of Hinduism in Australia shows that individual identity in the contemporary context is one of the key issues in multicultural Australia. His book Hinduism in Australia: Mandala for the gods: A story of the coming of Hindus and Hinduism to Australia (1989) gives a short introduction to Hinduism and the meaning Hinduism has for people and their experience in Australia. Hindu and sacred go hand in hand according to the philosophy of this religion. Australia‟s Hindu communities gradually found their place in this country, and built temples as a necessary part of maintaining their own identity. The temple forms one of the major representations of community roots, and the desire of Hindus to erect temples in overseas lands is viewed as a sign of the transplantations of a migrant religious group. The significance of this fascinating symbolism is explored in the context of the Hindu diaspora experience in


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Australia and the related questions of ethnicity and multiculturalism. In his other work – The hindus and sikhs in Australia – Bilimoria (1996) describes patterns of migration and settlement of Hindus and Sikhs in Australia in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the different factors affecting the process at different times. Settlements of Hindus and Sikhs in Australia started in late 18th century, along with following events/movements:

Indian Coolie Act of 1862

Cheap labourers from India and China

Merchants migrating in ships

Government-sponsored family migration

Student Migration for better life prospects

In the past, South Asians looked to Australia as the „land of plenty‟, a place with many opportunities for work, small trade and business, decent housing and educational opportunities for the children.

The Hindu community in Australia has been slow in asserting and celebrating its ethnic identity or developing a heritage of values and customs which it could pass on to the next generation. However, there has now been a gradual shift in focus from worship in the home towards temples and more communal worship, at least among immigrant Hindus. For practical reasons, the community has developed a centralized structure. Patrons are encouraged in competitive ways, to „sponsor‟ major special or regular rituals in return for their names being recorded. Bilimoria‟s research shows that 20th century South Asian immigration involves a radically different set of challenges and responses from those faced by 19th century immigrants. In recent years, immigrants have taken active steps towards preserving their respective traditions. They now represent their cultural profiles on platforms of multi-culturalism, interreligious faith and other such cross-cultural ventures in a growing, self-consciously polyethnic society of Australia. In addition, they have now erected spiritual symbols in their temples with which they increasingly identify and which they hope will perpetuate the presence of their traditions on foreign lands. For smooth functioning, organisations in the Hindu community in Australia include Political organizations, the Gurus and the Temple organizations.

„(Re)making Hindu sacred places in Northern California‟ in Cultural crossroads: The making of diasporic places and identities (Mehta, 2004) showcases changing

http://proquest.umi.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/pqdweb?index=0&did=885618541&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=2&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1207541628&clientId=14394




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scenarios of sacred spaces – such as temples – in the USA. It is a contemporary study of tautology where the identity of the temple outside India is questioned and refined according to the needs and suitability of the people who use the facility. Mehta examines the symbolic meanings and cultural practices of three converted sacred spaces located in different regions of the North Bay in Northern California. The analysis represents the understanding of the presence of new forms of socio-cultural and religious practices of a diasporic community. Her research is based on interviews and participant observations and attempts to elucidate the embedded social, symbolic and religious meanings within three appropriated and, subsequently, adapted spaces that form representations of Hindu identities. Her study is divided into three parts namely: discussing meanings and multiple identities of Hinduism in India; addressing a sample of diasporic inventions, continuations and adaptations of traditions due to cultural displacement in the area where the study is undertaken; and examining the spatial transformation of three appropriated spaces from their inception to the date of the study.

Mehta (2003) states, “The connection between spatial practices and social relationships in a specific cultural context reveals how certain diasporic communities produce and consume particular types of space: architectural or urban. This connection generates certain imagery constituting their identity in a given locale” (p.45). This points to the necessity for human beings undergoing migration to adapt to their changing circumstances. Conclusions drawn from Mehta‟s study of the temples in California give interesting insight into a variety of responses resulting from this need.

Temples are (re)made in the existing spaces that were originally built for different functions. So the absence of historical temple architecture does not inhibit the function of worshipping. Temples exist with idols of Gods, and people (settled in foreign land) with traditional faith and beliefs gathering and following the rituals.

The enhanced socio-economic and professional life of users in a new context makes possible the practice of „Prasadam‟ – food offered to God for lunch and/or dinner in the temple. This new function gives rise to the need for a new and distinct physical space (rather than temple space) for people to collectively offer food to God for lunch/dinner.

Short (1951) in A history of religious architecture traces the origins of places of worship on earth and how those places developed through different religions with


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time. Community worship and rituals associated with each religion are factors that are closely associated with the place of worship. The level of strength and power in communal activities is huge in comparison to worship at the individual/personal/private level. Short traces back to the first place of worship in ancient Egypt in 2400 years BC. Elements of nature such as sun, trees, stones, water and rain were worshipped at that time. He appreciates the human capacity to master different building materials and to build beautiful awe-inspiring places of worship with them. These places provided people with significant experiences, and he advocates studying the experiences of the people who devised and fashioned these places, and who related to these buildings through the structural forms and proportions of that given place and time. In this way, we learn about their culture, tradition and sacredness.

This is also the case in studying and understanding the temple or other religious built-forms. Knowledge, purity and consummate labour give rise to the art and beauty of the built forms of sacred religious institutions. Short (1951) compiles a variety of historical information on religious architecture of various faiths and its development to the present. He traces the ages-long effort to enclose and cover a space which should enshrine the idea of the Godhead. He gives special significance to the craft, communal enthusiasm, organisation, and spiritual symbolism related to religious institutions and the fact that they all have their special role in making the House of God beautiful. In early days, stone was honoured as a representation of God. This shifted to the belief in trees as God and then, with flourishing agriculture and human settlements on river banks, temples were constructed. Community gatherings at such places are seen as greatest power followed by elaborate rituals and ceremonies. A present day contemporary example of sacred space is the Vietnam Wall Memorial designed by architect Maya Lin. The Wall, which is open to human interpretation, takes visitors through a turmoil of emotions – from the present to past memories, into eternity with the dead soldiers, or simply into complete silence.

2.2 Theorists and related phenomena

Cloninger (2004), in Feeling Good – The science of well-being, explains psychophysical theories of contemplation from the disciples of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and Sandor Ferenczi. According to Gay (1981), possibility and the importance of self-transcendence is the foundation for integrity, oceanic feelings, and creativity. The most direct definition of contemplative thinking is given by


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Cloninger (2004): “Contemplative thinking, which begins with oceanic feelings, is a natural step in human development, building on the foundation of meta-cognition or meditation” (p.10). In this work, Cloninger identifies factors to facilitate contemplative experience. For example, he believes that there are two different types of meditation activities that can help patients to recover from their illness. First is silence of mind meditation which helps people to exercise their mind in ways that move them in a stepwise fashion towards contemplation. Second is union in nature meditation: our senses are often partially asleep, but can be awakened to produce a state of joyful awareness in which we actually exist in a participatory union with all that exists. According to Cloninger, in this meditation, a person is instructed to awaken each of their five physical senses. By doing this, they become present to now.

The concept of NOW is explained by different scholars including Heidegger (1993), Philip Sheldrake (2000), Wolfe (2002) and Cloninger (2004). Heidegger (1993) says „Person‟ means „Being There‟ (p.31). Philip Sheldrake (2000) believes that life is a journey where humans search for meaning, purpose, identity and belonging. Wolfe (2002) explains that pure consciousness is within oneself and it is this that makes the human body sacred like a temple (p.76). Cloninger (2004) says a human being‟s pure consciousness itself is „NOW‟ (p.44).

2.2.1 Theories supporting lived experiences and the underlying structure of experiences

The phenomenologist Seamon (2002) defines lived experiences as experiences narrated by people in their own words, emotions and feelings. Understanding these lived experiences and the meaning underlying them is the concern of phenomenology. In this study, phenomenology is employed as the methodology used to understand the essential qualities and experience of sacred space. Eliade (1959) advocates the power of knowing for the believer. Sacredness exists only for the believer. The believer is one who holds the belief strongly through their power of knowing. Alexander (2007) explains the presence of living structure and the unfolding in the order of nature. Any good architecture or space in harmony with itself has the presence of living structure within it. This, he theorises, also gives rise to extended transformation. Gestalt psychologist Perls (1973) focuses on the figure and ground relationship. He is also informed by the theory of Now – an experience which he equates with awareness and reality.


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Goldstein (1939) is considered here in terms of the Organismic theory which focuses on the process of integration and the notion of a person as an organism. According to this theory, the primary organization of Organismic functioning is understood in terms of the figure to ground relationship. Central to this are: the notion that an equalization process keeps balance in organisms; the processes of getting what one wants; and the notion of self-actualization. The article „Gestalt therapy and gestalt psychology – Gestalt-antecedent influence or Historical accident‟ (Barlow, 1981) from The Gestalt journal is useful in understanding the figure-ground relationship. Perls (1973) states that German psychologists working in the field of perception show that a person does not perceive things as unrelated isolated objects but organizes them (in the perceptual process) into meaningful wholes. Gestalt therapy is a philosophy of life based on a holistic epistemology. It is descriptive, integrative and structural, emphasizing phenomenology, the here and now, as well as positive wholeness which emphasizes the creating of our lives and the discovering of our strengths. Goldstein (1993) explains Gestalt psychology as the study of the whole person which is explained through „The Organism‟ or „Organismic theory‟. He argues that the primary organization of organismic functioning is the figure-ground. The satisfaction of any specific need becomes the „figure‟ when it is the dominant need for the whole organism at a particular time. In other words, the dominant need becomes the foreground, and other needs recede into the background. Awareness of the organism is valued by Gestalt therapy, where awareness is a state of consciousness that develops spontaneously when organismic attention becomes focused on some particular region of the organism: the environment contact boundary at which an especially important and complex transaction is occurring.

In the „Here and Now‟ concept, Perls (1973) writes: „NOW=Experience=Awareness=Reality‟. The only awareness is here and now, whether it be the past (memories) or the future (anticipation) – past and future events are in the present, as they occupy present processes. Perls regards the boundary as the junction of the interaction and awareness between two mediums. He says that “The study of the way in which a person functions in his environment is the study of what goes on at the contact boundary between the individual and his environment. It is at this contact boundary that the psychological events take place. Our thoughts, our actions, our behaviour, and our emotions are our way of experiencing and meeting those boundary events” (p.17). He also considers the mind and body position and adopts the „holistic doctrine‟ which states that a


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person is a unified organism. Finally, Goldstein (1939) describes the process of integration in terms of figure-ground organization: “All of a person‟s capacities are always in action in each of his activities. The capacity that is particularly important for the task is in the foreground, the others are in the background. All of these capacities are organised in a way which facilitates the self-realization of the total organism in the particular situation. For each performance there is a definite figure-ground organization of capacities…” (p.66).

Empirical findings from the Nature of order by Alexander (2007) explain „living structure‟. Alexander‟s „Living structure‟ describes why both nature and successful architecture are characterized by a special kind of harmony, beauty and wholeness. This harmony focuses on a particular class of processes which he calls „Unfoldings‟. Nature and art that possess „living structure‟ draw structure from the whole by progressive differentiation, which he labels „transformation‟. He then defines a new class of transformation: “wholeness – extending transformations”. This allows the continuous elaboration of any portion of the world, according to non-disruptive and healing acts. He asserts that the use of wholeness or extending transformations has generated the greatly loved, and now treasured, traditional environments throughout the world. Structures created by a process of unfolding are likely to have a wider range of physical and human characteristics. They will, by their nature and by the nature of wholeness-extending transformations, nourish the land and people and give rise to a great depth of substance that provides genuine support for human beings and the Earth. He has anticipated that such environments will, by their nature, give honour and respect to all people on Earth. As a result of his investigations, he emphasizes that it may turn out best if we redefine the concept of God in a way that is more directly linked to the concept of “the whole”; something that provides the connectedness that people crave in a way that allows them to feel humility and responsibility: “Acceptance of the whole and efforts to heal the whole can be seen as the most profound and the most important forms of prayer” (Alexander, 2007, p.12).

2.2.2 Nothingness

Philosophers of nothingness: An Essay on the kyoto school by Heisig (2001) talks about the views of Nishida Kitaro (from the Kyoto school of philosophy) on the theme of „absolute Nothingness‟: „the body-mind is dropped off and we are united with the consciousness of absolute nothingness‟ (Kitaro in Heisig, 2001, p.169). Whereas Nishida and Tanabe, two of the three major Kyoto school philosophers,


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open out philosophical dialectic to absolute nothingness as the ultimate horizon, Heisig (2001) states that Nishida introduces the theme of „absolute nothingness‟; this depicts the Eastern sense of Nothingness as the background whereby history – and especially artistic creation – arise. Nothingness is an „eternal now‟ for Nishida (2001) who explains that the craving for metaphysical unity prevails in the discourse of nothingness: “When we submerge ourselves into the depths of self-awareness in active intuition and take the standpoint of a self whose seeing has negated the seer, all things that exist are transformed into a self-awareness and a self-expression” (Heisig, 2001, p.168).

Heisig (2001) further explains: “For Nishida, too, words and concepts are impotent at this level, and he invokes a mystical nescience using Zen language: the body-mind is dropped off and we are united with the consciousness of absolute nothingness” (p.297). Heisig (2001) understands Nishida‟s notion of God as firmly subordinated to that of absolute nothingness. He highlights Tanabe‟s

notion of god as „a self-emptying divinity who is manifesting only in the self-negating act of love‟. Nothingness, according to Tanabe, is love in action which does not manifest in “the mere fact of absolute negation of the world of being‟ but

indirectly manifests „wherever relative beings negate themselves in the act of love” (Heisig, 2001, p.175).

The notion of time arises from an eternal background, where, Tanabe says, “the present, being the point of meditation where past and future mutually convert themselves actively into the direction of future, can be grasped in the free, acting self-awareness of each moment as the identity of time and eternity” (Heisig, 2001, p.261). Additionally, Nishitani (the third philosopher from the Kyoto school of philosophy) gives phenomenological character to Nishida‟s dialectic of notion of time by saying that “The present moment is an „eternal now‟ as „an opening to the „Home-ground‟ of time itself, in which not only past and future, but all the meaning of history has its elemental, and infinitely renewable, source” (Heisig, 2001, p.175).

2.2.3 Phenomenological experiences

For Norbeg-Schulz, special places such as Khartoum, Prague or Rome are places where phenomenological experiences come more readily. Fay Jones Chapel or St Ignatius Chapel (by Holl) are known to stir heightened sensuous experiences. Works of Steen Eiler Rasmussen and Juhani Pallasmaa emphasize the special individual experience by situating phenomenological possibility in the


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experiencing subject. Gaston Bachelard, who bases phenomenological possibility on memory and not on the senses, would also belong to this category.

Wang and Wagner (2007) advocate that “Phenomenological experience is restored more to a universal possibility” (np). From a metaphysical viewpoint, they refer to Eliade‟s theory of sacred space of much larger scale, positing that the very possibility of an inhabited world is based upon a process of sanctifying (separating) from a priory chaotic condition. They use the word „metaphysics‟ to give breadth to the topic and to include something. They relate Eliade‟s theory full circle back to Heidegger‟s formulation of the four-fold – earth, sky, mortals and divinities – in his book Building dwelling thinking. Heidegger explains „dwelling‟

as having the quality of separating from – or making a clearing in – a previously amorphous space. This quality is the quality of the four-fold for Heidegger. Gadamer gives a theoretical explanation for this phenomenon in his theory of how „festival‟ interprets special experience as always-present experience. In this fluidity, Heidegger‟s emphasis upon individual subjective experience is understood as a way of morphing into communal experience.

Wang and Wagner (2007) state: “In the way of built forms, one is reminded of the work of (or more precisely, the testimony of) the Abbot Suger (1081-1151) in his renovation of the St. Denis Cathedral in the 12th century. Motivated by the Platonic tradition, Suger sought to transform the existing structure into one filled with „….wonderful and uninterrupted light…..pervading the interior with beauty‟

and (urging) us onward from the material to the immaterial” (np). The result of his efforts contributed to the beginnings of Gothic architecture. Closer to home, we can again cite Holl‟s and Jones‟ works under individual phenomenological experience. It is in the nature of phenomenological fluidity that that which is special in individual subjective experience can also become a kind of festival-as-presence when instantiated into architectural form.

2.3 Architecture and sacred spaces

Contemporary architects from different parts of the world such as Steven Holl (US), Tadao Ando (Japan), Peter Zumthor (Switzerland), Billie Tsien (US), Nili Portugali (Israel), are known for producing spaces that generate sacred experiences. Sculptors such as James Turrell (US) and Ernesto Neto (Spain) are known for creating sculptures that bring sacred experiences to visitors or observers. These spaces or objects are known to evoke a sense of one‟s own self and to connect one to nature. Freeman (2004), through photographs or texts, seeks


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to capture the quality of sacred spaces and experiences in different contexts. Simplicity, light as special feature, use of natural materials, inside spaces connected to outside nature are a few of the important spatial qualities that are found to play an important role in composing sacred experiences. Wolfe (2002) explains how “The emotional and rhythmic events of the process play an important role in holistic sacred experience” (p.11).

The „Contemplation environment exhibition‟ at the Museum of Contemporary Crafts of the American Crafts Council in 1970 offered physical surroundings that somehow elicited a response which can be called contemplative. Traditionally, human contemplative needs have been satisfied by having direct access to nature, but this is rare in today‟s lifestyle. “Contemplation is defined as meditation on spiritual things, as the act of considering with attention; as musing, as study” (p.9). The exhibition records that “there can be said to exist a kind of ineffable presence in the architectural space itself which exerts a quieting, peaceful influence on the mind and emotions of the individual who enters it. „Individual sensibility‟ is another key aspect that is linked with architectural requirements for contemplation. Several characteristics of spaces for contemplation that are cited in „Contemplation Environment Exhibition‟ are as follows:

Contrast in scale

Presence of abundance

Beautiful feeling

Views of natural settings depicting natural phenomena

Environment representing inner space or seclusion space

Environment that centres the human being

Contemplative sounds made available through recorded tapes in a human environment, and

Creative play of light and shadows

Several artists who are extremely interested in this subject of contemplative environment contributed to the development of the exhibition. An architect Gamal El-Zoghby was engaged to work with their ideas and come up with the environmental nature of the exhibition.

Concerned with „meditative space‟ Freeman (2005) identifies the four characteristics – simplicity, shift, focus and natural energy – of spaces that are essential in the formation of meditative spaces or spaces that facilitate meditative


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experience: “Relationship between space and individual is established here through the act of meditation” (Freeman, 2005, p.3). The space then is experienced much beyond the mere function it is designed for and becomes the place to provide contemplation for its users. The added value of the space here is the experience of transformation. The space succeeds in affecting the mood of its users and takes them to a different level of experience where they feel relaxed, peaceful, pleasant, calm – or simply feel nothing and pause with awe. Freeman‟s

four different types of meditative spaces are further described as follows:

Spaces through which a rigorous simplicity provides the ideal conditions for emptying the mind

Spaces that work by making an often dramatic shift to the personal surroundings through light or movement

Spaces that focus the attention either perceptually or toward a purpose

Spaces that are imbued with a natural energy through locations,

associations and memories, or geometry

These specifications give a new dimension to sacred spaces in a contemporary context. They touch past, present and future through different interactions. While the contemporary context blurs the boundaries between sacred and meditative spaces, this new hybrid space provides a range of functions and is becoming increasing popular and necessary.

Freeman (2005) uses coloured photographs complemented with text to describe his subject of meditative spaces. The photographs are taken from his own visits to these contemplative spaces and, through them; he shares his own experiences and understandings on the subject. He takes inspiration from Heidegger and Gaston Bachelard and their common goal to alter perception and thought through interaction between the space and the person entering it. What one person experiences is not necessarily the same as what another person, or the designer or builder of the space may experience. Qualities of space – such as simplicity, shift, focus and natural energy – contribute to the meditative characteristics of a given space.

Millet (1996) discusses the effect of light in the space and how such light reveals the meaning of the space. This light he describes as „sacred light‟ because it symbolizes something which is beyond our normal comprehension. A natural language of light and darkness is one of the very powerful ways to express meaning in the built environment. Luis Barragon, Steven Holl, Louis Khan,


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Rudolf Schindler, Alvar Alto, Maya Lin and Antonio Gaudi are notable architects who have explored light to give contemplative or spiritual experiences in the spaces they design, and light is used as the main feature element in their design. Use of light contributes experientially to spirituality or sacredness in the space, captures the interaction between the individual and the environment, and can reveal the form of the space. Physically, in the human body, light affects the pineal gland in the middle of the brain, which is in turn connected to all our glandular and emotional centres: “Light has the capacity to move us emotionally” (Millet, 1996, p.33). Holl (2007, p.74) writes: “Space remains in oblivion without light. Light‟s shadow and shade, its different sources, its opacity, transparency, translucency and conditions of reflection and refraction intervene to define or redefine space. Light subjects space to uncertainty, forming a kind of tentative bridge through fields of experience”.

Historical examples of built forms that use light to give the experience of contemplation are: traditional Japanese houses, the Great Pyramid of Cheops (Giza), Palacio Guell (Barcelona, Spain), the Acropolis (Greece), The Parthenon, Cathedral Marcho (Venice, Italy), Notre Damede Chartes (France) and Sant Ivo della Sapienza (Rome). They signify that light has the power to lead one to contemplate life beyond the finite and temporal. The pyramids connect Earth to the heavenly spheres through light such as starlight, moonlight, sunlight, and represent the presence of the divine light in this world.

According to Smith (1992), space is able to express the sense of the Holy when it is:

Set apart from ordinary or routine experience and therefore not universally accessible

Has historic associations which remind us of experiences of the Holy

Structured so as to direct our thoughts to ourselves and our own being and, at the same time, away from ourselves to an awareness of the holy power upon which all existence depends (p.14).

Current practices explore and inform the experimental forms of contemporary religious institutions. According to spatial theology, sacred architecture is conversant with private emotions and meanings. Pahl (2003) highlights „spatial theology‟ and how it works to benefit America. He introduces a theology of place that reveals aspects of God‟s character through biblical metaphors drawn from physical spaces such as the true vine, the rock and the living water. His book is


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the outcome of 15 years of his work, and is a response to the request by his mentor Martin E. Marty to prepare „something‟ for an adult forum presentation on “sacred space”. According to Pahl (2003), grace and gratitude are the highest form of the manifestation of God and there are places that encompass such experiences. One of the examples he refers to is Maya Lin‟s „Vietnam war memorial‟ in

Washington D. C. (as previously discussed). Pahl interviews and surveys 185 visitors in two years from 1993 to 1995. The visitors were simply asked whether they thought the memorial was „a sacred place‟. Pahl observed that the meaning of the affirmative answer from person to person and group to group was highly varied. The heart of the design was the „Wall‟ that worked as a „sacred place‟, like a tomb. Pahl clarifies that it is the Wall to which most pilgrims gravitate, and it is a beautiful reminder of the „fragility of life‟ to Pahl himself. Here three processes come together in his approach to designing a sacred space: the poetic, political and personal. The meaning of „place‟ is significant as it also shapes human responses and gives people something to contest or appreciate. Pahl made two different visits to the memorial at two different times over two years and found that the range of responses to, and interpretations of, this „sacred space‟ was very wide: from pacifism to propaganda, from silence to shouting, from poetry to politics and beyond. The meaning of that place is truly open for future contemplation.

Ronchamp‟s Notre Dame is an architectural example of sacred space. Clausen (1992) explores the religious architecture of architect Pietro Belluschi (1899 -1994) as spiritual spaces. She uses selected essays and illustrates more than 40 of his church/chapel designs. She shows that Belluschi‟s basic architectural doctrines for „sacred design‟ include rational structure, appropriate scale, harmonious proportions, fine materials and craftsmanship, subdued but dramatic light, and eloquent moving space. In this way, he was able to reconcile unarticulated emotional wants with the purely practical demands of church design: “Emotional continuity is the very essence of religion which modern architects try to respect and preserve while designing new church buildings” (Belluschi, 1992, p.133).

The compelling search for new forms is the human quest for self-knowledge, for knowledge of the universe, and for knowledge of God in the realm of the spirit. Church designs in the past have been a fountainhead of creative arts such as architecture, mosaics, painting, sculpture and music. They are the fruits of this continuous and earnest search, without repeating worn-out formulas for the very essence of God‟s mystery.


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2.3.1 Sacred life examples

The soul of a tree written by woodworker George Nakashima (1981) is a journey of his own life in search of truth through „the making of things‟ which, according to him, is the most realistic way of searching for truth. When we open the front cover of the book, the first page is of brown coloured, textured paper with Nakashima‟s signature in black thick pen on the top-middle portion of the page. This page invites one to just touch and feel that page again and again; to feel the texture of the page and his life through it. His life is a pure example of sacred living and working. He talks about „Transformation‟ in his epilogue. The book portrays his life: how his family made their way through difficult situations, joining with those who seek „something else‟; an aspiration free from material desires. He was a strong believer of Karma Yogin who follows the path of action to understand the road that one must take. He emphasizes that “we are on the verge of a great and heroic revolution, a revolution of the soul – a revolution so vast and influential that the revolutions of the West, the French, the American and the Russian, will appear childish and impotent” (p.77). He adds that “With so many people of good-will searching for bits of light, a great movement will one day arrive based on the union of total freedom with a creativity that we cannot see or even conceive of” (p.145). He uses his hand-drawn sketches of trees, barks, their grains, cut wood, joineries throughout the book. His book is the story of his life journey, work and life-quest which is sacred. He says, as human beings, “we can only believe in the warm golden light in the darkness on our journey of searching for the truth” (p.146).

Some principles that he provides are as follows:

To work for our benefit we must stick to the spirit of things while working with natural materials and creating spaces to live

The use of arts and crafts should be based on purity of materials and their characteristics

We are developing our own self by returning to the spirit of materials and nature and not destroying it; and

The way to search for pure truth in the most realistic of ways can be by „the making of things‟ with integrity to nature (p.147).

He had involved his family with his life values and principles. Their way of living reflects this, as he (1981) explains: “There was no other way for me but to go alone, secure with my family, placing stone upon stone, seeking kinship with each piece of wood, eventually creating an inward mood of space, then bit by bit


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finding peace and joy in shaping timber into objects of utility and perhaps, when nature smiles, beauty” (p.139).

To me it seems like what I am trying to discover through my masters research: the ability to live, celebrate, and establish a life-relationships with nature and truth. This is indeed sacred.

Hogrefe (2001), in an article named Divine interventions, explores the work of different architects, interior designers and sculptors who are recognised as creators of the idea of sacred in modern designs. According to this article, the group consists of: Steven Holl (USA), Tadao Ando (Japan), Peter Zun (Switzerland), Tod Williams and Billie Tsien (US), Michael Gabellini (US), James Turrell (US) and philosopher Prof. Mircea Eliade from the University of Chicago, US. They are known to explore the concept of sacred to create experiential spaces. Sacred is explained in terms of the experience of a space; as “the moment that space and its elements come together to give its user a pause” (Hogrefe, 2001, p.60). He believes that sacred space architecture is conversant with private emotions and meanings. When such spaces are occupied, there is a possibility of an emotionally binding relationship between person and space that is not measurable.

Hogrefe (2001) says: “What sacred space architects do, Holl believes, is „get back to the root‟ of wonder, a child‟s sense of the world, often before he or she has a formal understanding of religion or what is generally viewed as sacred” (p.59). Different elements of the spaces and the different functions are associated with the exploration of sacredness in a variety of ways. They believe, for example, that staircases bear special meaning in sacred spaces; that sacred spaces are sometimes defined by their intimate enclosures such as entrances; that bathrooms have special importance because the act of cleansing and water as an element are associated with sacred rituals; and that light and scale are other important tools of creating spaces to foster the feeling of sacredness. Descriptive and informative in nature, this article talks about the sacred space architects of today. Different experts from different parts of the world are exemplified here with their special way of exploring sacred spaces. It makes one feel that the making of sacred space is not just about the conventional study of history or religion, but more about investigating and knowing the underlying structure that holds the experience of sacredness in given space.


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Similarly, Richardson (2004) discusses the legacy of inspired innovations in architectural projects as part of the new spiritual architecture of our age. She highlights the contribution of innovative contemporary churches, chapels, Buddhist temples, synagogues, mosques, meditation centres, cultural centres and multi-faith or faith houses from all around the world in terms of spiritual experiences. They are examples of new traditions, experimenting with form in various ways such as: fitting into the built landscape, retreat places as rural sanctuaries, grand iconic prayer and worship spaces of a very large scale, and modest magnificence through the application of high ideals and humble materials. Her work focuses on how contemporary practice and formal inventions determine the designing of sacred buildings, and how they make technological, formal, environmental and material contributions to the art of building. Spirituality, as described by Richardson, is a quality that contributes greatly to the cultural value of sacred buildings since they are meant to inspire something beyond the physical satisfactions of space, and reflect or say something about the community that they serve. Different religious buildings come together and for innovation, not seeking their „different-ness‟. A new, functional concept of sacred space as multi-faith centres is understood here. The common, most essential norm for these buildings is the orientation of its openings, according to the religion it is associated with. The spaces described here are also flexible in terms of welcoming all in the ideal scenario of acceptance.

St. Peter‟s in Rome is said to be the biggest breakthrough in the history of spiritual architecture, not only for its size and succession of lead architects, but also for its modified Greek-cross plan, its chamfered piers creating wider spaces, and sumptuous decoration. Le Corbusier‟s chapel of Notre-Dame-du-Haut in Ronchamp has become a modern icon, featuring multi-faith spaces in a contemporary context. Modern architects contributing to new spiritual architecture are Tadao Ando, Steven Holl, Zaha Hadid, Sol Madridejos Fernandez, Juan Carlos Sancho Osinaga, Takashi Yamaguchi, Bernard Desmoulin, Gerold Wiederin, Daniel Bonilla, Allman Sattler, Wappner and Michael Collins, to name a few. David Rockwell is also known for his designed spaces (resembling a 1950s science-fiction creature) that benignly enter our being, ask only to access our imagination, and bring pleasure to the people who live in or visit those spaces. The spaces he designed explore the sentiments that spaces can seduce, comfort, stimulate or entertain people. He takes inspiration from nature such as wheat fields, large plains of grasses, and the colours of spices. Paul


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Goldberger (2002) says of David Rockwell‟s work that “Total design is, after all, the Rockwell Group‟s mantra, and in their best work they manage to craft not just a physical setting but an emotional moment so all-encompassing that everything that they did not design recedes into invisibility” (p.125).

Holl (2007) in his book Steven Holl Architecture spoken features his own projects of modern sacred space along with their drawings, photographs and text. The characteristics of Steven Holl‟s design practice are as follows:

His point of view for design and architecture is shaped by concepts emerging from philosophy and science, and not from documented theories of architecture

He is highly demanding and uncompromising with his clients, while pursuing the realization of his concepts and architecture

He has a remarkably good record of keeping clients, while still building the designs he wants

He uses his wisdom and strength to turn away commissions that have a strong possibility of compromise. To balance this in times of financial crisis is one of the biggest challenges he faces

He makes a new water-colour every morning as a way of exploratory drawing to build (over many years) a repertoire of forms and spatial conditions

He has a strong set of operating principles that narrow the possibilities for any given project

He will never make reference to any other building but his own (p.23)

Phenomenology is of particular interest to him. Lebbeus Wood (2007) explains in his foreword that “The philosophy and science of perception, of the body and its interactions with the physical world, are natural companions of architectural thinking, but rarely used (p. 9).” He focuses on engaging „the imagination‟ and architecture to inspire us. For architecture to have such power, he believes that it should be inspired by new insights and revelations. Light as a phenomenon is his major preoccupation, and he has written about his experiences of light in places as diverse as the chapel at Ronchamp and a Tarkovsky film. Several of his contemporary architecture projects show us an innovative vision of natural and artificial light in their interior spaces. He seeks criticism of his designs from his peers, sometimes invites respected colleagues and competitors to his office to comment freely on his design process at the preliminary or developmental stage, and reads Merleau-Ponty. Architecture, according to Holl, is the most fragile of arts during inception and the joy of its realization and experiential emotion


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endures. In his anecdote at the end of the book, he shares his realized and unrealized projects with utmost honesty, and his process of design collaboration with clients and contractors.

Peter Zumthor is a Swiss architect who is renowned for creating architectural spaces that are very sensuous and that create special experience for the individual. He is considered a sacred space architect in the vein of Steven Holl, Tadao Ando, etc. Several of his well known projects are Therme, Vals, Switzerland, Museum of Modern Art, Cologne and Kunsthaus in Bregenz. His work is influenced by creative human experiences and each of his projects establishes its own quest for the best qualities of the site. He employs a phenomenological way of life and practice, which results in distinct projects. Setting up his studio in the Swiss mountains, choosing his own clients, sometimes doing free projects for the sake of design and a higher purpose, and refusing clients are the qualities that make this architect a phenomenologist.

Zumthor (2007) comments on the Therme, saying (2007): “Mountain, stone, water – building in the stone, building with stone, into the mountain, building out of the mountain, being inside the mountain – how can the implications and the sensuality in the association of these words be interpreted, architecturally? The whole concept was designed by following up these questions; so that it all took form step by step” (p.17). He explains that it is the power of the physical that matters: “I believe that architecture today needs to reflect on the tasks and possibilities which are inherently its own. Architecture is not a vehicle or a symbol for things that do not belong to its essence”(p.18). Zumthor‟s work gets compliments from photographers who try in vain to capture the experience of his buildings. However, the nature of sacred space is that they are experiential and not two-dimensional. The spaces he designs relate to people and engage them in the surrounding place by the use of local materials. The editor of Architectural review, Peter Davey (2000), writes: “Peter Zumthor is a shaman for our times, an architect who creates magic and poetry for the everyday” (p.11). According to Zumthor, good architecture has to do with life; it relates to our lives, we should enjoy it. It is the real thing. And surely, architecture is to be experienced with all of our senses. Zumthor's work is largely unpublished in part because of his philosophical belief that architecture must be experienced first hand. His published written work is mostly narrative and phenomenological. He uses water bodies and makes use of the context of the space. The science of perception, of the

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrative

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenomenology


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body and its interactions with the physical world, are natural companions of architectural thinking, but rarely used in practice.

2.3.2 Cleansing as part of sacred

Hauser (2007) signifies the importance of purity from the history of the bath for Peter Zumthor‟s Therme Vals in Switzerland. Healing is noted to be achieved through the ritual of washing at the natural springs since ancient times. In fact, such sites gave rise to the sacred temples that then grew and evolved to become the mass pilgrimage sites of today. Water in its purest form is considered sacred. The majority of the universe is made up of water, and the human body is mostly water. Water is a basic necessity of life and an important element for cleansing, bathing and other human activities. Spas, public baths and private bathrooms are considered to be sacred spaces. Water aids in emptying the mind or creating a shift to focus the attention for people in general. Metamorphite, a local rock produced through the changes in temperature and pressure in Vals, is part of the main design feature of Therme Vals.

Award winning architect Lawlor (1994) advocates sacred experience through the process of cleaning and purifying energy in everyday life. He looks into everyday common spaces to describe and understand sacredness in them. The way of light, the use of natural materials, the scale and proportion of space itself, its elemental forms, and patterns, movement within space, openings, and views are the factors he uses when composing these sacred experiences. He emphasizes rituals as important practices associated with sacred space.

Other important aspects that are associated with sacredness of architecture involve the qualities of beauty. Lawlor focuses on the elements of a built environment, connects them to whole space through his explanations, and then reconnects the whole space to the primary elements of a built environment. This method is simple and direct in understanding the sacredness in everyday life. He focuses on the basic elements of the built environment that are interwoven with the essence which reflects sacredness; for example, focus/axis; qualities such as vastness; cleansing and purity; rhythm of nature through sun, moon, stars; mythic images from history; ornamentation and symbols. He acknowledges natural characteristics of each material as their spirit. Thomas Aquinas‟s concept of beauty as part of the sacred requires wholeness, harmony and radiance. On the other hand, according to Kakuan in Zen flesh, zen bones, the experience of strong will and power in the space gives the feeling of serenity. Consciousness is


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understood to be transferred from one‟s mind into architectural forms and spaces. The harmonious relationships between living and non-living, between whole and parts, and between architecture and human beings – achieved through consciousness, energy and pure spirit – are primary relationships to be explored in the quest to understand sacredness.

2.3.3 Meaningful engagements in terms of culture and changing times

Papanek (1971) explains that the rightness of any design solution depends on its surroundings, and on people – on their background, environment and culture. He cites the examples of the inappropriateness of tatami mats in western culture, and of positioning a piano on a tatami-covered floor in a room with sliding paper screens (shoji). Our psychological conditioning is the main association for any given value. He recommends studying the patterns of tatami mats that are generated to give us new insights. He explains the need for something more than necessity, for something spiritual in the changing times. Papanek believes that the Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci fulfils a human need for spiritual satisfaction. Its purpose is more than to cover the wall. The particular satisfaction derived from the simplicity of an article is called elegance, and there is a reflection of the spiritual in the simplicity and elegance of a great art work. Papanek (1971) highlights the social and moral responsibilities of design to enable meaningful engagement for users of a particular cultural background and changing times, and identifies „design needs for that nation‟. He believes that the most important ability that a designer can bring to his work is the ability to recognize, isolate, define and solve problems, so that designs can be sensitive to those problems.

Papanek (1971) suggests three sources of creative thinking:

The spark of genius

The discovery that comes to us in a dream

A systematic, solution-directed search for a new way of doing things (p.15).

„Cultural block‟ is another term that Papanek (1971) uses to describe that which is imposed upon an individual by his/her cultural surrounding. In each society a number of taboos endanger independent thinking so, culturally, people tend to take for granted things which are never questioned. Sometimes people are so used to certain types of things/space that, if they are brought into new spaces or given newly designed things, they tend to not accept them. Papanek explains this emphatically through his professional experiments with a toilet bowl


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manufacturing company and the general public, which showed that cultural blocks sometime make new and better design less acceptable to users. This is another issue considered in this research: sacred space and the extent of people‟s resistance. Creative design environments require the working together/habituating of students and designers, professors and researchers in areas where the different cultural blocks cannot operate by the teaching and exploring of basic principles. Creativity gives rise to the experience of transcendence.

Daisann (2003), through her first hand experience of pilgrimage to India, writes „Journey East‟, an article in National geographic traveller. She highlights a few aspects that make a difference to the presence of sacred spaces. They are as follows:

Groups or gatherings of the devoted

Rituals and one to one experience; and

Temple and water as part of the whole scene (p25).

According to Daisann, power of community worship, rituals as part of experiences, the built environment of the temple itself, and the natural element of water are factors that contribute to the presence of sacredness in a sacred space. Rituals in the context of sacred gardens and landscapes were studied by different experts during the Dumbarton oaks colloquium on the History of landscape architecture XXVI, May 10-12, 2002. The proceedings of this colloquium – Sacred Gardens and Landscapes: Ritual and agency – were published by Harvard University press in 2007. It offers tantalizing insights into the significance of gardens and landscapes in past societies of India, ancient Greece, medieval Japan, Pre-Columbian Mexico, 17th century Tuscany and 20th century England. The structure of the content falls into three specific modes of agency in which sacred gardens engage their visitors, namely:

Anterooms that spur encounters with the netherworld

Journeys through mystical lands; and

Establishment of a sense of locality, thus metaphorically rooting the

dweller‟s own identity in a well-defined part of the material world

Franz (1998) informs interior design practice by identifying the following four types of person-environment relationships:

Practical or physical


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Instrumental

Psycho-social

Existential

Practical or physical functional relationship is about activity or action that takes place in the environment and its effect on the person-environment relationship. With the instrumental relationship, an object or something in the environment becomes an instrument to create certain experience/s for persons. The psycho-social relationship includes values, emotions, social belonging and psychological values. The existential relationship, on the other hand, is about the spiritual beliefs of people.

Conan (2002) explores three aspects of the comparative approach to phenomenology in terms of the development of a specific mood namely:

A psychological mode of perception of space, which proceeds from specific features of each cultural horizon

The links between social changes and changes in the perception of natural phenomena

The possibility of multiple levels of experience of space without a particular cultural horizon (p.43).

Shah (2002) studies the mythical landscape of Braj in Mathura, India and analyses ritual acts such as walking as a means to achieve the kinaesthetic construction of landscape. Walking as an activity identifies a domain that takes form through experience rather than pure materiality. Transcendence has unknown structure, and its phenomena are based on the social language of community and mystical process. Shah (2002) clarifies that place and person are mutually transformative during the process of experience, and that memory of person and actual place contribute in varying degrees to the formation of a particular experience.

According to Shah (2002), “„The Sacred‟ is a complex idea in Hindu tradition. No single Sanskrit word translates directly as „the sacred‟” (np). The sacred is an experience discriminated along varying degrees of intensity which change according to situations and circumstances. Two modalities of sacred coexist in Hindu thought. One modality conveys the pragmatic Durkheimian idea. This modality of the sacred is anchored in society and history and is communicated by the worlds and ideas of the pure, good, and auspicious. The other modality is the Elidean notion of the sacred as transcendent, timeless and historical. The groves


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exhibit this modality of the sacred, and are where Krishna ontologically manifests. As per the studies in this book, garden spaces provide a number of symbolic features that supported the enactment of the rituals which primarily engaged their visitors in performances that carried them away to a supernatural world by prompting them to engage in unusual types of actions. These rituals/actions gave visitors extraordinary experiences, including the mutual transformation of self and space irrespective of the social, political, or religious performance at stake.

2.4 Summary

This chapter has identified and described several concepts related to the sacred, phenomenology and architecture evident in published research and scholarly work. Space as „accomplishment of purpose‟, interaction of the human senses with the built environment, and „well being and emotions‟ are the three concepts that the literature review encapsulates with regard to the essential qualities of sacred space.

The sacred as a concept – as cleansing and as time – and its reflection in the physical space contribute to the formation of sacred spaces and are explored here through the literature review. „Experience‟ is understood as the vehicle that manifests the sacred, and inspires me to study lived, contemplative experiences. This sets in motion the manifestation of the total experience – the contemplative experience in person as well as in the study.

2.4.1 Space as „accomplishment of purpose‟

It is observed that experience of space is not completely dependent on just the utility of the space. There are different factors creating this sacred experience such as the presence of the natural element water, holistic use of natural local materials, spaces that relate to their surrounds, and so on. These factors give rise to the experience of the sacred in that space. Such space, irrespective of anything, forms the presence of the accomplishment of purpose – presence where persons come to terms with their own self or feel a moment of pause, awe or wonder during their relationship with the space. There are different experiences of sacred space for different people and, according to the literature, space that empowers manifestation is sacred space.

2.4.2 Human senses and interaction with built environment

In terms of architecture and space - environment perspective, the contributions by Steven Holl, Juhani Pallasmaa and Alberto Perez Gomez (1994) are indeed


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remarkable. In Architecture of seven senses, Juhani Pallasmaa (1994) says that “A walk through a forest or a Japanese garden is invigorating and healing because of the essential interaction of all sense modalities reinforcing each other; our sense of reality is thus strengthened and articulated” (p.30). He mentions the seven senses through which we identify ourselves with space, place or moment and adds that these dimensions produce our existence: “Architecture is the art of mediation and reconciliation” (Pallasmaa, 1994, p.37). For him these seven senses are the sense of touch, smell, sight, sound, taste, body and time. With respect to the latter, he says that the timeless task of architecture, memories of person, and the presence of now are ingredients of the sense of time. For him, the sense of physical body includes bodily measurements, sensations, consciousness and sub consciousness in terms of scale, proportion, the feeling of protection, and the pleasure and sense of gravity. Stepping stones in Japanese gardens, lacquered vases, textures of raw, natural material are examples he uses to explain the sense of physical body: “Consequently, architecture is communication from the body of the architect directly to the body of the inhabitant” (Pallasmaa, 1994, p.40).

Taste of architecture, as he calls it, is explained through subtle transference between tactile and taste experiences. For him, the sense of sight through certain colours or details is also said to be transferred into taste or oral sensations. Jun‟ichiro Tanizaki (1977) is well known for writing in this area. The works of Carlo Scarpa, and Charles and Henry Greene are also known to be real life examples that offer experiences of the taste of architecture.

A sense of touch is the experience of directly touching the elements and components of space by way of body and use. Touch is also experienced through means of sight. Holl (1994) states: “The eye is the sense of separation and distance, whereas touch is the sense of nearness, intimacy and affection” (p.35).

The sense of smell, Holl explains as „space of scent‟. It is said that the strongest memory of space is often its odour – like a bread or pastry shop giving images of health, a shoe maker‟s shop giving memories of horses and saddles, or the smell of an empty house. It also suggests the linkage between the sense of smell and the sense of sight and time or memories.

The sense of sound is understood in terms of silence, time and solitude. Architecture is known to create auditory experiences of tranquillity. The architectural experience of silences, whether in a temple or any space, focuses


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attention on one‟s very existence. It makes one aware of one‟s fundamental solitude: “The time of architecture is a detained time, in the greatest of buildings time stands firmly still” (Holl, 1994, p.31). Architecture detaches us from the present and allows us to experience the slow, firm flow of time and history, and also connects us with the dead.

The sense of sight makes us solitary, whereas hearing creates a sense of connection and solidarity. Deep understanding is revealed here by Pallasmaa (1994) when he says that “A real architectural experience is not simply a series of retinal images; a building is encountered – it is approached, confronted, encountered, related to one‟s body, moved about, utilized as a condition for other things, etc” (p. 41). It is understood that it is a combination of intermingling of all the senses in some way that is important here. He mentions that the system of senses is related to different images of a cosmic body – such as vision related to fire and light, hearing to air, smell to vapour, taste to water, and touch to earth. This connects the meaning of architecture to sacredness through the senses of the human body, experience and time. This sets „intentionality‟ in architecture. According to Holl (2007), “The relationship between the experiential qualities of architecture and the generative concepts is analogous to the tension between the empirical and the rational” (p.16). This research study examines similar concepts in more specific detail.

According to Brentano (1994), physical phenomena engage our „outer perception‟, while mental phenomena involve our „inner perception‟. Mental phenomena have real, as well as intentional, existence. Empirically, we might be satisfied with a structure as a purely physical-spatial entity but, intellectually and spiritually, we need to understand the motivations behind it. This duality of intention and phenomena is like the interplay between objective and subjective or, more simply, thought and feeling. The challenge for architecture is to stimulate both inner and outer perception, to heighten phenomenal experience while simultaneously expressing meaning, and to develop this duality in response to the particularities of site and circumstance. According to Holl, the sensations come together to form one complex experience, which becomes articulate and specific. He says (1994): “The building speaks through the silence of perceptual phenomena” (p.40). Sacred experience is perceived through the human senses in the built environment. The manifestation of such experience is the key to understanding senses fully.


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2.4.3 Well being and emotions

Cloninger (2004) in his work Feeling Good – The science of well-being integrates the psychosocial and biomedical knowledge that is available about well-being in a coherent, developmental perspective. It is a holistic account of the principles and mechanisms underlying the path to the good life – that is, a life that is happy, harmonious, virtuous, and wise. It is intended for open minded people who want to understand basic human needs, consciousness, creativity, and well-being. He writes that it is wonderful to be living at a time when creative advances in science and culture allow a deep and inspiring understanding of what it means to be human. Huxley (1959) says that we are part of the universal unity of being and describes human beings as „evolution conscious of itself‟. Similarly, Cloninger (2004) notes: “The term cosmos is derived from the Greek Kosmos, referring to the „universal unity of being‟ that is, the universe conceived as a whole that is undivided, orderly, harmonious, intelligent and creative” (p.21). He further explains that the “universal unity of being is all loving and omnipresent because its essence is an eternal sharing of divine being. What could be a greater gift than to share your whole being in the act of creation? Everything develops within the all-encompassing love that is the essence of everything” (2004, p.22). This understanding forms another aspect of the spectrum of my study.

Cloninger (2004) emphasizes that “feeling good” cannot be authentic or stable without “being good”. Happiness according to him is the effortless expression of coherent intuitions of the world. At the base of this understanding is awareness – a synonym for consciousness, which is defined as the awareness of one‟s existence, sensations and thoughts. The words „awareness‟ and „consciousness‟ both refer to our sense of recognition of something in relation to our self. However, the word „consciously‟ emphasizes the state of inner realization. The word „awareness‟ emphasizes the intuitive feelings associated with inner recognition, while „cognizant‟ emphasizes outer recognition on the level of reason and intellectual knowledge, rather than on the level of intuitive feelings. These concepts form an integral part of this inquiry, are explored as essential qualities of sacred space, and are supported by other scholars‟ perspectives of sacredness.

Kant (1781) says that the observer is separate from what is observed: “That is, one only knows what one perceives, not what is given in experience” (p.70). Krishnamurti (1999), on the other hand, states the quantum principle that „the observer is the observed‟. Cloninger (2004) quotes from Bucke (1951) what an


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uneducated shoemaker Jakob Boehme said: “If you will observe your own self and the outer world, and what is taking place therein, you will find that you...are that external world. You are a little world formed out of the large one, and your external light is a chaos of the sun and the constellation of stars. If this were not so you would not be able to see by means of the light of the sun” (p.329). Bucke (1951) also quotes Gautama Buddha‟s saying that “When to a man who understands, the self has become all things, what sorrow, what trouble can there be to him who once beheld that unity” (p.85). Further, according to Gandhi (1991), the source of all energy is pure consciousness and benevolent power. He states: “Hence I gather that God is Life, Truth, and Light. He is Love. He is the Supreme Good” (p.101). Cloninger (2000) says that “Gandhi provides many examples of coherent thought, which deals with every aspect of life in an integrated manner” (p.65). This understanding also reflects the direction in which this study is progressing.

Gomez (1994) in The space of architecture: Meaning as presence and representation says that “Closer to the outset of our architectural tradition Vitruvius identified the origins of architecture with the origins of language” (p.69). Gomez points out the cultural epoch as qualified by Heidegger as “too late for the gods and too early for being…” (p.40). It suggests the possibilities of a new beginning will maintain its roots in historicity as our only possible source to articulate ethical action, while shifting and redefining the critical terms of history, particularly the meaning of past and future shaping a concept of time (anticipated by artists and writers of the last two hundred years) that accepts its aporias (linear/cyclical, ever-changing/ever-present) as complementary, rather than contradictory. It informs the person-environment relationship focus through the phenomenological framework.

Wolfe (2002) describes sacred space from its inception to present, ventures into talking about designing sacred spaces for the future, and questions whether we really need a scared space: “Sacred space is about ordinary human sweetness and emotions like love, power, grace, wisdom, gratitude, belief and faith” (Wolfe, 2002, p.58).


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Chapter 3 MANIFESTATION ................................................................. 54 3.1 Phenomenology as manifestation ...................................................... 54 3.2 Research process ................................................................................. 55

3.2.1 Research design and ethics approval ..................................................... 56 3.2.2 Data Collection ...................................................................................... 57 3.2.3 Analysis ................................................................................................. 61 3.2.4 Interpretation ......................................................................................... 63

3.3 Summary ............................................................................................. 64


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Chapter 3 MANIFESTATION This is the methodology chapter of my research. I have labelled it „manifestation‟

because it is through the application of the phenomenological method chosen for the study that new meanings emerge. Manifestation takes place through my role as researcher and the participation of other people in the interviews. The label also has significance because of its connection to the concept of the sacred. According to Eliade (1959), when the sacred manifests itself into a wholly new order it signifies the presence of certain phenomena or processes. In this context, manifestation means the appearance or presence of spirit.

3.1 Phenomenology as manifestation

Manifestation as the methodology of my research involved research design, ethical clearance, data collection through photo elicitation and interviews, and analysis using a multi- phenomenological framework (Figure 3.1) incorporating existential phenomenology, hermeneutic phenomenology and personal phenomenology. Phenomenological research, as conveyed in the literature, is the study of lived experience. It is the explication of phenomena as they present themselves to the consciousness (Heidegger, 1988). The phenomenological approach is existential in its focus on experience as it is lived and understood in the process of experiencing. It is the scientific study of phenomena as an attentive practice of thoughtfulness. The range of meanings of life‟s phenomena to our reflective awareness is derived by this method to obtain a sensitive, soft, soulful and subtle form of a rigorous human science. As with other qualitative research methodologies, it adopts a naturalistic approach.

In this study, phenomenology is used to explore and describe contemplative experiences as they are experienced and understood by the people themselves in particular spaces. The essential nature of these experiences as they are understood and the role of the environment in facilitating and supporting the experiences are of particular interest in this study. From a phenomenological viewpoint, the person and their contemplative environment comprise an indivisible whole. The process of interpretation is central to this and to another area of phenomenology known as hermeneutic phenomenology. Seminal theorists in this area include: Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau – Ponty and Alfred Schultz. Historically, hermeneutics is an approach to the analysis of texts that stresses how prior understandings and prejudices shape the interpretive process.


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Figure 3.1: Methodological stages

3.2 Research process

Research design and ethics approval

Data Collection

1. A hermeneutic phenomenological study of literature concerned with different texts on sacred space, architecture and interior design, phenomenology and sacred experiences. This has been presented in the previous chapter.


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2. An existential phenomenological study of the experience of sacred spaces by participants from different cultural backgrounds, comprising a pilot study and a major study. The participants of this study come from three different communities or groups: architects who are known for designing such contemplative spaces, academics of the School of Design, and professionals from non-design backgrounds.

3. A first person phenomenological study of the experience of sacred/contemplative spaces. This involved and recognised my role as a participant in my own research study.

Analysis

4. Analysing the data from an interior design perspective

Interpretation

5. Investigating new possibilities for the design of multicultural environments for contemplation

3.2.1 Research design and ethics approval

The research question driving the study is: What are the essential qualities of a sacred space in a multi-cultural context? Because of the multicultural focus, it was necessary to include participants from diverse ethnic/cultural backgrounds. Twenty two participants volunteered for the study. The aim of the study was to gather individual, original experiential narrations that revealed various types of contemplative relationships between the person and the environment. The underlying objective was to be able to identify the qualities, components and elements of space that were understood to contribute to the contemplative experience of participants, as narrated by them. The understandings of all participants were given equal status and authenticity.

The experience of contemplative spaces, or rather the reflection on the experience, was initiated by me (the researcher) through a process of photo elicitation. Using photographs as prompts, the participants were encouraged to take me to their world of contemplative experiences as close to their original experience as possible; to their state of „being‟ in that environment. One of the aims of the interview process was to capture as many experiences as possible in order to extrapolate common or essential meanings that could be translated, through design, into the creation of environments that would be meaningful for people


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from different backgrounds and cultures. The capturing of different understandings was also sought as an indication of the diversity that environments might have to support.

It is humbling to attempt to capture this understanding and articulate its meaning with a generative intention in mind. I used the life-world phenomena – as explained by David Seamon (2007) – as a basis for conducting my interviews and analysing my data.

A very important aspect of the first phase was obtaining ethical clearance. Ethical research practice includes informing participants of the nature of the study and measures to ensure privacy and confidentiality, and subsequently obtaining their signed consent. Participants were advised of the aim to explore and identify the essential qualities of sacred spaces with the view to inform the design of multicultural spaces for contemplation in Australia. Participants were approached via email to introduce the study and invite them to participate. Project and participation information and a consent letter were sent with the invitation. Participants willing to participate were asked to contact me directly and return the completed consent form. Each participant was respected for their own personal beliefs and values and their identities were kept confidential.

3.2.2 Data Collection

Once ethics approval was granted by the university, the data collection process was implemented. Data were collected from three sources: personal experience; literature; and participants‟ lived experiences. The process also involved a pilot study and a major study.

The pilot study was undertaken to inform the major project. For the pilot study I invited 10 participants to share their sacred experiences. These interviews helped to elicit concepts of the „sacred‟ and formed the basis for the final interviews where I concentrated on the participants‟ contemplative experiences, as opposed to their sacred experiences.

The responses in the pilot study were very personal to individuals and they depicted different concepts of „sacred‟ rather than their „sacred experiences‟. Examples of the responses include: “My parents are sacred to me”, “A woman giving birth to child is sacred to me”, “Going to temple and communicating with God is sacred to me”, “Something that is pure and clear like a lake is sacred to me”, “Huge open natural sceneries are sacred to me”, “Divorce is sacred to me”,


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and “Talking to someone one is very comfortable with is sacred” etc. The feedback generally fell into three categories: experiences of visits to religious institutions; abstract concepts as described above; or literal references such as a participant talking about the gutter pipe running underground his own house as sacred. From this experience, I realised the need in the major study to encourage the participants to go beyond the literal.

Figure 3.2: Data collection from the final interviews


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In the interviews for the major study, I asked 21 participants about their contemplative experiences. Here, I requested them to bring in photographs that would support or convey their understanding of contemplative experience; that is, photographs from places where they experienced being contemplative. This process of describing one‟s experiences based on photographs is called photo elicitation. Because photographs help participants to relive their experience, photo elicitation is a very suitable method for phenomenological research. Unlike research where the researcher is analysing an image produced by another person and there is the risk of misinterpreting the meaning of the image, in this research the image is being described by the person who produced the image: In addition, in the study, the image is used as a basis for discussion by the producer of the image not for analysis by the researcher. The process revealed experiences that were more person-environment and experience oriented. Participants were also more open to the concept of contemplation as compared to sacred. I found that some people do not believe in „the sacred‟, or they have their own personal understanding of it and are reluctant to share this understanding with others.

I found interviewing the participants a unique and highly treasured experience which brought serenity and reverence. The participants referred to the photos to explain to me what they wanted to share in terms of their contemplative experiences. The photographs helped convey how special the experiences were to them – memories they cherished and could relive through the photographs. All the interviews were recorded, and each participant was regarded as an indivisible whole in my data collection. Twenty two transcripts were produced from the interviews and formed the platform of my research analysis. Some participants did not have photographs and, instead, described their experiences in words alone. This occurred where participants had very strong memories from a past overseas trip but did not take, or could not find, photographs.

Participants were invited individually to the university meeting room at different times suitable to them. The participants identified the experiences that they wanted to share with me and arranged the photographs in a way that supported their description. On arrival, they were asked to sign their consent letters. The entire discussion with the participants was audio recorded with their permission. Questions posed to the participants included:

„Could you tell me about your contemplative experience and explain it through your photograph?‟


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„Can you describe a time when you experienced a contemplative space or environment‟

„What is your understanding of „sacred‟?‟

„Could you please give an example of what you consider to be a contemplative space?‟

„You have taken a photo of a space that you felt has some contemplative meaning. Can you please explain, why?‟

The aim of the interviews was to elicit spontaneous, rich, multifaceted information of human experience from the participant through being open to their commentaries and to my own shifting understanding of the phenomena, adapting questions and tone as appropriate. The photographs served as a point of return during the interview, providing new insights of aspects already covered.

Each interview took approximately 40 minutes. On their conclusion, the participants permitted me to have their photographs. I then transcribed the recorded conversations (Appendix 1), and these transcripts and photographs constituted the data of my study.

Steven Holl refers to Maurice Merleau-Ponty‟s description of the „in-between reality‟ or „ground on which it is universally possible to bring things together‟ as the moment in which individual elements begin to lose their clarity, the moment in which objects merge with the field. This was my intention with the interviews: a phenomenological focus on individual experiences as lived by the participants; experiences that emerge or show themselves as naturally as possible over time. The experiences are the culmination of intention and attention of the person where essential meaning is manifested. During the interviews, participants ended up sharing emotional experiences in their lives which they had never even talked about before. They took me to a totally different world; a world that is not normally accessible to others, and perhaps not previously to the individuals themselves in such an overt way. Such discussions are not normally part of our everyday life – possibly because they are not considered important, or possibly because they are regarded as too special to share with anybody. But the fact that my interview questions generated the dialogue that was never shared before by individual souls, gave me a sense of satisfaction and the feeling that the data contained that sacred quality within themselves.


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3.2.3 Analysis

The data collected in the manner described above represented first-hand data. However, these had to be analysed to reveal the essence of sacred spaces from the users‟ experience. This was undertaken through a process of „reflective analysis‟ (Van Manen), and involved a cleansing both of the data collected and the overall contemplative experiences.

The method followed here is one which Seamon (2007) explains: „Whatever the particular phrasing, the common assumption is that the individual descriptive accounts, when carefully studied and considered collectively, reveal their own thematic meaning-organization if we, as researchers, remain open to their guidance and speaking, their disclosure, when we attend to them” (p.13).

Factors affecting the choice of interviewees for the study are –

1. Accessibility

2. Balance include people from design and non-design backgrounds.

3. Multicultural diversity

4. Agreement to participate

Advantages/Disadvantages – A cross section of adult society is the target participants‟ pool for this research. Participants invited are designers or non designers, culturally diverse from one another, adult aged (18+) males and females. The participants come from regional Brisbane as they were readily accessible for the research. Hence the participants of this research belong to the same geographical area at the time the interviews were conducted.

Analysis of data – Data of the study came from 21 interviews of different participants, my own interview and the literature review. Three things were considered while analysing the data namely:

1. Overall experience

2. „Person‟ aspect of that experience

3. „Environment‟ aspect of that experience

These form the dimensions of the data analysis. The experiences narrated by the participants show that contemplative experiences are different for different participants. Person (P) aspect of that experience highlights what the person is doing and feeling while having that experience. This involves physical (in terms


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of what activity they are doing), psycho-social and emotional aspects. The Environment (E) aspect of that experience includes the physical aspects of environment that lead to contemplative experiences.

Figure 3.3: Process of analysis


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The process of analysis of transcripts as graphically conveyed in Figure 3.3 is described below. All the interviews were taken as one chunk of data that were analysed in the followings steps:

1. Individual analysis - Firstly each individual transcript was analysed in

terms of environmental elements (E) and person‟s understanding (P) of

contemplative experience

2. Collection and charts - Secondly, all the environmental elements were

collected together on one chart and all participants‟ understandings of

contemplative experiences were decoded on another chart. Thus, two

charts (chart E and chart P) of different qualities of environment (E) and of

person (P) were prepared. The phrases and the statements in the

participants‟ own „voice‟ were quoted in these charts. The rigour of the

research was maintained by the use of participants own words

3. Grouping - The similar qualities were grouped together in both chart E and

chart P

4. Naming the groups - With chart E, different physical characteristics

evolved and the groups named accordingly. The levels of grouping

emerged and the hierarchy established. With chart P, different meanings of

contemplative experiences were discovered. The groups were labelled

based on different classification – E being Different physical

characteristics and P being Different meanings of contemplative

experiences

5. Linkage - Groups of chart P were linked with groups of chart E and

comparison was undertaken with the established framework by Franz

(1998)

6. Central concepts - The grounded central concepts such as core, distinction,

manifestation, cleansing, creation, sharing surfaced from this holistic

scrutiny of the data

7. Exploration - The significance of these central concepts were explored in

relation to the literature review and writing the entire thesis.

3.2.4 Interpretation

Once the analysis was completed it was then possible to consider the combined findings of the existential phenomenological study, the hermeneutic study of


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literature and my own phenomenological experience of contemplative spaces, and their implications for the design of multicultural contemplative spaces. According to my findings, space that enables manifestation – full or profound experience of contemplation, realisation or simply being or doing – to take place is sacred space.

3.3 Summary

Holl (2007) explains: “Beyond the physicality of architectural objects and practicalities of programmatic content, enmeshed experience is not merely a place of events, things, and activities, but something more intangible, which emerges from the continuous unfolding of overlapping spaces, materials, and detail” (np). Such is the aim of this research; that is, to understand the intangible that emerges with unfolding for the person and his or her environment. The respect for the participants, the reverence for their contemplative experiences, the belief that they are pure and therefore very important, and that they are once-off events are the attitudes that made the interviews such a potentially unique and rich source of meaning and a reflection of the essential phenomenological nature of this study. While the literature review provided the insights of other researchers on the subject of the thesis, the interviews and their analysis gave an invaluable first hand understanding.


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Chapter 4 CLEANSING ...................................................................66

4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................ 66 4.2 Functional/physical relationships ..................................................... 67

4.2.1 Physical type of activity ...................................................................... 67 4.2.2 Physical aspects of person (P) involved in the activity ....................... 69 4.2.3 Physical aspects of the environment (E) involved in the activity ....... 70 4.3 Psycho - social relationships .............................................................. 81

4.3.1 Psycho-social relationships ................................................................. 82 4.3.2 Psycho-social aspects of person (P) involved in the activity .............. 85 4.3.3 Aspects of the environment (E) ........................................................... 88 4.4 Existential relationships ................................................................... 104

4.4.1 Existential relationships .................................................................... 105 4.4.2 Existential aspects of person involved in the activity ....................... 105 4.4.3 Different aspects of the environment (E) .......................................... 110 4.5 Summary ........................................................................................... 113

4.5.1 Cleansing ........................................................................................... 114 4.5.2 Nothingness – freedom of choice ...................................................... 115 4.5.3 Transformational activity or the experience of transcendence .......... 116


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Chapter 4 CLEANSING 4.1 Introduction

Cleansing is a concept closely connected to manifestation and to the sacred and contemplative experience as conveyed in the data. In this context, cleansing is described as the process of emptying, clearing, filtering, distilling, removing assumptions and distractions, quietening down, and reaching the „state of nothingness‟. In this state of nothingness, experiences such as quietude, silence, pre-stilling or stillness, and peace are felt by the participants. It would appear from the findings of this study that the „state of nothingness‟ or the „process of cleansing‟ is the transitional phase to a final feeling of release, happiness, love or serenity. The study further suggests that it is from nothing that everything can be created. The process of generating a space of nothingness is part of the contemplative experience. It forms a necessary and inevitable aspect of appreciating the meaning of contemplation, as well as the process involved in distilling meaning from the data.

„Cleansing‟ is the phenomenon that clearly emerges in the analysis and findings of the interview data. It shows up as prevalent in the contemplative experiences of every participant. Through the narrations, I believe I was able to get a sense of what each participant felt as part of their contemplative experiences. During the interviews I was transported with them to different places, such as the Jaisalmer Desert of India, a brook in a colonial park in the USA, and a church in Barcelona. It was in these places that the contemplative lived experiences of participants were manifested. For the study, memories of these experiences were prompted by asking each participant: „Could you tell me about your contemplative experience with the help of your photographs?‟

The essential qualities of the participants‟ contemplative experiences are explained in this chapter, in terms of the activity associated with the experience, and the aspects of the person (P) and the environment (E) contributing to this experience. As found from interviews and analysis of transcripts, the activity relationships between the person and the environment can be described in terms of three categories, reflecting those found by Franz (1998). They include:

Functional or physical relationships

Psycho-social relationships

Existential relationships


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4.2 Functional/physical relationships

The functional or physical person-environment relationships as analysed in the interview transcripts are described below.

4.2.1 Physical type of activity

Analysis of the interview data revealed the following activities connected to contemplative experiences:

Sitting

Walking

Meditating

Practising yoga

Praying

Socialising

Creating art work

Sitting is the activity which most of the participants have described while narrating their contemplative experiences – whether this be sitting on a bench in a park, or church, sitting on the floor while praying, or sitting in a tree for fun. It appears that the activity of sitting provides a ground or basis for moving to another dimension of experiencing. Walking can also facilitate this, as expressed by one the participants: “The other place is in UK in a small beach-town called Southend-on-sea…I just like the town but no place in particular - perhaps the walk on the jetty going into the sea from the beach. Or maybe a place where the land ends right below your feet and the water starts”. As another participant explains: “Quite often we go for a walk, purely to discuss matters bigger than - as I mentioned before, I would term them – peripherals. Quite often we go to walk to discuss everything. So yeah, we discuss while having fish and chips, while lying on the beach, while going for a walk, having coffee, yeah everything enjoying the view – just having that someone to share with I think – is nice”.

Pointing to the picture (Photograph 4.1) a participant says: “A bridge in Thailand - This picture is interesting too. A bridge in Thailand…hundreds of years old...several kilometres long. Though it is a man-made structure, it is expressed with great reserve…natural reserve. Again…very quiet”. Analysing the photograph reveals a place to walk, places to sit in sheltered or open spaces. Similarly, for another participant, sitting on a bench in a park and looking at the


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river (Photograph 4.2) constitutes a contemplative experience. She states: “Once I sit on this bench, I feel nothing between nature and me (and) that makes me feel comfortable and relaxed”. For her, the sense of release and peace is the contemplative experience.

Photograph 4.1: A place to walk and sit

She likes the tree protecting her from the sunlight while she gets a clear view of the water in the river. She likes to be there in the morning, and feels at one with nature when she spends her time there. She adds: “This river side, I don‟t know, but this makes me comfortable. Usually when I have been here during study period - once I think about my study - sometimes - I need some relax or need some thinking, then I go towards this side (so) particularly in the morning time”. Sitting, studying, and thinking are physical activities that are associated with contemplative experiences for several of the participants.

Photograph 4.2: A place to sit


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Referring to photograph 4.3, another participant says: “That is a photo taken in the afternoon when we were sort of set up – we had been to the markets and we had bought some fresh food from markets”.

Photograph 4.3: A place to eat, talk, reflect

She describes the setting by saying: “And we had come back and made tea and made some scramble, and put it out on the deck, and it was just in afternoon chatting (up) on a couple of things, so that was a contemplation – contemplation for me isn‟t always silent – it is also a discussion with someone over a space and we felt that – that particular space was conducive to reflecting on where we were and where we were going”. Eating food and other things associated with the activity can be considered a contemplative experience by some people.

4.2.2 Physical aspects of person (P) involved in the activity

When people engage in activities - as described previously - they do so through their mind and body; for example, thinking while sitting and watching. Whether it is a simple act of sitting or walking, a person is engaged in it consciously with their freedom of choice. The contemplative experiences as narrated by the participants are found to be enjoyable, or are very special to them. The freedom of choice and willingness to be involved in the activity for a participant are prime factors that make the experience enjoyable, pleasurable or contemplative; creating for them a sense of peace, tranquillity, calmness, or just being there in the moment.

Looking at Photograph 4.4, a participant says: “A second look at Malta- Back to Malta. What were we looking at in this picture? The natural stone? Yes and no. I was really using this picture to illustrate something…within that picture there is no…there is no sense of self expression…it is all quite natural…within the whole


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picture there is nothing attention grabbing, there is the lowest level of human expression. From here you can contemplate the universal. You really don‟t need to go to the Grand Canyon to contemplate either self or universe. I think it is more accurate to talk about „contemplating the universal‟ than „contemplating the universe‟. In a place for contemplation, the mind needs a place where external stimuli is minimal… you wouldn‟t want flashing billboards outside the window or a rock band practising near by. The designer‟s job is to provide a calming environment...one that focuses outwards…one without distractions…one with least focus on the capacity of the designer”.

Photograph 4.4: Sitting, standing, contemplating

4.2.3 Physical aspects of the environment (E) involved in the activity

Physically, the environments identified in the interview data can be any public or private space. They can be places to sit, places to walk, study, pray, a place to have coffee, the place to buy fresh food items like farmers‟ markets, a place to meditate, a place to cook, a place to read a book, a place to eat food, or a place to take a bath. Such environments are generally quiet and calm spaces that give „peace‟ and facilitate contemplation.

Analysing the data suggests the following qualities of these environments:

Space that is responsive to the occupants

Intensity and density of space

Composition of space through mass, void and transitional spaces

Movement and circulation in space

Sense of time – light and orientation


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Space that is responsive to the occupants

Responsive spaces appear to be those that are: flexible and adaptable, well organised and well maintained, neat and clean, aurally calm and peaceful. When environments are responsive they provide comfort to the occupants, creating the opportunity for a contemplative experience to occur.

The flexibility and adaptability of space

The flexibility and adaptability of space is inculcated as part of the function of the space. Such spaces cater to a variety of activities for users at different times of use. This flexibility and adaptability of environment provides freedom of choice to the participant that leads to contemplative experiences. The interview data give different examples such as a car park converted into the space to celebrate during Ramadan, or a bedroom becoming a meditation space, or a park allowing for various activities, or the stairs of an historical building used as meeting space by friends.

Flexibility connects environment and user in an integral way. The presence of the aspect of flexibility can therefore be found at different levels, depending on its relation either to the user or the space, or both user and space. Photograph 4.5 is an activity centre that accommodates different functions such as weddings, prayer, funerals. It is a multi-function activity centre designed by an architect who was one of the participants of this study. Flexibility of space was one of the key design elements of this project, as conveyed by the participant architect: “So it was intended that they‟d have Friday evening prayers there, by local Muslims – they use the building – its really a multi-faith space – it is intended to be a multi-faith chapel if you would like – that was the reason we couldn‟t come up with a reasonable name for it.”

Other examples reflecting different aspects of flexibility include:

Space allowing a variety of functions to take place

Space for „doing nothing‟

Open landscape views that allow different visitors to come and spend time there doing different things such as playing, talking, walking, climbing, eating, resting, sitting, celebrating

Space that can accommodate any number of visitors or people

Market places to buy-sell: transaction of goods, lots of people, friends, children around, different activities taking place related to market


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Home studio unit – place to live, grow, rest, cook and dream

Café space – has different visitors coming and having food and drinks with friends or alone. People come with laptops and sit alone while having coffee or food

Photograph 4.5: A flexible space

The ability of people to adapt to various spaces in response to their flexibility is demonstrated in the following examples drawn from the experiences of the participants:

Bedroom space used for meditation is also used for other functions such as sleeping, resting, planning, dressing, undressing

Vineyard/farm – places to grow produce; place for farmers to work, for vegetation to grow

Open land – animal grazing, grass grows; provides large open grounds for a university campus; students/visitors can walk, sit, enjoy a large arched rainbow in the sky

Steps of a building – a place to play, study, discuss, hold group meetings, simply sit, think, spend time with friends, and eat

Space having a connection to, or establishing a relationship with, the

outside

Well organised and well maintained spaces

A well organised, well maintained, neat and clean environment is found to be very inviting and extremely responsive for the occupants. According to the interview responses, such environments are found to give feelings of goodness, betterment and even a sense of wonder. The participant who brought Photograph 4.6 said that when he sees his room clean and organized, it gives him the sense of


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righteousness. He feels perfect by seeing his room neat and compares this to his identity of being a very simple human being; he relates the simplicity of his well organised room to his own persona and links that to his contemplative experience. Contemplative experience for him is to go into an empty space through the practice of meditation in his quiet and organised room.

Photograph 4.6: A simple space

Photograph 4.7 is referred to by two participants coincidentally because they came from the same university. It is a historical building in India and part of IIT Roorkee from which they graduated. The well organised and well maintained garden and the building itself gave them a sense of honour and pride. During their academic candidature, the participants spent many evenings in and around the building depicted in Photograph 4.7. Sitting at the steps of this building in the evening when not many people were around provoked a contemplative experience.

As one participant states; “This photo is showing the main building of my master‟s institute, that is, Indian Institute of Technology and yeah, I spent lot of time doing my masters around this building because it has very nice views, it‟s on a hill top, and it was built in 1857… so it has good architecture and design schemes and it‟s white, so it gives you a very pleasant atmosphere to sit there and just relax”.

Similarly the well organised, well maintained, neat and clean aspect of environment is conveyed in Photograph 4.8. The photograph was used by a participant to describe her contemplative experience from her family visit to


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Gandhi Ashram, India. It is a memorial museum of a freedom fighter of India and is highly significant even today. The participant describes how everything was so well organised and well maintained that she felt transported back in time. It did not feel old or out of fashion to her to be there. The space gave her „supreme peace‟ as conveyed by her in conversation.

Photograph 4.7: An organised space

Photograph 4.8: A well maintained, neat space

Intensity and density of space

This aspect of the environment is conveyed in the following photographs provided by different participants. The colours, enclosures, and volume encompassed in the space create an intensity that triggers contemplative experiences for the participants. The spaces are characterised by the dense occurrence of a few elements.


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Photograph 4.9: An intense space (a)

A participant brought the Photograph 4.9 and that Photograph 4.10 to help describe his contemplative experience. They are photographs from his travels and he likes to see these pictures often to refresh his memories. He says: “They fill me with energy and relax my mind! Green grounds make me feel happy and fill my heart with a lot of emotions. The sea makes me think deep inside, as you see horizon always. The breeze cools my body and a deep breath takes away all negative thoughts from within”.

When the pictures are analysed, it is found that they are characterised by the density of a few components creating the intensity. The intensity and density is generated in terms of colours of lush green plains and the river in Photograph 4.9, or through sea, sky, and horizon in Photograph 4.10.

Another participant refers to a contemplative experience when visiting the farmer‟s market in Adelaide (Photograph 4.11). She says, “The smell of freshly made bread and cheese feels divine to me”.

Analysis of Photograph 4.11 conveys intensity through the amount and uniformity of colour (density) of cheese, with the smell adding to the intensity experienced. Enclosure created by the cheese racks also adds to the visual intensity and density of the space. Looking at the photograph following, the participant adds: “Colours make me feel energized and happy”.


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Photograph 4.10: An intense space (b)

Photograph 4.11: A place that feels divine

Photograph 4.12: A place of colour and energy

Here in photograph 4.12, many murals put together bring in colours and textures to the wall, and the intensity and density thus generated creates a contemplative experience for the participant, even as she is talking.


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Composition of space through mass, void and interconnection

This aspect of the environment is described in terms of the basic organisation and planning of space. The spatial qualities generated from such space compositions add to the contemplative experiences of the participants. The play of mass and void in the space gives the sense of freedom, openness and choice to the participants. It is the composition of such spaces that prompts contemplative experiences; specifically, mass, void, and their interconnection through elements such as water in a waterfall (Photograph 4.13), a river (Photograph 4.14), or light (as in Photograph 4.15). All three photographs are brought by three different participants, yet the composition of the space through mass, void, and transitional space emerge as a common physical aspect of environment for the participants engaged in it.

Photograph 4.13: Mass, void and water (a)

In photograph 4.13, mass is formed by the mountain. Void of space creates an opportunity for people to climb, trees to grow through crevices, and the waterfalls to flow down within them. While looking at his pictures the participant who brought this photograph said, “They fill me with energy and relax my mind”.

A participant points to Photograph 4.14 and says: “Looking at the houses tucked on mountains while being at the river with the backdrop of mountains made me dream to have my own house over there”. The analysis of the photograph shows us the presence of the mountain in terms of mass, the river and the river bank in terms of void (filled by water). The transitional spaces are generated within them as people can sit or walk on the river bank. Such physical aspects of the


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environment through composition of mass, void and transitional spaces contribute to the contemplative experiences of participants.

Photograph 4.14: Mass, void and water (b)

Photograph 4.15: Mass, void, light and transition

Looking at Photograph 4.15 a participant adds: “The courtyards formed part of the design element of the building”. It is an example of composition of mass, void and the transition between them that helped create a contemplative experience for this participant. The puncture of mass creating void also brings in light, as well as enabling movement and transition.

Movement and circulation in space

This aspect of the physical environment that supports contemplative experiences is kinaesthetic. It is found that the movement and pause that the environment


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brings for the person adds to the shaping of one‟s contemplative experiences. An architect (who was a participant) said, “Movement, pause and circulation are one of our design elements to provide an experience of journey to our clients”. Another participant who provided Photograph 4.16 said that “Looking at cows or any birds or animals moving freely brings me a lot of happiness”.

Photograph 4.16: A space of free movement and circulation

It appears then that movement and circulation contribute to the formation of contemplative experiences.

Photograph 4.17: A space of controlled movement

Photograph 4.17 was used by one of the participants when he described how he walked around this building in the evenings as part of his contemplative experience. The physical aspect of the building and its colonnades and pathways provides a space for contemplative walking.


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Photograph 4.18: A space encouraging circulation

The Gandhi Ashram Museum is revered by another participant for its simple and effective circulation areas which contributed to her contemplative experience. She refers to floor patterns that change slowly and subtly while one walks in the museum, looking at the various exhibits and displays. The changing floor patterns mirror changes in the displays, adding interest and signalling to the participant that something new or different can be expected. In this way, the kinaesthetic quality of the experience is enhanced through the visual sensations, and vice versa. Space that emphasises the approach and departure is also acknowledged by the participants through their narratives.

Sense of time – light and orientation

The sense of time is a physical aspect of nature that participants give emphasis to in their narrations. A few examples of sense of time as physical aspects are: experiencing a sense of time through the change of wind direction, or watching a rainbow, or enjoying rain, or the moon and stars at night. One‟s orientation in space is facilitated by marking one‟s relationship to the elements in terms of east, west, north and south: something that is recognised by some participants in their descriptions of contemplative experience.

A participant described the beauty of Brisbane and its surrounds in her photographs, Photograph 4.19 being one of these. As she says, “We don‟t have to go far – all the images are within two hours of Brisbane to have a beautiful experience”. For some, physically directing oneself in time and space was significant. Early morning is a special time for a few participants, due to the absence of people and noise.


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Photograph 4.19: Orientation in time and space

The photograph following (Photograph 4.20) conveys a sense of time in terms of a season and activity in the form of rain, sunlight with green plains, trees and sky. It brought “a moment of pause and wonder” to the participant.

“It makes me think about our own self”, he added, looking at the picture.

Photograph 4.20: Seasonal time

4.3 Psycho - social relationships

The psycho-social relationships between person and environment are described in this section in the following way:

4.3.1 Psycho-social relationships

4.3.2 Psycho-social aspects of person (P)

4.3.3 Psycho-social aspects of environment (E)


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4.3.1 Psycho-social type of activity

Pause and introspection

Spending time with oneself and others

Clarifying confusions and feeling fresh/pure

4.3.2 Psycho-social aspects of person involved in the activity

Energised

Connection with nature or God or some „thing‟

Feeling emotional or special

4.3.3 Psycho-social aspects of environment involved in the activity

Use of natural materials

Colours, textures, patterns and details

Light, shadows and gradients

Symbolic or philosophic symbolism

Presence of human spirit and ergonomics (touch)

Presence of water

4.3.1 Psycho-social relationships

For the participants of the study, activities that operate at a psycho-social level in relation to an outcome of contemplation include: focusing within oneself, introspection and self evaluation, clearing and distilling one‟s mind, looking at oneself from a third person perspective. These are categorised in this study as:

Pause and introspection



Pause and Introspection

Participants identified temples, churches and places of worship (Photograph 4.21) as places to pause and be introspective. One participant described how sitting on a


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park bench helped her to pause and be reflective; another described how his bedroom was a place of meditation.

Photograph 4.21: A place to pause and be introspective


Pointing to Photograph 4.22, a participant expresses, “That particular image I took on my grandfather‟s 86th birthday and I was waiting for my mom to bring him – we were all going to meet up at Southbank there”.

Photograph 4.22: A place to wait

Spending time with oneself and with others contributes to the psycho-social aspect of the activities. Some participants said that being in motion facilitates contemplative experiences whether it be travelling in a ferry, driving a car or sitting in an aeroplane. These transitory, in transition situations allow people the


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time to contemplate. Motion is narrated in two ways by participants. One way is through the body being in motion – such as in a car/train/aeroplane/boat – and enjoying the changing views slowly and subtly (as explained before). Another is through the components of space moving and changing spatially.

One participant described how the roof of a contemporary church was designed so that its whole rectangular shaped concrete roof was on wheels and could be moved as per the requirements of those gathering. This sense of traversing was also described in terms of meditation and the act of going into a mental blank space or nothingness or, as another participant described, it: a “no thought moment”. In other narrations, participants referred to going mentally into the past or future; remembering their childhood or dreaming about future plans; in this way traversing both time and space. Motion (physical and imagined) and the ability to spend time with oneself appear to be critical aspects of contemplation.


It is observed that participants undergo clarification of their thoughts, confusions and feel fresh or pure while having a contemplative experience. Photograph 4.23 is Georgia O‟Keeffe‟s Ghost Ranch. As explained by a participant: “…the view is serene...that‟s what I am seeing...in a sense there is really nothing there…within that view man is not there saying „look at me‟. Perhaps the view is attractive because it is exotic…but there is also a great austerity in the landscape…there is nothing there created by the human hand…nothing there that the individual or group wants you to look at…nothing but this beautiful scenery”.

Photograph 4.23: A place of „nothingness‟


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4.3.2 Psycho-social aspects of person (P) involved in the activity

In the narrations, the participants expressed the feelings of being energised or uplifted; being creative; being close to God; emotion; nostalgia; being positive and inspired; being moved or excited, finding something comical; being seduced; pleasure; magic; empowerment; being attractive and attracted; magnetism; intoxication; freshness. These are classified as:

Energised

Connection with nature, or God, or some „thing‟


Energised

Photograph 4.24: Abundance and connection with nature, or God, or some „thing‟

Referring to Photograph 4.24, a participant says, “I experience wholeness and connected-ness”. There is a presence of abundance enabling her to experience joy and peace, but at the same time to be energised. The contradiction of town and countryside and presence of both in this photograph make her feel that she has everything.

Connection with nature, or God, or some „thing‟

Extracts from the interviews that emphasise relationships and connections are as follows:

“It is inside space and outside space. This riverside, makes me comfortable”.


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“There is a chapel that opens up to the elements, the arch …can slide back and open up so that the whole the chapel opens up to the altar point… That‟s the altar end, and that whole section arch moves back so that these areas become enclosed and covered and there is a wall in between. They are like boxing bridges”. This is a comment from another very respected architect participant and shows a direct relationship between the space of built-form that he designed and the space on which the built-form was sitting.

Looking at the following photograph (4.25), a participant says: “For my experience of contemplation, I have got these four series of photos of the same place – and the place is my house – a studio unit that I am renting up at The Gardens overlooking the botanical gardens. I love this place for its location”.

Photograph 4.25: Connection to nature and other „things‟


Referring to his sketch (Figure 4.1) a participant explains: “That‟s the Byron Bay light house - and to me this is one of my spirit spaces you know - I love to go there and I love to camp and I draw - I draw this a dozen times over the years so ...ahh and it‟s like when I go there, I am at home - I feel at home - I feel relaxed and comfortable and there is something about that place that does that to me - you know”.


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The sketch used by the participant was from his travel diary which he used as his symbolic journey of life in the interview.

Figure 4.1: A special place

For another participant, ceramic art (Photograph 4.26) enables her to explain a connection to Mother Mary. She appreciates the ceramic art form and talks about one of the concepts that she thinks of in relation to contemplative experiences. She explains: “It is a permanent piece of art for everybody. I suppose Catholics feel that strongest affiliation with Madonna. I personally feel that that figure of mother speaks to everybody because everybody has a mother and it does not have to be affiliated to religion. I myself am not a Christian, but after being a mother myself I realised this strong power of mother - child relationship”.

Photograph 4.26: Connection to the spiritual


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4.3.3 Aspects of the environment (E)

In terms of psycho-social connection, the participants identified other qualities including: authenticity; love; freedom; liberation; serenity; respect; awe. Various environmental elements facilitate these:


Colours, textures, patterns and details


Symbolic or philosophic symbolism

Presence of human spirit and ergonomics

Presence of water


Photograph 4.27: Natural materials

The presence of natural materials and natural colours, textures, patterns and

details in the environment appear to trigger the contemplative experiences of the

participants. Examples include: large spaces of green grass, the exposed brick

wall, the brass accessories, the Kota stone flooring, the ceramic clay tiled roof, the

timber ferries, the concrete floor, and natural elements of the beach such as water,

sand, shells, stones and rocks.

Looking at Photograph 4.27, a participant comments: “Rough hard texture of natural materials made the space feel very comfortable to me”. Another


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participant adds, “Rough materials that were used in the building such as rough Kota stone flooring and simple wooden structure made a special atmosphere of the place. The colour scheme gave a warm feeling”.

She comments directly on the natural materials as having a key role in her contemplative experience. Both the participants talk about the use of natural materials in the space contributing to the psycho-social aspect of their contemplative experience. The natural materials used in the space are seen visually, and experienced through smell and touch by the participants as described in the interviews. In their contemplative experiences, they feel the colours of those natural materials, their textures and patterns, and qualities such as roughness and warmth; also, the details and structures produced through the use of the materials are significant. The use of natural materials helps connect a person to the environment in more than just physical ways, as they also have strong associations with originality, authenticity and reverence.

There are instances in the interviews where participants clearly distinguish experiences on the basis of the material of the objects/space. For example, a participant emphasizes: “I mean one of the nicest experiences I have in this area is jumping on the old Brisbane ferries – not the new ones – you know the old timber ones that just cross across the river – if you sit at the back of that – that‟s a great contemplative place – because it is changing”.

An architect participant states: “And another thing that they were sort of concerned about was how you experience materiality. You know like actually the joy of the nature of the materials”.

Colours and textures

Looking at Photograph 4.28, a participant adds: “I have got pictures of a fresh market place in Adelaide. It‟s full of all markets, manufactures, producers, farmers, products, people, buyers and friends”. A visit to the fresh market is a contemplative experience for her. She adds that, “Salmon is very orange. When I see them, I know what the taste is going to be like...”. Here, the presence of colour, and therefore visual stimuli, triggers the taste buds and contributes to the psycho-social experience. Also, the authentic quality – the rich orange colour – is respected over the fake and artificial.

Extracts from the interviews that refer to colour include:


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“It was just a moulded space with the series of units together in it. You know bathrooms can be one thing, two thing, three things in a room - it never felt like that - it was more like a one come space. I think that had a lot to do with that experience. Colour did add to that feeling - kind of almost twilighty feeling in it”.

“When I go camping one of the things that fascinates me is different colours and these colours, and the camps and the way they are in the environment…”.

“Well, the windows are semi-obscure because they are stain glass windows and they don‟t allow the views out but they allow the light to come in - so they give sort of central-ling effect... the nature of different colours and different lighting effects … set a quiet meditative mood”.

Photograph 4.28: Fresh (authentic) produce

The colour is described with reference to the light as significant in stimulating a psycho-social experience. At other times in the interviews, however, it is also the natural colour scheme composed of natural material that is significant. As one participant states: “The floor is ground and concrete, the internal walls are poured concrete and interior and exterior is just this pattern-less random timber battening with fibreglass backing”.

The colour white is given special importance in several interviews. One participant refers to “White pebbles” as a design element of space, while another refers to “Whole building of white colour” that makes the building very special


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and makes it stand out from other things. There are many references to “Coloured glass windows in church” (Photograph 4.29).

In other cases, colours are referred to in association with patterns and textures: “Tiles for some senses is cold because of colour but I like it now. Materials used are natural and I like them”. Textural effect was also considered important in affecting mood. A participant talks about two levels of textures. The first level is the texture created by the use of the natural material itself, and the second level is the texture created by closed and open spaces. Therefore, texture in relation to psycho-social experience has two dimensions: one at the materials‟ surface level and another at the spatial level.

Photograph 4.29: Light, colour, pattern

Photograph 4.30: Elemental experience


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Other references to colours, textures and patterns include:

“Natural elements like water and pebbles together gave interesting texture and colour to the space in terms of visual perception to the overall building. I felt very natural over there”.

“And of-course when one gets inside I suppose it is stunningly beautiful and it‟s just the marble and the workmanship of it - but I think I like the outside even better you know”.

Patterns and details

Other details noted by participants are mural art work; the shadowy nature of the

form; materiality; the joy of the nature of the materials; the craft of natural

materials which slows down the building process; a robust plan and reflective

space. On the whole, the interviews indicate a relationship between contemplative

space and space that is highly crafted, requiring a slowing down and closer

examination of detail.

Photograph 4.31: A patterned space

An architect participant explains in this photograph that patterns were created with the use of timber sticks and fibreglass as part of the design feature to encourage contemplation.

Detailing

According to one participant, “Exposed brick and flooring gave me an earthly feeling”. The interview suggests that detailing is crucial to producing a holistic


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composition of space and use of materials. It is the final touch that completes the entire essence of natural materials in the way they come together as part of spaces. Details reflect the true nature of natural materials. Good craftspeople have this understanding and they reflect it in their work. Details are an intrinsic part of the application of natural materials. They show the human presence in terms of intellect or workmanship, or both; they express the making of a building through the work of hands over an extended period of time – a quality stimulating contemplation.

Photograph 4.32: Craftsmanship, time, contemplation

Referring to this picture (4.32), a participant explains: “In the beginning of the book about George Nakashima‟s work there is a little story…I think it is set in India…about the soul of a wood worker and his relation to the universe…the wood craftsman, upon receiving a commission from his wealthy patron spends much time in the forest, studying the trees, studying the wood, dreaming of worldly success, searching for ideas as to what he will create, thinking of the wealth his work might bring, searching for what the wood is trying to tell him. Only after he has forgotten himself and his worldly desire does he truly become a great sculptor”.

From this, it appears that the aging of wood brings new texture to a wooden surface. The wear and tear tells us the story behind the use of the natural material. It gives depth to the entire experience. The feel of such a surface amplifies the beauty and serenity of the wood as natural material. Time is an important aspect of the aging of natural materials. The aging of wood and the formation of the grain takes place with time. One can experience this through touch and through sight.


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Additional comments from participants include:

“We had a very good builder who understood that – the details matter – the way it‟s put together – so he really assembled it like a piece of furniture”.

This again reflects a close link between the details and the person involved in the making. In traditional Japanese houses, craftspeople evidently have a close affinity with the space they build. The above comment reflects the same timeless idea for a space that belongs to Queensland‟s contemporary architecture.


It is observed that when participants talk about colour in the environment, it is also in reference to light. Light is also given special mention in interviews, depending on the individual contemplative experiences of the participants.

Ronchamp was referred to twice by two different participants for its light quality and the feeling of the entire space. The participants talk about it with an emphasis on the „light‟ factor. A participant specifically said that “Light was important aspect of that green bathroom. It was diffusing light from the frosted glass - so it was everywhere. It was mono-chromatic quality, and the space was wrapped up in that light, and so it was very evocative”. She did not have a picture of the green bathroom she was talking about as it was in a rental property she used to stay in ten years back.

Photograph 4.33: Light and shadow


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An architect participant provided Photograph 4.33 and explained his concern of connecting inside and outside. Light, shadows and gradients were special features of his design. The play of colour, textures, patterns and details are all enhanced by the light feature in this space. Light has been found to make a striking difference for the participants. Through the medium of light, occupants can still relate to an outside environment, even if they are inside the built environment. Light forms the intangible threshold for the inside and outside spaces in the interview talks. Light, shadows and gradients formed within the environment add to the psycho-social aspect of the environment involved in the activity.

An academic participant showed Photograph 4.34 and related that “It was the sunshine that was main element because it was so dark and dim in that church, and then sunshine came across the column and it brought a sense of life to the cold, I suppose, space. You know that cold and smell of incense, I looked across the church and all I could see was sunshine across this column”.

Her contemplative experience expressed through this picture embraces several psycho-social contributors such as: effective light quality; presence of natural material stone; its status as a heritage site adding the „special‟ value; and a sense of association to the buried dead through having their names inscribed in the minute stone engravings on the floor. Light or sunshine, as the participant explains, creates warm and bright space outside the church, and cool and dark space within the church. The column reflects light, shadows and forms, and there is a threshold barrier connecting and separating the inside and the outside of the cathedral.

Photograph 4.34: Light and dark adding contrast


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Other extracts that reflect „light‟ as an important element contributing to contemplative experiences are:

“Beautifully illuminated historical buildings at night”

“Looking at the sun / moon / shadows / rain / activity patterns of flora and

fauna”

“Light reflected from river water in the morning time that brings comfort”

Symbolic or philosophic associations

Symbolic or philosophical associations contribute significantly to the psycho-social aspects of the environment. These associations are observed to be quick triggers to creating such experiences.

Photograph 4.35: Symbolic space

Referring to the above photograph (4.35), a participant explained: “The pictures are of the place where I sit everyday to do my ritual prayer to God. The blue mat defines the area where I place the symbolic God I believe in, a sacred book from which I read mantras, and Hindu rosary made out of Tulsi (Hindu sacred plant) stem beads for chanting. The mat is only used for praying to God and for not any other purpose”. She had brought a series of four photographs of this place from floor to sky to depict her contemplative experience. It involves praying to God and revering the Banyan tree (which is outside her studio unit) at the same time, as part of her daily ritual. This gives us insight into the symbolic and philosophical associations a person can make, based on their personal beliefs, faith and religion.


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Looking at Photograph 4.36, a participant - who is a ceramic art teacher - says that “It is a permanent piece of art for everybody. I suppose Catholics feel that strongest affiliation with Madonna. I personally feel that that figure of mother speaks to everybody because everybody has a mother and it does not have to be affiliated to religion”. She adds further that, “We don‟t have such spaces here in Australia, where people can pause to reflect in public space. There are similar spaces in streets of Thailand where there are small shrines and things like that”.

A participant shows Photograph 4.37 and says that, “In cathedrals, it is so beautiful. It makes me 'Waooow'. It makes me comfortable. This place is sacramental place - honestly saying in church I go to pray and meditate; however, I don‟t really know about this quiet, because this place is… for the prayer and that is the reason I am going there: to pray”. This statement shows clearly that symbolic and philosophical associations are a direct trigger for certain experiences. In this case, the church and its atmosphere compel one to pray, meditate, and respect the surroundings. This adds to the formation of her contemplative experience.

Photograph 4.36: Symbolic expression


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Photograph 4.37: A designated sacred space

In another situation, a participant, while sitting on his bed meditating, also looks at the photographs of the deity that he has placed on the desk above to pay his respects and obedience to the religion he follows. Pointing to the photograph (4.38) he says, “This is if you can see is extension to that place. I pray. And nowadays, I try and pray every day so… that corner of my room is my religious place. That is something that probably adds value to the other photo. That photo is the start if you like and then, usually I sit so that I face that side. So I face the God. So when I open my eyes, I try and see that I am looking there - my way of developing faith or extending my faith”.

Photograph 4.38: A private sacred space


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Photograph 4.39 was brought to the interview by an architect participant who emphasised the quality of serenity in evoking contemplation for him.

Photograph 4.39: A serene space

As he explains: “A tea-house in China… An all green building…anonymously decorated…fading into the background…reticent…floating silently above the calm waters of the lake. The tea drinkers looking outward… across the giant waterlilies…to who knows where”.

The picture itself shows a lot of symbolic details used in the built form which give us a clue about its background and origin. It does not represent one particular style of architecture, but through these symbolic associations, it belongs to a particular era and brings those philosophical associations to the mind of the observer.

From the different interviews, the symbolic or philosophic associations that are found to be instrumental for such experiences are as follows:

Photographs of deity

Historic buildings

Shells as mementos of a visit to river

Banyan tree – link to India from Australia or as a guardian from the universe

Holy body – sacramental place

Memory of childhood – playing on steps

Bougainvilleas as symbol of love and relationship with deceased grandmother


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Grave yard – the dead township

Climate or vegetation as relative to something

Space where flora and fauna can live / stay / breed / rest / as better spaces for making dwellings

Space to be as transparent and as comfortable as possible.

Symbolic elements from Muslim faith

Presence of human spirit and ergonomics (touch)

The presence of a human dimension adds hugely to the formation of the contemplative experiences either in terms of a happy crowd of people in the market, or an intricately detailed part of the built environment (that shows the consideration for other people). The presence of the human spirit is also found in terms of the ergonomic quality of the space for a few participants. The entire experience is about being present to such feelings. The presence of human spirit in the space, or through ergonomics of the space, components provide connection to the participants with their environment. The photographs following were shown to me by a participant who was moved to tears of contemplation while being in that space.

Photograph 4.40: The human presence in form

Looking at Photograph 4.40 she said, “But there is another picture here and the park where you sit with a series of seats that wind in and out and that was the most amazing experience as there was no one out there, and it finally dawned on me, I suppose that I was so far away from home… the beauty of it really captured me and you can see the gloss across the top of the seat and when you sit in the seat


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your body takes in that. I had my music on – my piece of opera – and in that I was so profoundly moved, I was moved to tears. I ran my hand around this entire thing, all the smoothness and it was a really powerful moment - I don‟t know what - it was really a connection with not just an object but with a space and a thing. I was sitting there feeling this architecture specially - this curved architecture - feeling with my body, and feeling with my hands something I can‟t really explain. Every time I look at the pictures, I am taken aback”.

This example (4.41) shows the presence of spirit emerging through the built environment through the ergonomic relationship provided for the participant. The presence of spirit emerged in different ways in the environment for different participants. Here, the person establishes a direct relationship with the components of the environment by way of touch. The ergonomics, scale, proportion and volume of the environment plays an important role in evoking this presence of spirit. It is through this presence that the person experiences a direct relation to the environment.

Photograph 4.41: An emerging spirit

An ergonomically comfortable environment contributes to the psycho-social relationship between environment and person. This is best explained through different examples from the interviews; particularly those involving touch. These include:

“The touch of hot bread in your hand and you know you are treating yourself with something fabulously special”

“Work of hands and use of crafts in the space and slowing down the whole process of making and building”


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“The bath tub was a really, really, really deep old one. So when you are in it you are actually up to your shoulders in it…the fact that you were so submerged”

It is observed from the interview data that touch enables a person to become intimate with what one is experiencing or feeling, whether it is environment, the surface of the element, or a component. Touch enhances visual experience, making the experience stronger and more effective.

Presence of water

Most of the interviews identify the presence of water as part of their contemplative experiences. Several mention a flowing river, or the pond, the lake, the ocean, the beach, the waterfall, and streams. Different forms of water are mentioned in different interviews by the participants. It is found that water, as much as it is an essential part for all lives, is equally essential or significant in generating contemplative experiences. As observed in the interview data, the presence of a water body in any form is one of the most important psycho-social aspects of the environment. The sound of water also plays a critical role in engaging participants in the environment. Visual and auditory qualities of water are mentioned by different participants as contributing to their contemplative experiences.

Photograph 4.42: Body of water

One of the participants who brought the above picture (4.42) drives past this esplanade while commuting to and from work, and its encounter forms part of her everyday contemplation. As she explained: “Water has an immediate effect on everybody”, and it is, therefore, significant for the psycho-social aspect of the environment that provides contemplative experiences.


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The participants provided several pictures with water as a central element of the environment. Looking at the photographs that follow (4.43; 4.44), one participant said: “This image again was taken during our walks at Scarborough…enjoy the view and just the serenity of it all: it was extremely peaceful. Looking at water has an immediate effect for anyone – the vast scapes of water – with some greenery – whether it‟s overcast or with clear sky – it still has got some – just complete awe about it which is just an amazing thing … we get this privilege to drive along the water view every morning so every evening coming home – it‟s a nice thing. So I find this space completely conducive to reflection and contemplation”.

Photograph 4.43: The Ocean

Photograph 4.44: Relaxing by the ocean

Other participants also provided pictures of water, whether it was the river or a water feature (Photograph 4.45).


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Photograph 4.45: Sitting by the water

4.4 Existential relationships

In terms of contemplative experiences, existential relationships between persons and the environment are understood to take place through the five bodily senses, and their interaction with particular elements in the environment. These are discussed in this section as:

Existential relationships

Existential aspects of person

Existential aspects of environment

These relationships between person and environment are found to have further classifications in each section as described below:

Existential type of activity

Sitting and holding attention

Resting or relaxing

Withdrawing formally

Contemplating

Engaging consciously


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Existential aspects of person involved in the activity

Sense of release (sight)

Sense of exhilaration (smell)

Forgetting all one‟s worries (sound)

Existential aspects of environment involved in the activity

Sense of Nothingness

Sense of space

Sense of being present (taste)

4.4.1 Existential relationships

As understood from the psycho-social aspect of the environment, components of space hold the attention of the participants, making them more aware of their connection to the world and to themselves. The existential activities contributing to the contemplative experiences of participants can involve simply sitting, resting, feeling the seasons, and reflecting; appreciating the eternal quality of art, architecture, design, the garden, nature, history, heritage, and the presence of a greater power.

These aspects emerged from the interview data. The activity of sitting is the most common physical activity that is reported during the contemplative experience. The existential aspect of this activity is that it helps to hold one‟s attention on something, to contemplate, and to consciously feel its sense or meaning.

4.4.2 Existential aspects of person involved in the activity

The person involved in the activity goes through different states existentially: relaxing the mind, having one‟s moment of escape, a sense of release, a sense of exhilaration, and forgetting all one‟s worries. It is observed from the interview data that the five senses, and their interaction with the environment consciously give rise to contemplative experiences for the participants. For example:



Forgetting all worries (sound)

Each of these three existential aspects of the person contributes to the contemplative experience, working individually or in combination. Each is different in terms of experiences and is triggered through a different sense.


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The interviews reveal two different levels of the sense of sight – physical and psychological – that contribute to the existential aspect of a sense of release.

Several participants reflect on seeing two dimensional artworks, wall decorations, or grottos on walls that take them to the transcendental state. Here, visual association plays an important role in taking them existentially into a different state where they feel pleasure or a sense of release.

As a participant says: “The sight of the water lazily flowing past, and the soft noise that it makes while hitting the stones or the turf is just amazing. The whole atmosphere is so serene that you just forget all your worries. Actually I go there to introspect. Just think about the direction in which my life is heading and what … has happened. Also, evaluate my relationships with people and events”. The sight of a body of water brings him serenity. Thinking and introspection about life is his form of contemplative experience. So, again, there are two different levels present here – the physical and psycho-social – and a person moves through these levels, and (existentially) makes sense of, and takes meaning from, the experience as it relates to his or her own self.

Contemplative experience for some participants involves a sense of release. They achieve this by looking at water, or anything that makes them comfortable for an extended period of time. An architect participant, who claims to intentionally design contemplative spaces, says: “…and its not about the size of the thing or its not even the views out, its not necessarily about…the individual elements - like how the lights coming in - but its some kind of sort of combination of all of those spirits, in a way that just makes some interesting chemistry happen and … spaces feel beautiful”. This describes the existential nature of the experience of the person who is still talking visually, and who has the sense of release by not holding on to a particular aspect, but by contemplating the whole.


For the participants, the olfactory quality of the environment emerges as an

important existential quality affecting contemplative experiences. Smell is found

to be an integral part of the user‟s environment, as highlighted in the interviews.

The interview data suggest that smell has a subtle role in contributing to the

existential aspect of the person engaged in the activity, contributing to a sense of


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exhilaration. The sense of raw nature, the sense of presence to one‟s own self, and

the sense of natural materials are registered through their sense of smell.

Extracts that qualify this include:

“Feeling seduced by eucalyptus smell coming from the eucalyptus forest while approaching the site”

“Feeling the smell and getting the sense of presence”

“This place has beautiful aroma of coffee – they are original Italian owners‟; and later adds that “Bread is made in premises. There are ovens on the back side of the shops and sometimes when I buy bread, they are still hot. It just smells divine. You feel that you treated yourself something very, very special”.

Photograph 4.46: Exhilarating smell

A participant refers to the photograph 4.46 by saying that, “This one was a quiet corner and fish is smoked. Smell of smoking here was so awesome...You can smell the wood in them.… When I see them, I know what the taste is going to be like. It‟s all smoked on the premises”. A sense of freshness, or of the beauty of nature emerges in discussions about the smell of food, or fruits or vegetables or freshly wet sand. This experience is generated through aroma, fragrance, or incense used as a way of ritual. It comprises the existential experience of the person involved in the activity. A sense of exhilaration occurred where participants were present to themselves, and sensed the smell of natural materials such as different wood, cork, rubber or paper used in the environment.


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Forgetting all the worries (sound)

A participant says: “… and the soft noise that it makes while hitting the stones or the turf is just amazing. The whole atmosphere is so serene that you just forget all your worries”. The sense of sound is found to be closely associated with the mind and thoughts of the participants. For most of them, a comfortable, quiet or calm place brings them peace. The activity they undertake here is to get present to the silence of the environment, and the silence of their mind. They come to the moment where they find all their worries gone, and this leads to their existential experience.

Their experiences indicate that the quality of sound contributes to their own being. It is either the pleasurable presence of sound, or comfortable absence and quietness that catches the person‟s attention. Existentially, sound plays an important role in engaging the person in a contemplative way, and is instantly registered by the user/s of the space. Its effect is easily felt and experienced.

The various types of sound that engage the person with the environment and make them forget their worries are:

The sound of music

The sound of rain

The drizzling of rain drops

The gush of water falling or a waterfall

The sound of ocean waves

The sound of leaves waving in the wind

Laughter, making an environment warm and friendly

Chanting mantras or Hindu sacred words

The soft voice of a person speaking

The chirping of birds

In the words of one of the participants, who explains how she forgets her worries while being in the church: “Besides that, we have been socialized into not talking inside the churches, so I mean to get people to come in and sort of remain quiet” (Photograph 4.47).


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Photograph 4.47: A quiet space

Examples from the interview data show the comfortable absence of sound – present in the environment or achieved „mechanically‟ – adding to the existential aspect of being. Some include:

“But most importantly it is the calmness of the place and the peace that it brings to your mind when you are there - which I like the most”.

“Usually, there is some distraction when I am doing this exercise and therefore I try and put cotton plugs in my ears so that I don‟t get distracted - and that‟s why it helps that the windows are closed. It‟s preferable if it is quiet”.

“… Because it was a very silent place, very quiet - it helped me to grasp the problem of mathematics”.

“Contemplation to me is not always about silence and solitude”.

“One of the most important factors affecting my Central Market‟s

experience is the total absence of vehicles – no cars, delivery trucks etc”.

“There was no noise from outside vehicles on the road. It was so quiet and peaceful”.

“Plenty of silence” – “quietude of the place stuck me so much” – “minimal amount of extra sound”.


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Different types and qualities of sound are registered by persons as part of their contemplative experiences. Their experience of forgetting their worries and being in the environment at an existential level is supported by the quality of sound they feel. Auditory stimulus is integral to the sensory aesthetics of a person‟s engagement.

4.4.3 Different aspects of the environment (E)

The aesthetics of the environment generate an existential relationship between a person and their environment. It is observed that the person feels certain things existentially while being involved in a variety of activities. But it is also the environment that surrounds the person, and the activity that contributes to the existential being of the contemplative experience. Different aspects of environment that contribute existentially to the experiences are the sense of nothingness, the sense of space and the sense of being present (taste). As found in the interview data, these aspects of environment prepare participants to extend their contemplative experience more fully. Aspects of the environment involved include:

Sense of nothingness

Sense of space


Sense of Nothingness A participant shares a sense of nothingness as part of his daily meditation; he goes into the mind space where there is blankness, or „an empty canvas‟, as he labels it. He explains: “I try and go into a place where I cannot think… This is the place where I can go into absolute stillness – I don t have any thoughts in my mind - I am just there in the moment, and for me that‟s really good. That takes away all the stress of my day”. He practises this because someone told him that from nothing one can create everything. So he intentionally takes his mind into the state of nothing to redefine his own self through a simple breathing exercise. This suggests that the visual sense of environment is controlled to reduce distraction.

The sense of Nothingness is also connected to the absence of certain things that are always taken for granted. For example, one of the participants talks about “No air conditioning in the whole museum…” No air conditioning here means that there was natural ventilation in the museum space with a very comfortable natural breeze, and light and air coming into the space and giving a pleasant, comfortable


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feeling for the user. The museum without air conditioning worked in an inspiring, beautiful way, and contributed to the contemplative experience of the participant. Sense of nothingness is also attributed to closed eyes during meditation. It is understood from the interview data that it is not always through the presence of something that contemplative experience takes place.

Sense of space

A sense of space is determined in the environment through multi-purpose spaces. The existential aspect of space is contributed through the flexibility and adaptability of space. The physical and psycho-social aspects of the environment are involved in such activity. Such spaces not only provide a freedom of choice to the person to do what they want, but also allow a variety of functions to take place. The multi-purpose spaces as emerging from the interview data are the spaces for “doing nothing” such as steps of a building; the bedroom space that is used for meditation as well as sleeping, resting, planning, dressing, undressing; the activity centre that caters to different functions such as weddings, different activities of students and staff, funerals, praying; the open landscape views that allow different visitors to come and spend time there doing different things such as playing, talking, walking, climbing, eating, resting, sitting, celebrating. Other examples include:

Space that can accommodate any number of visitors or people

The vineyard/farm: a place to grow produce, for farmers to work, for vegetation to grow

Open lands where animals graze, grass grows, or large open grounds for university campus students and visitors to walk, sit and enjoy views

Market places where people buy-sell things, lots of people, friends, and children

Home studio unit which is the place to live, grow, rest, cook, and dream

Café space that has different visitors come and have food and drinks, with friends or alone. People come with laptops and sit alone while having coffee or food

The point these examples make is that these places allow a range of different activities to take place for the participants. In these places they are given freedom of choice to decide what they would like to do in those spaces. Therefore, the multi-purpose space aspect of the environment adds to the existential relationships for the person and the activity.


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Many participants talk about the sense of taste in activities involving eating freshly plucked fruits or eating food. The environment brings the sense of being present to the participants while they are involved in such activities. It is observed that the sensuous quality of taste is always associated with food and the tongue, but is not generally considered explicitly in the design of the built-environment. The interviews play a critical role here in revealing this aspect. They do this in their reference to feeling the freshness of nature (and, therefore, reverence for the environment), and by enjoying nature through consuming food, and recognising its contribution to existential awareness and development. As a participant says: “I also love to pick grapes and eat them fresh, and in those vineyards it is actually allowed to pick small amounts”. “Fresh in moments” is another phrase used by a participant in relation to his experience of being offered coconut water in Bali. This again links taste to the sense of being present. In the latter situation, the participant was warmly invited to the traditional Bali home. As he was their guest, someone climbed a tree, chopped a coconut in front of him, and then offered the coconut water to him in a fraction of time. He was so overwhelmed by the experience of drinking fresh coconut water and the intention of his hosts to provide such a warm welcome, that he refers to that as his contemplative experience.

“Tasting sample food in fresh markets” while interacting with the sellers and producers in Adelaide markets – unlike supermarket stores – is another sensuous contemplative experience described by a participant.

Photograph 4.48: Being present in the environment


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This photograph describes the sense of being present in the environment while the participant was having fish and chips. In the interviews, the reverence of the participants for natural quality surfaces several times where participants are talking about consuming fruit or drink that is very fresh. Plucking fresh things from a plant or tree, and eating or drinking is narrated by a few participants as being part of their contemplative experiences. It also represents the love, care, and warmth of the people involved in the environment and the presence of nature itself with its abundance. Therefore, a sincere reverence for nature is commanded or experienced in the environment. Enjoying nature through drinking or consuming food, as part of culture, is a quality that is an elaborate way of life for people where food, nature, and customs are given special place.

4.5 Summary

It is understood that the physical, psycho-social, and existential relationships between a person and the environment contribute as a whole to the contemplative experience of the participants. There are some essential aspects that are instrumental to contemplative experiences associated with these relationships. Such instrumental aspects are understood by the process of Cleansing, the concept of Nothingness and the transformational activity or the experience of Transcendence. These are the commonalities that are found as the underlying structure supporting person – environment relationships in terms of the contemplative experiences.

The process of Cleansing

The concept of Nothingness

Transformational activity or the experience of Transcendence

Based on the analysis of the transcripts, these are classified below:

Cleansing

As a process

As instrumental aspects of the person-environment relationships

The concept of Nothingness

Nothingness as activity of person

Nothingness as experience of person

Nothingness in environment


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Transformational activity or the experience of Transcendence

Empty space and Utility

Space to engage person and Purpose

Creation and Experiences

4.5.1 Cleansing

In the interview data, phrases such as empty canvas, absolute stillness, pre-stilling mind, no distraction, no noise / less noise, no disturbance, no traffic, nothing moment, no thought state, access to nothing / everything, sacred, pure, purity, natural, spiritual, not related to outside world, certain „state of mind‟, closed off to the world, and no restrictions, are found. Such phrases are associated with the concept and phenomenon of cleansing in relation to contemplative experiences.

Cleansing as a process instrumental to the person-environment

contemplative relationships

Cleansing, as observed in the data collection, takes place in the form of a „process‟ and underlies each and every interview. The functional or the intentional level of cleansing includes physical cleansing, or physical factors affecting the cleansing process. The psycho-social and existential levels of the cleansing process, on the other hand, include the experience of feeling cleansed, or clear and pure. Such experiences of cleansing are also generated by seeing the intact, neat and clean places, or clear things, and feeling cognitively „more organised‟, „appropriate‟ and „pure‟. Here, visual organisation directly affects the physical, psycho-social, and existential aspect of the cleansing process.

The word „Cleansing‟ is used because the analysis of the transcripts shows that participants go through the processes of emptying, purifying, and creating while having contemplative experiences. The functional or physical aspect of the cleansing process gives the understanding of physically cleaning, filtrating, or segregating something through the built environment. Understandings of clearing or excluding emerge as part of the process of cleansing at the psycho-social level. Understandings of purification emerge at the existential level of the Cleansing process. The activity centre referred to in one of the interviews has a cleaning space for Muslim students. In another situation, a participant talks about cleaning the balcony herself as part of her contemplative experience. These exemplify the physical aspect of the Cleansing process.


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Walks taken by several participants help filter their own self from disruptions, and are considered here as a psycho-social aspect of the Cleansing process. The order-interest phenomenon, explained by an architect participant, is also an existential aspect of the process of Cleansing. The order-interest phenomenon represents the process of clearing up, eliminating, or removing elements, unnecessary; everything that is extra from the space. It is more about exclusion than inclusion, and further aims to establish a point of control and balance.

The functional need of cleansing for the user is also seen emerging strongly during meditation, or when one goes alone to places in order to cleanse themselves – to empty their consciousness, purify it, and create their own selves as they want to be. Therefore, the contemplative experiences contain the process of Cleansing as the instrumental aspect of the person-environment relationship.

4.5.2 Nothingness – freedom of choice

The environment provides the freedom of choice for the person in relation to the concept of nothingness. This creates the formation of contemplative experiences where nothingness exists as an activity of the person. In the physical aspect of P-E relationships, it is observed that many participants mention just sitting and doing „Nothing‟. This conveys the concept of Nothingness as an activity of the person. In the psycho-social aspect of P-E relationships, it is observed that participants consciously try to feel Nothingness by going into the feeling of empty space or no thought – no noise zone; or by simply feeling blank, or nothing, as part of their contemplative experiences. This conveys the concept of Nothingness as an experience of person. Nothingness in the environment is understood by the process of Cleansing, availability of the multi-purpose spaces, and the flexibility and adaptability of the built environment. These, in turn, provide the freedom of choice in the environment which contributes to the concept of Nothingness. Therefore, the concept of Nothingness is understood as freedom of choice through the following three categories:

Nothingness as activity of person

Nothingness as experience of person

Nothingness in an environment

With reference to the photograph of the stone mason‟s yard below (4.49), a participant says: “There are a few things here that interest me. One is the traditional building…an old grain-store which he had brought to the site and used


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both as a house and as a setting for his sculpture…this seems to be at odds with his otherwise aggressive pursuit of modernity…but I suspect he had a deeply contemplative nature and used his Japanese base to pursue this side of his life. A second matter…the immaculately kept yard. No show here. No posturing”. The concept of Nothingness is seen in this Isamu Noguchi‟s workspace where it is not working hard to make any statement; yet; the place stands characteristically as his workspace.

Photograph 4.49: Nothingness

It is observed that a „freedom of choice‟ is a significant aspect based on understanding the relationship between the environment and the contemplative experience. The visual part of “no phones”, “no TV”, “no traffic” or “no vehicles” has a psycho-social effect on the users. “No phone” meant “what a relief” to one participant, while the fact that no vehicles were allowed in the market contributed to the contemplative experience of another participant. The “no TV” meant being away from mundane routine for a third participant. These are instances providing more choice and the chance to have a contemplative experience.

Here, we understand the visual side and choice of personal freedom that adds to the concept of Nothingness, as part of the contemplative experience.

4.5.3 Transformational activity or the experience of transcendence

It is observed from the data analysis that the experience of transcendence or the contemplative experience is generated by the process of cleansing that creates the concept of nothingness. This concept of nothingness gives rise to a space that is empty existentially for the participants. The empty space engages the person in the environment through the way of utility and purpose and creates space for creation


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and contemplative experience. Therefore, the transformational activity or the experience of Transcendence is understood through the following:

Empty space and utility

Space to engage person and purpose

Creation and experiences

P-E relations such as the physical, psycho-social, and existential are key elements in creating connections between the person and the environment in terms of contemplative experiences. They generate transformational activity or an experience of Transcendence.

The interviews highlight different spaces for experiencing transcendence. The examples include: space that celebrates life-death time and relationships with users; space that establishes commune with nature for its users – an interaction point that takes the user to another plane or level of experience; space that creates a focus inside the users; space that unravels to users through rhythm and relationships; little spaces that give one richer experiences, space that connects the elements of nature; space that allows the user to evolve and grow; space that becomes a vehicle to experience landscape and other qualities of site and context. The transcendental or incomprehensible is understood from the analysis through participants‟ use of attributes such as commune, emotions and memories, a futuristic approach, metaphor or personification, discovery and transformation – all of which connect the users and their environment.

Discovering or transforming was a feeling of realisation that participants experienced through the spaces or environment they were in. It played an important role in developing the sense of utility the participants feel for those special places.

For one of the participants it was a space for recovery. She had said: “Particularly when, for me, I was ill at that time and that was the reason why we went away to that particular place and …and that was a place of kind of recovery I suppose…”. They perceived nature as a healing space.

Empty space and utility

Utility of space comprises function and time factors and connects to the creation of Nothingness and empty space. It also comprises the physical activity, psycho-social aspects of multi-purpose space, and the existential aspect of the


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transformational activity. Studying the underlying commonalities and different emerging characteristics of the interviews in terms of „utility of space‟, shows us the experience facilitating aspects such as flexibility, purpose of space, activity of user, context, experiencing the transcendental or incomprehensible, the process of cleansing, use of materials, and adaptability. Utility of space encompasses the purpose of the space and the activity of the users. Transformational activity, as understood from the analysis, is the process of discovery from what is given in the context or the empty space. The contemplative experience is thus composed of various elements of the utility of space, combined with time dimension and user activity.

Space to engage person and purpose

The purpose of space emerges from the utility of the environment, the context, or the empty space. The purpose relates the person with the space and connects the person through psycho-social aspects of the environment. It establishes a direct relationship between person and environment and fosters engagement with the environment. The main commonality that emerges from the interviews is that people engage with nature or the unknown to access a contemplative experience. This takes place in three different ways: through natural views, experiencing nature indoors, and through the purpose people choose for the space.

The following comments illustrate how participants engage with the environment in these different ways:

“There are a couple of places in the world which I really like, and going there brings peace and a sense of completion in me. One is a bench in a park in New Jersey…. The other place is in UK in a small beach-town called Southend-on-sea”.

“I took the photo because the place gives me – my bed for me is the place where I get most relaxation – so that‟s why I took this photo”.

“This picture is of mother Mary created on a ceramic mural on one of the street walls in Venice. It is contemplative to me”.

The different types of spaces, as understood above, engage the person consciously for their specific purpose of gaining contemplative experience. This triggers the spaces for creation and experiences.


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Creation and experiences

This is the climax of the contemplative experiences. Different understandings of these experiences are narrated by different participants. For some it is the sense of release; a feeling of peace, the divine, love and tranquillity; for others, it is the sense of exhilaration, abundance, wholeness, and the feeling of positive energy. Some understand it as pre-stilling one‟s mind, establishing order and control in a balanced way, or meditating or practising yoga. It is observed that this part of experience is reached for the participants after the basic stages of initiation, and the process of attaining the contemplative experience. Initiation takes place by the instrumental factors, previously described. The process of the entire experience is formed by the process of cleansing and emptying, and establishing the engagement through the utility of space and purpose. The climax of creation and experience is the outcome of the process and, at the same time, it is what a person wants to create in terms of their contemplative experience. The empty, clear space provides a void where any new experience can be created. This completes the transformational activity, and gives the person the experience of transcendence.


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Chapter 5 CREATION ...................................................................121 5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................ 121 5.2 Power of design .................................................................................. 121 5.3 Purpose versus utility ......................................................................... 123 5.4 Existential engagements ..................................................................... 125 5.5 Context and what is possible .............................................................. 129 5.6 Summary ............................................................................................ 131


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Chapter 5 CREATION 5.1 Introduction

This is the discussion area of my thesis, where the findings of the empirical study are considered in conjunction with the literature review. I use the word „Creation‟

to head this chapter because it involves bringing meaning to the study. It will focus on:

The essential qualities of contemplative experiences for the participants

The role the environment plays in these experiences

The implications for the design of such environments

These issues will be considered under the three broad categories: power of design; purpose versus utility; and the existential engagements.

„Power of design‟ considers the potential of the environment to support the needs and desires of the person. „Purpose versus utility‟ is concerned with what is needed by the person versus what can be provided by the designers. It provides a basis for understanding how meaningful, existentially rich environments can be created. „Existential engagements‟ involve special combinations of colour, light and shadow, time, season, spatiality, water, sound, detail, proportion, scale and site circumstance. These are considered to be the basic elements and principles of design.

As the study highlights, existential engagements play a critical role in generating a contemplative experience. The act of generation or creation takes place in the phenomenal zones where interaction occurs between a person and the environment; interaction that can be inspired and supported through the designer, and informed by the concepts of core, distinction, manifestation, and cleansing.

5.2 Power of design

“Power, grace and wisdom are essential qualities that are associated with sacred space” (Llewellyn, 1996, p.4). According to Llewellyn, power comes when we enter into unfamiliar settings, when we open ourselves up to critique and exchange with others, or are willing to enter into uncertainty. This could involve awkwardness, or sometimes a feeling of inadequacy and fear, while moving with integrity, and being open to a connection with others. This leads to grace and wisdom, involving the ability to dwell on a lived experience, an idea, a troubling


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event/encounter in such a way as to taste and savour the meanings that it reveals. Contemplative experiences, in this sense, are also sacred experiences.

Architects such as Tadao Ando, Peter Zumthor, Steven Holl, Nili Portugal, Billie Tsien and Tod Williams, and sculptors such as James Turrell and Ernesto Neto, are examples of designers who exhibit sacred qualities through their works and their attitudes towards work. They are often referred to as sacred space architects, renowned for designing contemplative spaces that generate sacred experiences in public spaces such as Bellevue Art Museum, the Church of the Light, the Natatorium at Cranbrook, and the Thermal baths in Wals.

Design is an important tool through which we as interior designers can attempt to generate contemplative and sacred experiences, through our designs and involvement with people. This includes all the people who are involved in the process of the creation of a built environment. It also includes the way our design studios are set up and the way in which people work together, particularly in cross disciplinary and collaborative ways.

This thesis gives emphasis to contemplative experiences as they are understood by the participants in particular environments. Different concepts of contemplative experiences emerge, including: a sense of release, feelings of peace, serenity, love, becoming energized, dreaming, laughter, feeling divine. These are linked to other concepts such as harmony, connection, wholeness, and pre-stilling. When such experiences are felt, they are considered to transcend everyday experiences, and are labelled here as spiritual or sacred. They are not mechanically produced, but emerge from a special interplay between emotions and the environment. The environment is the vehicle that inspires and facilitates such experiences. For built environments, the potential for this to be enhanced depends on informed design.

While not mentioned specifically by the participants, cleansing is the most common underlying process associated with their experiences. Cleansing creates a „clear space‟ or „space of nothingness‟ for the participants, where they then create something new. For this to happen, the environment must provide the freedom: it must be flexible and adaptable.

Kant (1965) discusses how human beings tend to link all their experiences to either pleasure or pain, depending on the modalities. Those ideas are associated with the total concept of any experience. The modalities of pleasurable experiences include experiences of contemplation. Kant (1965) indicates that “the


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categories of modality express only the relation of the concept to the power of knowing” (p.31). The power of knowing is as equally essential in this experience of the sacred as it is in the process of design. To know is to create, for both the designer and the occupant. The power of design involves the specific intention to create contemplative experiences through the built environment. This intention is manifested into reality through the attention and action of the designers of the built environment.

5.3 Purpose versus utility

Purpose versus utility focuses on the tangible and intangible: the material and immaterial aspects of a built environment creation.

According to Swan (1993), “Experience coming out of love and not necessity is sacred experience” (p.66). It is something that is more than just a need of the person in the built environment. It is about values, qualities, and characters in built environments, and what they have to provide other than basic necessity. Through this chapter, I draw connections between the work of Eliade and three other theorists to further understand the significance of the empirical findings, and the implications for design.

First, I refer to the concept of „living structure‟ as explained by Christopher Alexander (2007), in his four volumes on The Nature of Order. Second, I make connections to Goldstein‟s (1939) explanation of the figure-ground relationship in Gestalt theory. Third, I refer to Perls (1969) who talks about „contact boundary‟ in

terms of the connection between needs and figure-ground differentiation.

„Living structure‟ incorporates the notion of „unfoldings‟ as one type of transformation (Alexander, 2007). According to Alexander, things that get manifested one by one in a natural way are a part of the process of „unfoldings‟.

The same can be said of the participants where their experience unfolds through their own interaction with „the living structure‟ of a particular environment. Participants are involved in and with the built environment in a dialectic way. The interaction is a process of give and take involving transcendence and transformation.

Alexander (2007) proposes that contemplative or sacred spaces are spaces that, by their nature, give honour and respect to all persons. It is about making them feel that their own presence in the built environment is pleasurable and desirable. Alexander (2007) adds that every good piece of architecture that is said to be in


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harmony has this living structure manifesting in its own way to make architectural space harmonious. However, as my research shows, the person with their five senses, cognition and spirit are equally important and involved in generating this harmony, or generating a space that offers pure experiential experience.

Inherent in this is the figure-ground phenomenon where, when required as per the

needs of the participants, something from the space becomes figure in the midst of

the rest of the space, as background to inform a specific experience in a specific

moment of time. Then it returns to being background in the given space. Goldstein

(1939) proposes three dynamic concepts associated with this:

The equalization processes or tension reduction systems that keep the organism centred or balanced

The processes of „getting what one wants in the world‟

The notion of self-actualization

The satisfaction of any specific need becomes the figure when it is the dominant need at that time for the whole organism. As Perls (1969) explains: the “dominant need becomes the foreground and the other needs recede in the background” (p.5). Similarly for Goldstein (1939), “All of a person‟s capacities are always in action in each of his activities. The capacity that is particularly important for the task is in the foreground, the others are in the background. All of these capacities are organized in a way which facilities the self-realization of the total organism in the particular situation. For each performance there is a definite figure-ground organization of capacities” (p.10).

Marion (2002) and his colleagues, through their work on phenomenology, give phenomenological credentials to an absolute experience, an experience of the absolute that is strictly religious.

The assumption underlying this study is that the built environment can be designed consciously to be open and available to these formations of different experiences, by offering such qualities as freedom, flexibility and adaptability. It thereby becomes a vehicle for the creation of sacred experiences. These concerns address „purpose of space‟ to the utility of space. It is found that utility of space is based on use of the space, whereas „purpose of space‟ is based on the intention. Purpose therefore becomes more significant in comparison to the utility of space. Utility is the basic necessity and purpose and serves as something more than a


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necessity. Purpose brings in the presence of the human factor, which is an integral part of contemplative experience for any built environment. This however, requires an understanding of how people engage existentially.

5.4 Existential engagements

The five senses of a person are first hand contributors to the contemplative experience. The five senses – sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste underpin all forms of interaction, including experiential and existential interaction characterised by a „feeling of now‟ or „wholeness‟ or „connectedness‟.

The study by Cloninger (2004) reveals that contemplative experiences help people reduce their stress in day-to-day activities, and promote holistic well-being and the psycho-social interaction which is significant in facilitating existential engagement.

Introspection – which is found to be a significant aspect of the contemplative experience – involves one‟s being and place in the world. It helps define a concept of self (Campbell, 1973) forming the basis for rejuvenation and growth. The desire to evoke existential (sacred) experience through the design of environment is well documented in architectural history. The renovation of St. Denis Cathedral in the 12th century by Abbot Suger (1081-1151) sought to transform the existing structure into one filled with „wonderful and uninterrupted light…pervading the interior with beauty‟ and urging us onward from the material to the immaterial (Wang and Wagner, 2007, np). As documented by Freeman (2005), spaces that encourage contemplation highlight the role of simplicity for individual contemplation. This is also supported by the participants in this study.

Existential experiences are described in terms of feelings of peace, and even feelings of surrender to the infinite; or as bringing people closer to a heart-stopping sense of space beyond space, of bringing that moment in which space, light, texture and sound come together to create a pause in time. The findings of the study highlight how existential engagements incorporate heightened consciousness and transcendence beyond the physical. While the qualities of a space play a substantial role in this, so do the certain events such as birth, death and marriage. Existential engagement occurs when built environments are conversant with a person‟s private emotions and meanings and vice versa. Activities like art making, worshipping, praying, meditation, and yoga – are also a


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trigger for generating existential engagement between person and the built environment.

As human beings, we are in constant search of the meaning of our life and truth. It is a human necessity, as explained by Daisann (2003) in „Journey East‟ where she tells the story of her life experience of going on a pilgrimage to India.

While some spaces are purposefully designed as sacred or contemplative spaces, they do not need to be, as conveyed in participants‟ narratives. The space generating sacred experience can be here right now, right here with you, with all of us.

Through the interviews and photo elicitation, participants shared experiences of their lives which they had never even talked about before. Perhaps, it is due to a lack of such discussions in our day-to-day lives that the opportunity to enhance environments is missed. The fact that the interview questions generated dialogue that was never shared before by individuals makes me feel very privileged. It inspired me to write the following poem:

Before talk

I was a stranger

After talk

We were one

Before talk

We smiled at each other

After talk

Our eyes were filled with tears

Before sharing

We are there

After sharing

We are present

Poem 5.1: We become one (Source: Workbook, R. Shah, 2008)

Realization of person through built environment brings them knowledge. This phenomenon takes place with the possibility of having a sacred experience: “Intuition and the concept determine in advance the possibility of appearing for


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any phenomenon” (Marion, 2000, p.76, in A French debate with other phenomenologists). He refers to insights given by Kant (1724: 1804) on formal conditions of knowledge as directly joined with the power of knowing. Marion (2000) in his text the saturated phenomenon states that “Any phenomenon is possible that grants itself to the finitude of the power of knowing and its requirements” (p.79). Gestalt psychologist Perls (1969) coins a term called „contact boundary‟ and says that the study of the way in which person functions in his environment is the study of what goes on at the contact boundary between the individual and his environment. It is at this contact boundary that the psychological events take place. Our thoughts, actions, behaviour, and emotions are our way of experiencing and meeting those boundary events. He also explains „mind-body position‟ where he adopts the „holistic doctrine‟ which states that man is a unified organism. To know, to be the possibility and the real or pure intention are the sources of manifestation.

Developing this understanding of sacred experience through the analysis of data inspired another poem:

To be present

To let be (what it is)

To become aware (of)

Is (a) sacred experience

What is given in space

What can be related to

What connects (oneself or community to another level)

What makes (individual experience experienced)

Is sacred.

Poem 5.2: What sacred is (Source: Workbook, R. Shah, 2008)

As an interior designer and researcher, I now understand phenomenological contemplative experiences as experiences of the absolute in the built environment. Marion (2002) describes this as: “Our knowledge springs from two fundamental sources of the mind…Through the first (receptivity) an object is given to us, through the second the object is thought. There are two conditions under which alone the knowledge of an object is possible, first, intuition, through which it is given, though only as phenomenon, second, the concept, through which an object


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is thought corresponding to this intuition”(p.29). Two other concepts extend this understanding: beauty and sublimity. As Goldthwait (2004) explains, for Immanuel Kant beauty is something to be adorned. Therefore, it is a type of ornament. Sublimity, on the other hand, is explained as simple and austere. So sublimity is not ornamentation. It operates at a primary level and forms the most integral part of what it belongs to. According to this study, the act of contemplation incorporates beauty as well as sublimity.

For some participants this is evident in environments that convey the presence of humaneness, intimacy, the work of hands; of something that gives back more than its material value. For other participants, „water‟ has surfaced as the most essential element of their contemplative experience. Of course, water historically has sacred connotations (as described previously). Water is given sacred importance in the ancient Vedic texts or epics, as well as in Christianity. People even today relate to water in the same way, whether they have read those texts or not.

This thesis proposes that it is through this phenomenon of core, distinction, manifestation, creation, and sharing that we experience the sacred. These are the key concepts as the part of making that phenomenon possible – making the sacred experience known as „experienced‟ or „experiential‟. It is this knowledge and awareness that is registered in the mind of a person in a built environment, on knowing what the story consists of through their perception. They then realize through their experience that the built environment consists of the following characteristics:

What is given in space

What they can relate to in space

What in space connects oneself or community to another level

What in space makes individual experience known

The essence here is the communication between the built environment and person – between the living and non-living matter. This generates the sacred experience.

A few of the essential qualities of spaces that help generate contemplative (sacred) experiences are: the presence of water; a sense of relativity to users through ergonomic fit; use of natural materials so as to respect the needs of users, including the pure characteristics of the materials themselves; space that complements the land and context where it is generated in as many ways as


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possible; a feeling of empowerment for users (by making their connections to things that are universally constant); spaces that encourage sharing and interaction between users and spaces in as natural a way as possible; and spaces that can be well-maintained and up to date with limited input needed from the users.

5.5 Context and what is possible

Places that engender contemplative experiences have two dimensions: „physical context‟ and „derived context‟. Physical context is what exists, what is given or what is present on site. Derived context is the meaning that is resultant from what is given. It emerges from distilling what is given, or understanding the essence or spirit of place and interaction with surroundings and users. Physical context, as understood from the interviews, is about knowing what exists, what is given, or what is present in the site itself. It is about the orientation, wind and sun direction and natural conditions of a given place in terms of built form and its surroundings. It is about the relationship of the built form, including its interiors, with what is universally constant – sun, moon, wind, rain, seasons. It is the macroscopic view point of the whole thing.

In contrast, „derived context‟ is the microscopic view point of the site and its relationship with the interiors of the built form. It is about the relationship of interiors of the built form with what is site specific. Derived context is understood by studying the essence of a place or the spirit of a place, its interaction with the user and the user with it, the distillation of what is required, and what best can be provided out of the given. The factors comprising the context of the place (as understood from the interviews) are: the essence of a site and the distilling and magnifying characteristics of forces of land / landscape / site / room; the authentic distillation of actual place in terms of space and culture via its climate, terrain, topography, vegetation, history, or heritage value. These contextual factors add to, or bring in, the potential of the design. They play an important role in enhancing the overall contemplative experience of the person. The intention of design or purpose through the way of „derived context‟ creates the opportunity for this experience.

Understanding of the physical context by the participants is conveyed in the following interview extracts:

“(Force lines and energy lines) We chose a very specific site just from going around campus and walking around – while this site was on side, at


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the edge at the verge of the campus and it was a beautiful outlook, the views to the southwest, and it was between two mature big fig trees – so the intention was to use the fig trees and landscape drawing into the building, making it the part of the larger landscape, and not necessarily inside small jewel box…”.

“It is sort of a series of photos, from down to top - showing my view when I am seated there, to do my daily ritual of prayers. So to me – It‟s me and nature or universe with this connection of Banyan tree. The connection is something so strong and abundant to me that I know it brings me all the positive energies. Sometimes I talk to this banyan tree from my house and tell my wishes and I look at it with assurance that I know that it will bring them to fruition. It is such a great feeling of happiness”. (Conveying the close affinity that can be established between the user and universe by way of built form and contemplative experience.)

“This image again was taken during our walks at Scarborough… enjoy the view and just the serenity of all, it was extremely peaceful. Looking at water has an immediate effect for anyone – the vast scapes of water – with some greenery – whether its overcast or with clear sky – it still has got some – just complete awe about it, which is just an amazing thing… we get this privilege to drive along the water view every morning and every evening coming home – it‟s a nice thing”. (Location and orientation of space in relation to sun – wind – direction.)

“…when rain come down, you are able to see rain coming down, see how it touches the ground, how it forms streams on the surface of the ground and then sort of… that is one of the exciting things about designing contemplative spaces to me, because when it rains I get excited because of that trance of rain”. (This can be achieved by both physical context and derived context depending, on what is available, and how one can make the most of it.)

“The great love palace - the Taj Mahal… it is an individual experience one has I suppose - I was just sitting there - drawing this and quickly doing a water colour and this young girl came in. She was from Scandinavia - she comes down and sits there besides me… watched me for fifteen minutes. I suppose while I was doing it,… and she just said that is beautiful - she didn‟t have any other words and I was like - it is one of those beautiful


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experiences one has I suppose - the architecture is allowing that to happen - its not just the architecture - it is more of it - more than it”. (Apart from the design itself of the built form, the time spent by the participant in the site/context with other people affects the contemplative experience.)

Built environment establishes commune with nature for its participants forming an interaction point that takes person to another level of experience.

5.6 Summary

This chapter has created meaning by considering together the phenomena of core, distinction, manifestation, and cleansing. In terms of meaningful experiences, it is creation which establishes wholeness and connectedness between the person and space. It is about “to be” or “what it is” or “being present” between person and space. The meanings emerging from the thesis provide a way of responding to the following questions:

How can a house empower its inhabitants?

How can a lawyer‟s office be designed to engender authentic communication between lawyer and client?

How can a room energise an individual after a hectic work day in order to provide meaningful time with other family members?

How can our everyday workspaces be designed to physically, emotionally, cognitively and existentially support employees and facilitate productive outcomes?

These questions recognise the potential value of „the sacred‟ in everyday life.


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Chapter 6 SHARING ......................................................................132 6.1 Design as creating the potential for contemplative engagement ........ 133 6.2 Phenomenology and the designer/client relationship ......................... 136 6.3 Spirituality as a holistic, higher order design concept ....................... 137 6.4 Conclusion .......................................................................................... 138


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Chapter 6 SHARING Sharing is the process that capitalizes on creation. After sharing, creation

outcomes are available to others. It also signifies the completion of the creation

process, and makes the experience of the „sacred‟ possible. It is by sharing that

one gets the satisfaction of having more than enough and one feels lucky and

happy. It is also through sharing that we develop a fuller understanding of what is

possible. I use the concept of „sharing‟ as the concluding chapter of my research,

as it is by sharing the knowledge that has been generated by the research that its

content and spirit can live on.

The process of sharing through this chapter will focus on:

Design as creating the potential for contemplative (sacred) engagement between person and environment

Phenomenology and the designer/client relationship

Spirituality as a holistic, higher order design concept

6.1 Design as creating the potential for contemplative (sacred)

engagement between person and environment

This research has found that contemplative experience is sacred experience.

Designing with purpose that involves positive emotions contributes to

contemplative experiences and the existential value of such contemplative

experiences makes them sacred. According to this research, spaces or built

environments that give rise to existential experiences are sacred spaces. Interior

design is about designing everyday spaces that encourage and nurture existential

as well as other outcomes. It is about cleansing and enhancing through the

purposeful action of design. The following discussion focuses on how this might

be addressed by the user and by the designer.

Spaces appear to play a dominant role in sacred and contemplative experiencing;

particularly those spaces enabling a relationship and connection. At a very basic

level, through their senses, people seem to respond positively to being aware of

aspects such as direction and orientation, wind, the play of light and shadows, the

use of natural materials. It can be one of these qualities or a combination. In a

holistic way these seem to help people find their roots, direction, establish a sense


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of ownership, attachment, and happiness. These are very simple qualities with the

potential to achieve a great depth of meaning:

"Something that happens not as per our wish is sacred to me" - that is my

definition of sacred.

"Whatever happens in that (manifestation of sacred) is spiritual to me" - that is my

definition of spiritual.

"Anything that has presence of soul or spirit/s is spirituality to me" - that is my

definition of spirituality.

From an interior design perspective, then, everyday space has significant potential

for extending experience beyond the functional and emotional, to that of respect,

reverence and „being‟; in other words, from a state of living to a state of dwelling.

Dwelling gives rise to the complete being of person and built environment; it is

the union of living and non-living things and being present to the potential in

everything. I will explain this through an example of natural materials as found in

the interviews and the literature review.

Natural materials convey their story to the person. If it is stone that is used

intentionally in space, it talks about the region it comes from, how it came to be,

what it is composed of. Its visual and tactile qualities can create a cooling effect,

give visual warmth, or a sense of protection. It has temporal meaning through

expression of wear and tear; it can demand respect and reverence.

For many designers, the potential of such materials, as well as other aspects of

design – including the design process – are not understood or realized. By

ignoring the expressive power of design elements at an existential level,

opportunity is lost, because the intention to capitalize on them is ignored. By

contrast, as mentioned previously, there are designers who chose to use materials

as sacred as their intention.

George Nakashima – a woodworker and cabinet maker who was originally an

architect – describes his life journey in his book The soul of a tree. The

naturalness of living and understanding one‟s life path and standing for it even in

difficult times is seen in his life. An Israeli architect, Nili Portugali, works and


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writes books in her own unique style to bring awareness of the natural process of

making natural spaces for people to live in. Swiss architect Zumthor has a

different style of creating sacred spaces. He synthesizes the space to make it

natural in terms of an experience, which is entirely the opposite of truly natural.

He works in terms of phenomenology and is very careful about selecting his

clients and projects. Zumthor is motivated to create spaces that generate sensuous

experiences for people. He needs his clients to be equally involved in the project,

rather than buying his services on the basis of their ability to pay. It is understood

here that presence of spirit in the process of designing makes all the difference:

there is more to creating spaces than simply money transactions and checking if

work is complete.

Alberta Perez Gomez quotes one of Heidegger‟s statements on God and time: “It

is too late for God and too early for beings”. The same holds true for the interior

designer field and designing spaces. This is a time of change, and we as interior

designers need to inculcate these changes within our built environments as our

responsibilities and pleasure. As mentioned earlier, the works of architects Steven

Holl, Billie Tsien, Tod Williams, and Tadao Ando are excellent examples of

creating contemporary experiential spaces that can be considered sacred spaces of

today. As Holl (1994) says: “Sensations of experience become a kind of reasoning

distinct to the making of architecture. Whether reflecting on the unity of concept

and sensation, or the intertwining of idea and phenomena, the hope is to unite

intellect and feeling, precision with soul” (p.15 ).

These are life messages from designers working in the area of sacred spaces, and

it helps one understand that living such a life has direct implications for the work

we do, or the spaces we create for other people. These understandings should

make us sensitive to that aspect of living, and help us align ourselves more with

what our professional goals could be.

An important finding to emerge from the study is the significance of cleansing for

both designers and users. This cleansing, as seen in the data collected, takes place

in the manner of a „process‟, and therefore I call it „process of cleansing‟. It

happens at two levels in terms of the experiences for the users. It is either at a

functional or intentional level, or at a psychological level. The functional or


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intentional level includes physical cleansing or physical factors affecting the

cleansing process. The psychological level of the cleansing process, on the other

hand, includes the strong intention of feeling cleansed, or seeing intact or clear

things, and feeling cognitively „more organized‟, „appropriate‟, or „pure‟. It relates

to visual organization directly affecting the psychological or cognitive area of the

human mind. To define it more clearly: „visual organization‟ of things kept in

their own places, or organized such that they look well maintained or clean, has

the psychological effect of „being alright‟, „feeling better‟, or „being organized in

one‟s life,‟ depending on the perception of the user of the space. I use the word

„cleansing‟ here to include the concepts of emptying and purifying, which

emerged in the participants‟ interviews. Other attributes of spatial design that

facilitate cleansing and existential engagement include transitional spaces, small

scale spaces and spaces between the inside and outside of the built environment.

In all, life enriching experiences can be generated through design that is simple,

economical and adaptable.

Positive emotions of persons are found to be key elements of contemplative

experiences. The spaces that provide contemplative experiences support or

generate positivity. The engagements can be created based upon such emotional

connections between person and environment. Figure 6.1 represents „Act of

sitting‟ as an opportunity to create engagement. Similarly, figure 6.2 and figure

6.3 represents interaction with water and enjoying views of natural scenery as

generating engagements between person and environment. Such situations create

junctions where a person can engage with one‟s environment consciously through

one or more of the five human senses. These human senses can be engaged in the

environment through design. The factors generating positive emotions that

encompass the contemplative experiences are play of time, light, colours, textures,

intensity or density, connection with nature, movement in the space, engagement

in space through seating.

6.2 Phenomenology and the designer/client relationship

The methodology I used to undertake interviews of the participants seems to be a

useful method for getting to know the client and user – and for the user to get to

know the designer. This study demonstrates how Phenomenology can be used as a


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process for involving the user in the design process. Photo elicitation proved to be

highly effective in understanding the taste, preferences and perceptions of the

participants – and potentially of clients and users. The interviews helped to

establish an authentic relationship between researcher and participant. It is

proposed that this could also be the case between designers and clients. By

authentic relationship, I mean the relationship between client and designer such

that both have complete trust and confidence in one another. Figure 6.4 about

Colours, textures or artworks and figure 6.5 about Person‟s five senses depict how

designers can know their clients through phenomenological perspective. Figure

6.6 represents how the same aspect of contemplative experience means different

for different participants/people when investigated in a controlled manner.

6.3 Spirituality as a holistic, higher order design concept

It is understood from the study that awareness in terms of the spiritual aspect of

the built environment is most important; that is, awareness of the need to consider

the built environment – and everything related and connected to it – as holistic

and spiritual. The spiritual aspect reflects the notion of a space having soul. This

thesis argues that if a space is created with soul, it is inevitably sustainable and

accommodating. Instead of sustainability as the higher order intention, sacredness

or spirituality should be the goal. Heidegger‟s (1988) concept of dwelling informs

this understanding. A person cannot live unless one learns to dwell, Heidegger

explains in his concept of home and dwelling. The being of everything living and

non-living – when considered as spiritual and holistic – gives space for complete

acceptance and expression. This produces the character of the built environment

and makes dwelling possible.

At a cross disciplinary level, several researchers from the neurology, radiology

and architecture fields are working together to create spaces that can provide

positive emotions and experiences using brain images (Newberg, 2007, p.2). Dr.

Beauregard and his colleagues from the field of neurology are interested and

engaged in the research of the capacity of drugs to inspire feelings of spirituality

or closeness to God. Andrew Newberg – a radiologist at the Hospital of the

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia – argues that “many aspects of spiritual


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experiences are built upon the brain machinery that is used for other purposes

such as emotions” (np).

6.4 Conclusion

The thesis consists of core as introduction, distinction as literature review,

manifestation as methodology, cleansing as findings, creation as discussion, and

sharing as summary. These labels are phenomenologically meaningful,

representing my experience of undertaking this research, and further

understanding the nature of contemplative (sacred) experience and its implications

for interior design. These labels also represent the dimensions of the

contemplative, sacred, existential relationship between people and environment.

Any space qualified by core, distinction, manifestation, cleansing, creation, and

sharing is sacred space.

Associated essential qualities of utility, program, and context include:

Basic / Overall organisation

Space that is open for what the person or group wants to do

Space that creates a mood, or where a mood can be created that connects

with the emotive state or goals of the person

Space that is well maintained, well organized, neat, and clean

Based on the senses of the person

Space that has an appealing smell

Space that is a noise free zone

Space that connects users to nature through touch and/or sight

Use and the context of design

Design that acknowledges the context physically and psychosocially,

creating a unique and special place

Space that can be customized according to person‟s needs and

requirements


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Figure 6.1: Act of sitting

Figure 6.2: Interaction with water

This study recommends moving beyond talk of the current trends and beyond taking culture for granted. We need to start questioning the purpose of the built environment and the purpose of design. As part of the design process, we should be exploring the potential for environments to achieve more than what is overtly asked for; or to mean much more than what their label implies.


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Figure 6.3: Views of natural scenery

Figure 6.4: Colours, textures or artworks

For example, when designing a bedroom, the brief could be extended by asking

questions such as: „How should a space to sleep be for a specific client?‟ What is

the role of sleep for the person as a whole? What are the other needs of the client,

including existential needs that can be accommodated in, and inspired by, the


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space? Some goals that may have application across a range of activities and

environment include:

To design a space for inspiration

To design a space for happy living

To design a space that brings satisfaction to the person

To design a space for higher productivity

To design a space for reaching higher realms

To design a space for savouring life

To design a space for appreciating life

To design a space for acknowledging natural elements for what they are

To design a space that enhances activity and brings a feeling of grace and

reverence

Figure 6.5: Person's five senses


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Figure 6.6: Personalized solutions

As mentioned before, the figures 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5 and 6.6 attempt to capture the main outcomes of the study in a way that has relevance for designers. In all, the study addresses a gap in current design theory and practice by revealing the qualities of contemplative and spiritual/existential experience, as it is explained by everyday persons themselves. By adopting an interior design perspective, the study provides a clearer understanding of how to design spaces that incorporate, yet also transcend physical, cognitive, and emotional relevance; to facilitate a meaningful life through the everyday in everyday environments.

“To my dismay, I have found that an alarming proportion of publications devoted

to architecture have banished from their pages the words beauty, inspiration,

magic, spell bound, enchantment, as well as the concepts of serenity, silence,

intimacy and amazement. All these have nestled in my soul, and though I am fully

aware that I have not done them complete justice in my work; they have never

ceased to be my guiding lights” (Luis Barragan, 2000, p. 20). The same holds true

in regards to this research – and will hold true for all future work that it inspires.

A phenomenological study of contemplative experiences: Implications for Interior Design – Appendix

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Appendix

Final interview transcripts


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Introduction

This appendix contains the transcriptions of interviews with the twenty one participants who agreed to participate in the study and the interview of the researcher herself (for first person phenomenology). The different participants come from wide range of nationals like Australian, Indian, British, American, Korean, Bangladeshi and Slovenian. They are all the adults ranging from the age groups of 25 to 55 years.

For methodological reasons previously stated, three different groups/communities were targeted namely designers or architects who are known to design such contemplative spaces, academies from the School of Design and non-design professionals coming from different fields. In the transcriptions, “Dx” refers to the designer being interviewed, “Ax” refers to the academies and “Nx” refers to the non-design professionals who were interviewed. “x” stands for the variable number with different participants.

The transcriptions do not conform to the conventional rules of written English as they are verbatim records. They are an attempt to convey what the participants said and how they said it in terms of their contemplative experiences. A series of dots (for example ……) are used in the instances where the participants pause. The space left between two sentences or the change in a paragraph depicts the change of the nature of the narration as well as the pause the participant takes while describing their experiences. To provide a context for the data as a whole, the interviews of the participants are transcribed as is.

The question that generate these talks is „Could you please tell me about your contemplative experiences with/out photographs that you have brought?‟

The following transcripts are all about what they speak and narrate as a response to this question based on their first person experiences. Most of them ended up agreeing that they have never had such talk before in their life where they reveal about their special experiences about spaces or built environment.


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Participant N1

Now about the contemplative space thing.... there are a couple of places in the world which I really like and going there brings peace and a sense of completion in me.

One is a bench in a park in New Jersey. The name of the park is Colonial Park and there is a brook which runs through the park. There is a bench on the bank of the brook.

The sight of the water lazily flowing past and the soft noise that it makes which hitting the stones or the turf is just amazing. The whole atmosphere is so serene that you just forget all your worries. Actually I go there to introspect. Just think about the direction in which my life is heading and what all has happened. Also evaluate my relationships with people and events. The other place is in UK in a small beach-town called Southend-on-sea. Hope this makes some sense to you.

About the UK place, my cousin stays there. I just like the town but no place in particular. Perhaps. the walk on the jetty going into the sea from the beach……..

Or may be a place where the land ends right below your feet and the water starts. But most importantly it is the calmness of the place and the peace that it brings to your mind when you are there which I like the most. I feel so much myself when I there. And I like to go there alone. Just by myself with no disturbance. Me and my thoughts...

Participant N2

I actually didn't take this photograph. I took it from the web, but I have chosen this place, because it is the most inspiring place I ever came across in my life.

The space makes me feel in harmony. I feel like everything I need is there and I feel I'm connects with beautiful nature. Also the hill is so close to the city, you can walk from the centre in about 20 minutes. It's truly amazing to walk there and in the middle of the green nature and vineyards sit on the bench, in the tree or in the grass and observe busy city below.

I guess I feel in balance because I love both, nature and city, and it's hard for me to choose only one of them. There I can have both at the same time. I also love to pick grapes and eat them fresh and in those vineyards it is actually allowed to pick small amounts.

I experience wholeness and connectedness. I experience as if everything is there for me to enjoy. I also experience peace which comes from the green nature and the fact that I'm at the top of the hill with really great view. To me mountains have a special magic.


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Participant N3

These are the photographs that depict my contemplative experiences. I simply love this place and want to keep memory of the place. Whenever I see the photograph I feel the same freshness as if I am around the place. Its so refreshing at times!!

Therefore I have taken these photos…………………

They fill me with energy and relax my mind!!..........

Green grounds make me feel happy and feel my heart with lot of emotions. Sea makes me to think deep inside as you see horizon always.

The breeze cools my body and a deep breath takes away all negative thoughts from within…………

It was a great experience of staying around these places for 3 years which used to force me to DREAMS.

Participant N4

I took the photo because the place gives me – my bed for me is the place where I get most relaxation – so that‟s why I took this photo. That‟s just where I can be to myself and I get time to myself, so for me that‟s the place that gives me contemplation that‟s why I took the photo.

I think to say more about the room, if I had to pick something, I will say bed sheet looks nice. I keep on changing the bed sheet – that is something I do weekly. Yeah just the bed as such when I feel tired, I go into the room its in a neat and tidy order than yeah it just brings in a relaxing feeling. I mean I do meditation and that‟s where I do my meditation – on my bed, yeah. So that‟s why I have taken this photo.

I try and go into a place where I can not think. So if you still your mind and if you can experience stillness its really good, so that‟s why I took the photo because this is the place where I can go into


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absolute stillness – where you don‟t think for a while so your mind relaxes otherwise your mind is constantly wondering so if you – if I can sit here for half an hour and if I can be in a place where I don t have any thoughts in my mind - I am just there in the moment and for me that‟s really good. That takes away all the stress of my day. (pause) That‟s the reason.

Nah you just sit there. you just try and sit there not having thought in your mind – you don‟t try and think whether you are thinking or not otherwise you defeat your purpose so you just stay there so after a while your mind gets used to it. For first few days, it was not like that, once you do it everyday on the same time regularly, your mind starts to do. I do what‟s called „Pranayam‟ – which is breathing exercise just before I do that so that helps me to go into that state. I don‟t focus anywhere. I close my eyes and go into my own space.

Yeah that creates an empty space for me and in an empty space you can create anything so that‟s why its – you can add anything to your world once you have an empty canvas. This place is the place that helps me to create my empty canvas somewhere in the mind. This place is my access to that.

In my old room, no, I didn‟t use to do this exercise because back then I wasn‟t even trying. I just started it after I moved to this place. To start it came from willingness – something I thought I should do – the room I thought is good place where I have some time to my self. For me this is the best place to do it because to me – I have some time for myself. When I am in that room, I am not related to the outside world at-least for that half an hour, one hour when I am there.

I don‟t switch off my mobile phone while doing that because generally I do that in the mornings – generally at 6 or 7 I won‟t get any calls. In the evenings sometimes I do and sometimes I don‟t. Yeah I won‟t pick up my mobile even if it rings.

I have a simple philosophy and I like things simple. So I think photograph is pretty simple but this is how I want things to be. I like my life to be simple. So this photo lets me do what I want to do. I want to have fun and have simple life.

(Shifting to second photo)

This is if you can see is extension to that place. I pray. And now days, I try and pray every day so that‟s where all my religious place – that corner of my room is my religious place. So that is something that probably adds value to the other photo. That photo is the start if you like and then, usually I sit so that I face that side. So I face the God. So when I open my eyes, I try and see that I am looking there - my way of developing faith or extending my faith. Each and everything I have put on the top has a value and meaning to me (not the things on the floor – because they are just there – its my luggage) but whatever is on top has meaning to me. I need something – its like a reminder – when you see something everyday – you get connected to it – so. Its not that you don‟t remember God if its not there but if its there then whenever I look at it – even if I spent one second thinking about it – that‟s my purpose that I don‟t forget. When I say I get connected to it, it means that it increases my faith – it gives you more confidence in yourself, it gives you more belief in yourself and yeah. And that‟s contemplation to me. It helps me improve myself.

For me both the spaces shown in two photographs are connected. For someone else they might not but for me the first place as I said is an access to going into an empty space and this thing adds value to it because if I am in that empty space and if I look at say photos of God or something then it helps me to build up to my faith or add to my faith which is something very important for me. So yeah, this photo adds value to the previous one.

It helps that the window is closed although my eyes are closed that won‟t matter so much I don‟t mind the way it is because it means I am confined in that space so when I am sitting there even with my eyes open – say it was glass window then probably I would get distracted if I saw something outside. Because it is closed that just means that I can look there and focus there. The main thing is that where the bed is – is fine and this has to be opposite of it so that I can look at it. For me yeah right now I am pretty much happy with how it is. I close the room when I am meditating. The thing for me – light doesn‟t matter as much because sometimes I do it in the morning – so at sun rise there‟s not that much light if I do it in evening then I have my room light


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on but yeah light itself is – not worried about that whether it is on or not. Usually if it is in the evening its on if its in the morning, its off.

The flooring is wooden and I guess I like wooden floor compared to a carpeted floor and it is a personal choice but it does not contribute to my overall experience. If it was carpet floor here, it would not have changed my experience. Its just in looking, this one is better compared to where I was living before which was carpeted floor.

Usually there is some distraction when I am doing this exercise and therefore I try and put cotton plugs in my ears so that I don‟t get distracted and that‟s why it helps that the windows are closed. Yeah, if it is – the idea is that I am not here – anything outside – once you start doing with practice doesn‟t matter how much time you need to focus on.

Its preferable if its quiet. About experiencing similar experience anywhere outside of this room – I haven‟t tried meditating before so I don‟t know but I feel satisfaction when I am at my house back in India. Yeah say the only thing closest would be my house and my room in my house. But I didn‟t use to do meditation when I was in my house so cannot say if there is exact similar experience. But if I go back home if I try the same thing at my home, I think I would be able to do it although that‟s not something I have tried but I can do it because its got similar sort of thing – it has got bed and same photos there.

I try and practice this everyday. Nine times out of ten, I am able to do it. Occasionally if I have something else going on than I miss. I try and do it once a day. Ideally it is twice a day and only on few occasions I have done it twice a day. Usually it is somewhere between half an hour to one hour exercise.

You start of with Prayanam which is a breathing exercise – so in that sense its an exercise for your body and your mind – meditation I guess and not exercise. Its just a way for a bit of peace – access to peace. Doesn‟t matter as long as you achieve what your goal is. Your mind is constantly consciously or unconsciously wondering so this is a conscious effort you would like to do and with practice you can just go and sit there and if you like you can switch off your system because your system is constantly running. So this is one hour of a day where you can go and try and not think about anything. So yeah, unlike any other experience.

You just feel peace when you are not thinking about anything. If you try and think whether I am thinking or not, you defeat the purpose so you just try and be there in the moment. That‟s it. So usually you just see an area of darkness – nothing else – you just see blackness which means your mind is blank does not …in your mind.

And that is contemplation to me because I heard from some one that from nothing you can create anything so that‟s an access to nothing. I learnt this exercise from a CD that I got from my mom. It is on Baba Ramdev‟s teachings from India.

I have been doing this from last six months

It helps me not have too many thoughts – so my mind doesn‟t wonder so much. So it helps me become healthier, improve my concentration, I don‟t fall sick, you become more accepting. Yeah it gives you all sorts of things because it gives you realize what you are and who you are and accept your self first for whatever you are. For me it is an access to whatever you want to create that you want. So yeah it helps me become a better person.

I have felt all these changes myself. I have felt that my concentration has really increased when I am focusing on something. Then I can be just here. So when I am giving this interview all I am thinking about is interview and not what I have to do during the rest of the day.

I am happy person by nature but this has improved me to increase my happiness a bit. Yeah, so I have a habit of talking a lot so its good to be quiet for some time. And I feel very happy about it, I feel very happy doing this.


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Participant N5

Concept of contemplation for me is - best example I would say would be – looking at the pond of clear water – that itself is very sacred to me – something that is very clear that‟s sacred to me – which is Pure…For me a pond of clear water resembles Peace, Calmness and Clarity and all that means Sacred to me. Pond or Lake. Actually I would say Lake rather than pond because pond is very small and Lake is of considerable size so I would say lake.

More than clarity its Purity….say for example if somebody puts something dust or mud in that pond then it is no more sacred. So it is purity and clarity – these two things are sacred to me. Or in other way Sacred for me equals purity and clarity.

This picture of rainbow in the sky is one of my special moments. It gave me a moment of pause and wonder about nature, time and earth. It makes me think about our own self.

I was thinking about what is contemplative space to me in terms of getting pictures. And initial thoughts were like vastness, openness, huge areas or free spaces, then looking at open views, natural scenery, sitting under a tree, meditation itself – wherever I meditate – that moment itself becomes sacred…. when I close my eyes and when I am meditating, something I feel that my room itself is sacred when I sit there and meditate. Its more to do with way I feel when I look something than place itself.

For example, in the evening when I come from work being tired and see the room i don‟t feel my room to be scared but then when I meditate, I find my room sacred….or it depends on the state of my mind…when I enter my room.

But some places I always find sacred and peaceful like sitting outside temple, or sitting under a tree, looking out at open spaces – natural beauty – that is sacred to me. What I feel during this experience – basically in that situation, when I look at them, it gives feeling of huge vastness, wideness, expansion and freedom and it appeals to me very much.

When I think of ocean - Ocean to me is something that has lot of turbulence in ocean, wind, noise, constant motion, waves. Whereas on land when I look at open spaces there is nothing like that - It is all peaceful and quiet and all naturalness – it is very different to ocean that‟s why its more appealing to me on land and I feel contemplative there.

These are the couple of photos that you can use instead. The tree is the same in both pictures, just different angle.

And in quietness I would say - like just Stillness of nature or Looking at nature itself, or how whole nature works itself is sacred to me. Sitting at fence and looking at birds flying around or looking at just trees waving in the wind, or looking at grass or looking at animals jumping around or sitting there. Looking at cows or any birds or animals in that matter moving freely brings me lot of happiness. When I see these scenery essentially I feel peace. I feel happy to see that they are free, they are doing what they want to do. There is no worry, they are just enjoying. I cannot stand animals locked in the cage or animals killed for food.


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I cant even see people eating non-vegetarian food. When I see people eating meat, I pray to God that animals that being destroyed for our pleasure - their souls go to good life. I pray for all creatures that are suffering because of us - All creatures that are suppressed because of us go to good life. Its not individual to blame but its entire humanity because directly or indirectly we are causing suffering to one another. So at least having that thought itself motivates me to do something for them.

Whenever I see more open spaces outside temple – around temple, I find more appealing.

I mediate everyday and that itself is spiritual contemplative experience for me.

I had a moment in my life - where I felt something that striked me or gave me an aha feeling ….the situation that made me feel the presence of greater power ….. something that touched me.

Yeah, I did have this moment – it was a really strong experience which happened long time ago in India when I was probably 12 or 13 years old or may be even younger – I don‟t remember. I was just sitting. Like at a main entrance, we have a little bench. So I was just sitting there and I was just watching the trees and It was evening time around 6 – 7 o clock – (It was at my house in Ahmadabad) so I was sitting there and looking at street lights and trees around it and suddenly like……… I was in a mode where I was able to ………….- or it was totally a different feeling, it was like as if I was not myself and I was looking at myself as third person perspective and I was able to just watch my thoughts – as my thoughts were coming and going. I was just watching them without any sort of…. attachment to it – I was just sitting there and it was so……….. Different, was very peaceful and it was very different – it was this feeling……….. – and didn‟t last long – it lasted for about 2 or 3 minutes or so. But then that moment that moment itself was so strong for me that, that memory has stuck to me for a long time. And every time…. I think of a good memory, that comes to my mind straight away. I don‟t know what was special about that moment but ………just in that two minutes I felt something…………….. totally beyond myself - I mean I cannot explain it - as to how it happened or what happened…but I was just looking around and watching this tree and suddenly it was like as if something………as if I was being just transported out of my body – that kind of thing - so that I would say is one of my strongest spiritual experience that I had. At that time I felt there is lot more to me than what I think there is.

What more there is - I feel that there is our mind which generates these thoughts and there is something unknown which I haven‟t been able to grasp yet. Because when thoughts stop, what happens then – there is that moment when you just have nothing – that moment is so peaceful, you feel totally at peace. So even if for one second if that moment can make you feel so peaceful, imagine what one can feel if we get that experience for say an hour or for one year. When I feel that nothing moment, I feel that I am luckiest person in this world and I am happiest person.

Participant N6

Actually this building has on side has stairs on which we can sit. Like those stairs are for entry for conference hall and all those things, for senate hall where senate of our IIT Roorkee sits. So I used to sit around those stairs and yeah from those stairs you can see (because it is on hill top) you can see a very long line of sight – view and it is surrounded with greeneries. So I always yeah – some times we do take walk around the building but often we come to senate steps and sit there for an hour, one and a half hour or two hours.

Well, I started sitting at, around this building because of, for study purpose. For first semester I had habit of waking up early at around 4-4.30 in the morning and go to this building and sit at the stairs and do the mathematical problem - ahh, like engineering mathematics which we had in our first semester, like because it was very silent place, very quiet - it helped me to grasp the problem of mathematics. After that after the first semester is over and when I finish my - that subject was no more with me then I spent time there sitting and chatting with friends and often small children. Because its greenery and you can play there, so often children of other students (specially those who were doing PhD and those kind of things) were playing there. Sometimes I had opportunities


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to go with them and talk with them, to have a small play with them. Sometimes play with them - running and catching each other. Yeh, majority of time we spend there by doing these things only.

What you are looking here is the front of the building. If you move in this direction here so on both sides now you will have stairs. So on front view - - on right and left hand side of buildings there are stairs where people do take those are actually to give entrance to the building but students use it for sitting there. Sometimes if you want to have a meeting, group meetings so – unlike here where you have meeting rooms and you can book - in IIT Roorkee students preferred to organise meetings at stairs on other side of stairs. If you looking at the building, right hand side stairs are called senate stairs because it gives entry to the senate hall whereas left hand side is just called stairs because it gives entry to director‟s lounge, so students do organise their meetings. Like, once we organised our meeting for Himalaya tracking, so we were going to track to Gangotri and all those students who enrolled for that tracking were required to assemble at senate steps so that the leader of the group can explain the responsibility of each individual and all others related regulations and other stuff like fare and all those things. So often we found we had meetings, group meetings, discussions happening at stairs.

Because it is silent, you don‟t have any kind of activity which can generate noise within the proximity of this building. Another reason is the garden of this building is well maintained. You can sense the season which is happening by sitting there. For example, during summer you will see that the garden is more like a cover with dead grass - no plantation is there – nothing – leaves are falling, where during winter or after winter when spring comes the garden again is filled with flowers, greenery, grasses and because of these things its very pleasant to sit there. It is completely not completely but yes relatively very noise free zone, apart from walking and some kind of chit-chat there‟s no other sound and another thing is this building is beautifully lighted during the night time. You have different combinations of light – they try to make it more beautiful and when you sit there, specially during the night time and specific light is focussing on specific zone – the building colour comes out of the environment and give you a nice view, nice pleasured view.

Those steps, because on those steps you can sit. On front side you cannot sit because there is no place to sit there but you can walk also. Like often its not like we just sit there. We like to take a walk first and then come and have a sit, you have something to eat or drink – you grab those things then and again, after an hour or so whenever you wish, you can again take a small walk and go back to your hostel. So its like sitting at this building has always been buffered with small walk to and from your hostel.

Its all in the same campus – the hostel, university and this administration building – this building was previously a college then as new college developed, this building was completely converted into administration building. Classes were shifted to the new buildings constructed since and yeh so. We have hostels also where students live. This is an on-campus institute so everybody is required to live within the campus. So its hardly ten minutes walk from my house to this building and 10 minutes walk from my classroom to this building.

There were many other people who were spending time here since they joined this institute and they had special kind of attachment with this place because as I said before, this place is – there is no education activity taking place within this building so what else happens is your group meetings, your planning for any event, which may be anything from cycling to organising a cultural event. Often people they come there and sit and work out for their presentations like, because its very quiet place there comes there and they try to practice for their presentations within the college or outside the college. And also it‟s a good meeting place where people can come and


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chat about movies or any other things which they have done through out the week or through out the day. Or all sorts of activities they are going to do in next couple of days or weeks or so. Like I have seen there people discussing about their future plans of doing PhD abroad. So there are people who use this place for generating new ideas in their mind, there are those people who use this place to just have relaxation or to just have a seat.

I think, the way it is constructed plays a very important role - because it is very spacious, you can walk from corridor to corridor. Outside – you have corridor here where you can walk, you have these pillars here. This is British era building so yeah I think it is architecture of that building that plays a role in creating that environment. These are the windows and this is the main entrance of the building – middle one. Similarly you have entrance from this side, so car can stand between this column and second column. Car will enter here and stop and person can get down and enter into the building. And similarly you have another road coming from here. So its actually, if u see it from the whole point of – from bird eye view to find that – this is a circular road, which is in that direction. And you have road on all the four sides of the building so this is main entrance of the building and you have entrance from sides – two entrances from each side and three entrances from the front.

Three entrances from front side, two entrances on sides and two from rare. It was square building and it had a very big veranda in between. So and another good thing of this building is you have a clock on the top so immediately you don‟t have to worry about your wrist watch, and you can see the clock and make your plan – like okay I have to go at 7 from where you can sit. You can sit freely and directly have a view and you can coordinate your activity with the help of this clock. Only from far, we could see the clock. And we only had clock from the front only and not from all the directions.

My college room is on the back side of this building but we often come from – if u go towards city – they often use road which moves in front of this building so everybody can see the clock while going out or coming in because that campus is actually contained like everyone lives within that but city is outside so whenever you need to purchase something or grocery, or fruits or vegetables you need to go out of campus and so while going out and coming in you could see the watch.

The garden was the best thing about this place. Because its maintained through out the year and its maintained according to the seasons which we are having on the day. So and this is not the only garden which we have. We have garden for every engineering building and once in a year specially sometimes in February just after winter is over and just before the summer comes we had those competitions between the gardens where the gardeners and their helpers – they exhibit their art, their best flower of the season, and then we have 5 different kinds of prizes and all those things - so that‟s the motivation factor for all these people who worked in the garden to make the garden very beautiful, to have a best possible arrangement and second thing is this building - since it is an administrative building whenever any dignitary visit the IIT Roorkee, whether a scientist or minister or a bureaucrat or even one or even foreign delegates when they come to IIT Roorkee for their collaboration or discussion of whatever when we have any seminar or when we have delegates coming, this building is nicely decorated with flowers and pots and all those things, that‟s that‟s a main attraction for anyone who comes to IIT Roorkee to see the art of gardener. To support all these, we have small nursery next to this building where they grow new plants and they take care of them so whenever someone is coming they bring them over and nicely place those pots and plants everywhere and you look at it.

Yeah, and another thing is importance of this building is – historically actually this building is constructed only for civil engineering and it was constructed by Britishers in 1857 to train civil engineers for a construction of canal – the Ganga canal, than at that time it was first technical institute in Asia in 1857 and then it became first technical university in Asia so also this building has a very large historical value with it.

With my studies, I had lot of problem in catching up with mathematics here because I had done my 10th grade and gone to diploma directly where they taught us application of mathematics and not actual mathematics. During my masters here, I had to undergo mathematics and I had serious difficulty with that subject. Therefore I used to wake up at 4am in the morning and come there and sit on the stairs and practices all the mathematical sums very hard. I was not very clever student


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and knew that if I failed, I would not pass again. So I worked hard very much sitting on those stairs and I passed with 2 more marks then the fail marks. And I was so happy of having been passed otherwise it would have affected my other subjects too and whole career in general. This is my personal experience with that place with makes those stairs bear special place in my heart.

Participant N7

This picture is of mother Mary created on a ceramic mural on one of the walls of the street in Venice is contemplative to me. I am interested in my practice to creating sacred spaces. We don‟t have such spaces here in Australia, where people can pause to reflect in public space. There are similar spaces in streets of Thailand where there are small shrines and things like that.

My subject area is Public Art Space. I am making ceramic art tiles individually to make a whole wall out of them. I am interested in working with catholic primary school and teaching the students the similar techniques I suppose to create art works.

I like permanency of this space. It is permanent piece of art for everybody. I suppose Catholics feel that strongest affiliation with Madonna. I personally feel that that figure of mother speaks to everybody because everybody has mother and it does not have to be affiliated to religion. I myself am not a Christian, but after being the mother itself I realised this strong power of mother - child relationship.

The picture here is that on a street and you see it while walking and passing by from there. The same can be in any street in any city but because it is Venice they have actually done it. All the great artists like Michael Angelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, etc were all commissioned by wealthy Catholics to make marvellous art works at that time. I am interested to create spaces that people can look at and reflect. Many figures serve that purpose. Mother Mary is there for women and children who need her. My interest is to look at urban landscape and the concept of 'grottos'. Those little spaces are quiet reflective space where people can feel contemplation. I have heard about magical caves where people go and feel energized. It is due to the natural setting of that place itself and the energy field that affects people who visit there. These little spaces created for contemplation can be aimed to provide such powerful energy spaces.

We have sacred caves in Australia. For example, Bunya Mountains - and nature is the base for them. Aboriginal people use to meet there once in three years time to collect natural starch from the trees. And that‟s how they exchanged culture and flourished.

Architecture and mosaic-ceramic I guess have got ability to transcend time and that is contemplative to me. Archaeological ruins have ceramic remains which tell the story about the time it was made and reveals the culture that thrived then. It has thus the potential to survive ages


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compared to other forms of arts. It takes private worship at home into the public arena. It is like poster in Venice and it is timeless.

I studied under Serbian iconographer. I create contemporary statements of mother and child using those techniques. The second picture I have brought represents that. I use large scale ceramic times to make ceramic artworks, to make life size grottos and it comes back to art on street form like the first picture. The best part of the first picture I liked is that it is part of the wall, like how it is part of the space and it is eternal.

Participant N8

I have got pictures of a fresh market place in Adelaide. It‟s full of all markets, manufactures, producers, farmers, products, people, buyers and friends. Best part I like there is that I can talk to the producers and know how it is made, the history of where it is coming, and they talk with so enthusiasm. Supermarkets in these days don‟t have generosity of spirits. They have marble tops there and wooden shelves. They use marble counters or natural wooden boards to cut bread and to serve to people. It is a very good experience. It has that authentic feeling. They are not using plastic which is used so much in supermarkets. In supermarkets there is no human element!!!

The second picture showing black board, we have got bread and cheese together and the two are such wonderful combination to me. The fact that they are locally made and locally produce is a huge factor to me. People are seeing and thinking what they should be buying. They are considering. They feel very much welcomed there. They can focus on the quality of the product and how it will contribute to their family. They try to find things to get pleasure to their family and guests. It is symbol of love. Also person who makes it puts love of the product in it. Combination of things - lots of visual elements, its smell, taste as you also get to taste samples which are for you to try, there is lot of laughter, talks, etc brings me a sense of contemplation there. You get involved in that. It is uplifting to me. If you notice people standing there - you can see that they are all different nationality. You feel more international. Some of these store holders are also different nationals like many are Germans, there are West Indies people, Indians, Italians and they all understand each others requirements, likes and dislikes. The market links everybody in a beautiful connection. Its new experience and experiment about different things around the world. Having international - multicultural - ethnic element of this market is fundamental, the most important thing, it adds to the flavour, it adds to the colour, and it is educational experience to me.

If I was to walk an aisle of supermarket, I would not feel comfortable. I would just get in and get out as quickly as possible. If I go to this market place here, I can spend long time there and I notice people spending long time here too. I am occupied with I think about its production, freshness, human love, naturalness in display and packaging and people around. I don‟t even notice I spend so much time - 9 to 12 in the morning when I am there.

This photo shows lot of sitting people in the background and the shop is called LUCIAS. It‟s favourite meeting spot for people. Even if you are on your own, there is lot of activity around you and you don‟t feel alone. I have been with people there or sometimes alone and I just sit there. And you feel warm, friendly sort of feel to it. I have been observer of life. You are not part of it. You can watch people doing all sorts of activities there - eating food, hugging friends, talking, interacting friendly activity and "it feels genuine".


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It‟s always full of people and you have to fight to get a seat there. This place has beautiful aroma of coffee. They are original Italian people and have been there for 20 years now making and serving coffee there. And you know that it‟s just best!!! There are other coffee places around but nothing in comparison to this one. If you look, there is not much decor. It is lot of brass and exposed brick walls and I feel that it‟s authentic. Its not trying to be anything but what it is - its authentic Italian coffee house - you have fantastic product. Its institution - people go there a lot and when they are finish eating, tables are taken within no time. People don‟t mind waiting to get place there.

Wall decorations - I will take you to this wall picture now which is full of different colours and artworks. One - its colourful, its got again quiet ethnic feel to it. And from my point of view it gives international flavour, with chopsticks, its area where children play and its also a meeting stop and I think it adds to the overall brightness - I love colour. I find colour very inspiring and at-least to me it is and they are not perfect drawings, they r roughly drawing, they make interesting space to look at. Contemplative spaces for lots of other people would be subdued spaces or subdued colours but I regard colourful places more interesting. I find modern decor with minimal stuff unrestful. Here is a thought, it is empty spaces unnerve me a bit. I love nature and I love spaces to be made of natural materials. I like spaces full with colours, artefacts, things, furniture. It is like mind - and if mind is empty - it is not comfortable to me. I would like visuals, colours and richness. Even if I am not part of it, I would like to observe it. When I go to church, I would look up at the stained glass windows, that‟s where craftsmanship is. Windows with stained glass - I find that very relaxing and energizing at the same time. I get similar feeling in this market.

We look at this picture now showing 'epos available' board. Best part of this place is that you can pick your own choices. Everything is incredibly fresh. The boxes of avocadoes you see below are freshly picked from the farms. These apples are picked the same week. I love this fact and if you buy from supermarkets, you know it comes from cold storage, you know its weeks old. Here everything is fresh and picked locally and locally grown. People who work behind have their family run the shops and bakeries. These people own the farms.

This picture shows lot of people in it but when I am there, I don‟t notice people. Nobody is looking for attention. These markets here have so much to look at - even is you have to wait to be served, you feel good. You focus on quality of product, display, how people make their purchase. It is very sacred to me. Because I like to cook food and because I appreciate a good quality food, going to place like this - where I can talk to people, see fresh food, know where it is coming from, smell them, it‟s not like religion but very uplifting experience to me. I find this place sacred - its quiet spiritual experience. I have a lot of faith and respect for the people who produce them - the producers, manufactures and farmers.


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This view here has got everything that market has - one side you got vegetables and fruits, other side is smoked items specially fish, and the third side is cheese and breads.

This is the picture where I asked the lady to try the bread. She was dishing out taste testing for everybody. Long counter you can see is full of cheese. Its length was very effective and made us feel comfortable. We can see all the varieties in more simple and natural way.

The other particular counter is all wooden and it is so natural and appealing to me.

Big sign 'DOUGH' - I thought is so interesting. It‟s not named bakery, not bread, and not anything else. That name 'dough' is that ingredient of the product. It‟s so appropriate to the product. It‟s simple. It‟s all wrapped into brown paper bag. Bread is made in premises. There are ovens on the back side of the shops and sometimes when I buy bread, they are still hot. It just smells divine. You feel that you treated yourself something very, very special. Ethnic feeling, sound, feel of the space - I like being with people in a very authentic way. People are not embellishing their product with marketing or packaging strategies. Just the word 'Dough' - no special offers, no side tracks to trap people, no extra expanses of advertisements, and just brown paper bags for breads. To me they are not trying to move away from natural product without any fancy packaging. I find that really really, really important. I have so much faith in those people. Environment is authentic – it‟s back to basic like having a small foot-print and environmentally friendly. My marketing background in profession made me deal with lots of graphic designers while working for marketing of consumable products, presentation of products and I realised that those things move the product from product itself - by those marketing strategies. I am bit cynical about it. Here you are seeing the raw product - timber floors, natural elements, brick walls, not lot of plastic.

This is another bread place with white boxes under. This is the shop attached to that coffee shop. I like this again a lot because when you walk in first thing you notice is SMELL - Italian bread and garlic. Things they have displayed are very simple. No attempt to pushing things up - boxes are piled up below the counter. Stainless steel counter, wooden floor gives sense of simple and very good quality produce. It is very, very inviting space. Cheese place is called 'smelly cheese' – that‟s the name of the place. They don‟t try to be too complicated.

This one was in a huge hall selling fish, lots of fish, prawns, people calling their rates. This one was quiet corner and fish is smoked. Smell of smoking here was so awesome. I love fish and I always do go here. The fish are Atlantic. You can smell the wood in them. Its very, very colourful too. Lot of yellows!!! Salomon is very orange. When I see them, I know what the taste is going to be like. It‟s all smoked on premise. There is S.S. up-rods there which are used to put freshly smoked fish. One of the most important factors affecting my Central Market‟s experience is the total absence of vehicles – no cars, delivery trucks etc.

Participant N9


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This photo - this space is at the back side of the building which has green spaces, flowers and everything. It has a big hall inside in which we never go. But I used to sit every evening here at least one or two hours because that was giving me peace in my mind. There was no traffic like no one was using this road much only few students and that too we can say hi and bye that‟s all. So there was nobody, space was quiet and nobody disturbing you and you have nice view - like green space, river that type of thing.

We all friends use to sit quiet often but me and Sumeet continued to sit till end. If ..........I use to sit there. Even if I .........studies for 6 to 8 hours our head was like - I don‟t want to do anything and in that time - if you sit in hostel, some or the other person will come. And I don‟t like to sit in confined place. So this place was better for me. And if you just have a walk around this place, its very nice, quiet, clean, which is another important thing.

This place was secured as well with the guards on the other side. There was director's office inside so people use to come there from other side. There were bunches of white and red roses. I don‟t think I have that photo here. It was garden with lots of roses. I am very bad with smell, so am not sure whether I got the smell of roses there or not but I felt really nice sitting there. Actually during day time, it was very crowded as there is a bank on that side. So I used to go in the evenings - at 5 or 6pm and sit there from 6 to 8. 6.30 be there. I use to study there. Like go at 6 o clock - sit and study and nobody will disturb you - you have the identity card, so nobody will ask you anything - you are studying so that‟s okay. Even I think Sumeet used to study here at 4 o clock in the morning - the same place. This is very nice - if you walk - you forget everything and just concentrate on one thing or sit quietly. If you want to study, just study - you wont get distracted or anything. I don‟t know why but we like this place a lot. But nobody used to sit here, I don‟t know why because they must be thinking that what people will think if you are sitting here. But whenever we seated here as a group, like we use to celebrate Diwali here - used to burn fire crackers with all friends. It was 10m wide road and we as friends used to burn fire-works during Diwali festival over there.

Also when we used to come from my friend's house - she was my local guardian then, her parents were in Meerut so it was five hours drive from Roorkee so our whole group - six, seven students we use to go to her place in the morning, have something there and her mother used to give us packed food for dinner while coming back. So we used to sit here and eat before dispersing to our own hostels and rooms. And we used to sit there only every time. Nobody was interested in going to their rooms and having dinner - they used to say - no, no, we will have our dinner at senate steps only and we will have something quickly - in five minutes and then go. There were two boys and four girls so we found this to be better place to sit here and eat. It was secure also because there was a security guard who used to go round and round this building with gun with him. So that was nice place to sit.

Mostly I used to sit on the highest step in the centre. There were lots of gardeners who were working for the views for this building. So the pots were not always there. Sometimes it used to be plain steps and I use to have the same feeling. Yeah, I couldn‟t find the photo without flowers so I got this one. There were other steps on other side too - and very few times - we used to sit there, infact very rarely we sat over there. I might have sat three or four times in one and a half years of our study course time. So its been yeah, we sat here only. When we studies for 12 hours at stretch in our rooms, we came here and just sat - not doing anything. Just sitting quietly or seeing views of the garden. Not attending phones or anything. Just sitting and not doing anything, or just talking and just relaxing. We use to start from my hostel, and walk around, enter this building from


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another side, walk through the garden and this steps - and then come from here - go to that side and sit. So we just had some walk and then sit, yeah.

The greenery, it was quiet, it was clean, and yeah that I guess are the qualities that gave me that feeling or that experience. I like green things around me. So, when I say green, I mean the plants, the colours of flowers - in the morning - it is very very beautiful, yeah. These doors were never open so we went inside only once or twice and it has a very nice conference room inside. That was specifically for special occasions. They never used to - it was very rare!!! In entrance of my room, there was a big lawn like thing but still I never liked that place and came to this place regularly. That one was also clean, that one was also big, but if I can draw it - like this was lawn and this was my room here, all the other rooms were also there around it - on this side - so some or the other person will be there and who will be shouting, these are all three storey building - so there were students on first and second floors and someone will come and shout. So its not like this place was you personal place. They were common in general. So what made special to the place I liked was that I felt it to be my personal space even if it was a big area. Its quite big, everyone will pass from this road but nobody use to stay there for such a long time. Sometimes you may get one girlfriend and a boyfriend - they might be sitting there and they were not as regular as we used to sit there. (lots of laughter). Sometimes if some one is sitting there, we might shift our place to the end, at the end columns otherwise we used to sit in the middle - because we don‟t want to disturb their privacy as well as they should not interfere us. Its not that they will do anything, but its just like Australian culture -that they wont care whatever you do as long as they are okay. You feel like just let them go!!!! - like that. White colour of the building was making it very special too. Because usually buildings are in some or the other colours. This whole building is special because it has that dome shape and everything. Even inside this building they have these old things - how can I describe - if you see the sun rays - there was a clock and depending on that rays of sun inside the building - you can see the time - it was really antique - it was not an ordinary clock!!! Inside was such a good place because it was administrative building, all old persons and all use to be there. It was specially maintained because the collector‟s house was on this side.

They used to have many flowers, I don‟t know from where they got it - we had flower exhibition once - so many types of flowers and such nice colour - ahhaaaa it was unbelievable - I still have its photos and videos - it was very nice - for two hours you are just looking at flowers because it is like that and they used to have competition between different engineering departments. And it was very nice. Here I miss this type of space - this is natural type of place may be this is my Indian mentality but here if you go to Queens St - it is modernised looking. This is better than Queen St I think to have little bit of peace I think. I often walk in Botanical gardens too - say for two - three times but I have not felt anything like that similar feeling that I got when I was there in Roorkee. Because really speaking, I don‟t spend much time here in the garden too so that might be the reason. But here we don‟t not have many flowers too. We don‟t have any special building too here.

(the conversation was almost complete, when I asked her do you want to add anything to our talk and she said no and then she narrates as below)

I don‟t know whether because we were sitting there was one of the reasons for it to give me that experience. Because when my grandfather passed away he told me that news when - usually every evening we used to go somewhere out because I was never interested in sitting inside the building. Like here, its very unusual for me to sit inside the building all the time. There I was always going out. Sumeet told me about my news that my grandfather passed away at these steps. My parents didn‟t tell me about it because I had exams and they told Sumeet to convey the news to me. I was the most favourite of my grand father and he was my most favourite person. When Sumeet told me about the news here, I told him to just leave me alone and not say anything. I sat there quietly alone and I felt my grandfather there with me in the greenery - in that space. Sumeet was also there, he allowed me to be alone and sit there quietly feeling things and he sat there quietly too.

The second photo is river place near Lakshman Jula back in India. We used to go there very often - almost all weekends and spend whole day there. Sumeet and I used to go regularly and sometimes we took our friends there too. And they were all very happy to see this place. It was again quiet, not much crowd of the people, with beautiful sand, water, rocks, stones, shells. I used to play with them, climb on rocks or just sat on the rock with my legs in the water and walked and kept walking along the river. Those were the activities we did every time we visited that place. The background


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scenery was additional things that I loved about that place. As you see in the photo, it was a mountain covered with lots of trees and it was all green. I used to sit on the river bank and just kept on seeing that mountain with the greeneries. At that time, I used to dream about having my own house at one of the niches on that mountain. We used to collect some shells to take back home as nice memory of being in that place. First time we went to the river on other side near Lakshman Jula and it was full of people - the visitors, tourist, lot of dirt in the water due to the offering people made to the river as form of Hindu ritual puja and we did not like there at all. Therefore we thought of discovering some better place on the river side and finally we found this one. We were so happy to discover it and we loved to come here again and again always. So the view was nice, water, feeling of sand and rocks and stones to my feet were also so beautiful.

Now since we are talking, I remember my house back in India - one of the rooms in our house - I don‟t have its photo but this particular room was such that everybody wanted to sit in that room only and no where else or no other rooms in the house. Ours is very small, very ordinary home but it is special to me because my grandfather had made it with his own hands. We will never sell that house. This particular room I am talking about was not a living room or a TV room. It was where the main entrance was and this room led people to formal living room area and kitchen on the other side. We were 4 siblings and we all used to sit in this room only while we were studying or just playing or just not doing anything. Even if we had guests or my friends coming to our place, they used to say let us sit in this room only - I don‟t know what was so special about this room - but everybody wanted to be there only. It was two big windows and we had two huge mango trees on that side. One of the windows was overlooking a Shiv temple that was there in our neighbouring places. So everybody who visited our place could see the God from the window. Also it was very, very cool room - may be due to the mango trees outside. There was nothing in that room - no photo frame or a flower vase or a side table or any furniture but a cot on which we all used to sit. We even didn‟t mind sitting on the floor with the back resting to the walls while we were studying and nice light and wind used to come from the windows. My brother and sisters and we used to fight to be in this room (lots of laughter).

Participant A1

So what did you want me to talk about each picture and experience of contemplative space - yeah, umm I suppose for me there are all sorts of different contemplative spaces and things that bring positive and negative experiences I suppose and these spaces cause me to contemplate in that. Sometimes I bring back feeling of nostalgia and feelings of comparing to similar space I have been in.

This picture here was taken when I was in Spain in October last year - and it is very interesting it was Barcelona cathedral although it is not a religious thing in itself I suppose, the religious aspect of it cause a sense of reverence and causes you to contemplate I suppose. That contemplative feeling depends on all sorts of factors but you know when I think back to this picture, I can just remember all the ....how cool that was, you know when you go into the church and when its cool and its dark, when light comes in through windows - in this case its exterior and interior - this one is exterior was open but also the sun you walk past it, and also here on the floor were some inscriptions in stone of people who were buried there since 16 - 1700 and I suppose and I think about that and when I go through the space this one in particular, you know that you are there in that moment and then you are gone and I was thinking about it - about how many people from 16-1700 actually went through that space and I wondered whether they would be thinking about us in the future and I don‟t think they could have seen us being what the way we are and that cause me to think what about future generations another couple of hundred of years are going to go through kind of this space. Is that what you mean by kind of contemplating or .....? It was the sunshine that was main element because it was so dark and it was deem in that church and then sunshine came across the column and it brought sense of life I suppose to cold I suppose space you know that cold and smell of incense and I looked across the church and all I could see was sunshine across this column.


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It was so bright, and I think that was really quiet interesting aspect in it out of whole church this seemed to me to be brightest point. The light on the column – That‟s a nook into a nabby - place where nuns are there. The wall standing there in sun and everything else was so cold. That is it really attracted my eye that it was amazing how much sunlight can bring LIFE to certain space.

So yeah..............

This is Parc Guell in Spain. This was the experience of life time for me. I have not responded and I have never spoken about this before - I suppose people just don‟t sort of understand it or get it but I spent a week in Spain and have been to a lot of places but this one I don‟t know because I was by my selves ...cracked up to be Sunday morning I went up to Parc Guell and I was wanted to see sun rise over Barcelona because apparently it is the highest point towards Parc that looks out to the city that everybody was part of Barcelona - I got there

But there is another picture here and that the park where you sit with series of seats that wind in and out and that was most amazing experience

as there was no one out there and I finally dawned on me and I suppose that I was in so far away from home and its - I think beauty of it really captured me and you can see the gloss - across the top of the seat and when you sit in the seat your body takes in that and that I had my music on and I had my piece of opera in and in that I was so profoundly moved, I was moved to tears I ran my hand around this entire thing, all the smoothness and it was really powerful moment - I don‟t know what - it was really a connection with not just an object but with a space and a thing and I was sitting there and I was feeling this architecture specially - this curved architecture - feeling with my body and feeling with my hands that how much something I can‟t really explain!!!

Every time I look at pictures, I am taken aback.

It was amazing extremely amazing and I have never experienced anything like this before so profound i cant really say why because it is an exterior thing, the tiles - your hand sort of - there is no part that is not smooth - just amazing and experience totally went when whole heap of tourists poured in at about 7.30 that far and walked about the park

It was stupendous


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Underneath there is columns it is like platform and this supports it on top.

Its absolutely amazing, you look up and there is mosaic and sort of reminds you of being in the forest but even so it wasn‟t that profound as being at the top. You sort of marvel I suppose at the fort behind it and it sort of takes you back to another place and that‟s here the…

I went into another world. It was real sense of presence, it took me - I was mesmerized I suppose, I was archived, I was part of it and that‟s kind of hard to say - it was absolutely amazing experience - it was phenomenal.

It was touch of everything no matter where you sit. Surface was smooth and cool.

Everything was perfect, everything was ergonomically perfect. It couldn‟t have made more perfect.

I was sitting at every where and trying to see if it was different kind of seating and these (small bumps) were not uncomfortable at all.

You cant feel them. Its so deceptive and when you look at it above - snakes around and it is almost luminous because its white and its so brilliant. The pictures don‟t do justice at any where in form. See can u see that curves around Yeah are that there and that‟s hole from where water drains out over but I just never ever, ever, ever had any experience before having been part of this space and I had moved to tears - it was just amazing - I cant even begin to say how amazing it was. I had seen the Sagrada Familia then designed by Gaudi the same architect of this and this and this - They were good but nothing like this Parc - this was interesting La Familia as they call it - this is apartment block here and its like a thing that grow out of the ground.

Its huge big street - huge big street - and all of a sudden its this building sitting in a corner and it is like it is alive, organic living thing and you go up inside and the building is created with a central core, an empty central core and its sort of dishes in empty core and sunlight comes inside and here back up against and here bizarre thing they are actually air vents and chimneys - really its is bizarre

This has got broken tiles and it again has got smooth surface.

It has got good grouting in-between. They look at you and you almost feel timid and afraid but they were like huge - they are massive. When you look up - you have got different heights, you stand up you stand up at higher bit. You go to lower bit - you look down. Its magical… It is comical. I suppose and I kind of got that - It was quiet an interesting experience. Yeah, yeah, I felt like laughing - I don‟t know it was kind of humorous - because when you look at it its like mere cats sitting up and they sort of looking at the city and I looked at it and I chuckled. You know that it is not real and it looked real. I would have appreciated more if there were not many people around. This is the ceiling of Sagrada Familia - 65 m height. There were thousands of people around and great construction work. I was disappointed when it came to Sagrada Familia - I was expecting more - I suppose I had already set up a sense of - I don‟t know -

Everybody makes sense of big deal about that but once you get here and its beautiful but i think its people who spoil it. Because there are thousands and thousands of people around it all the time. But there are people working in here an interesting part of it is that they do still have church services but its tucked away in a dark little corner and I was bit interested in that corner because that had the feeling of the church and main area did. I was kind of puzzled when I guess I was standing there, it was absolutely awe-inspiring I kind of wondered when it would get that feeling of church - that sense of sacred - a presence of something and I don‟t know that if it will be able to achieve that with so many people.

Tucked away in a corner got that sense of church but everybody got passed that church - they didn‟t even see it as it was over in a corner but I wonder I don‟t know whether what point it stopped being construction site and what point it start being a church. It has that powerful sort of thing when you talk in that hush tone and there is big echo, I just don‟t know, I just don‟t know like you know like it had amazing construction on one side and it is phenomenal but this small


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corner had a sense of darkness, quiet and cool and these wasn‟t even noticed by few people passing by – but to me was more touching than the overall structure.

Completely two different experiences of church of cathedral as it were. It was light and peace feeling that made the corner feel sacred - also because, it was blocked from public. Having being brought up in religious manner I suppose that has been predisposed to sort of in me to look for things that look holy sort of - talking out loud and everything like that.

Because it was darker area and it had alter with candle, little candle on it and I think that was what made connection I suppose because you feel

I think candle being there makes you feel that there is life there but it was kind of bizarre. I sort of can‟t explain it. But you know when you go to churches and that DARK sort of area and that little flame - tiny little flame causes that sense of presence I suppose. I definitely liked the corner bit best of all in Sagrada Familia. Looking up L think was very, very awe inspiring - hehehehee

Now do these all have to be places I have been to because I could talk about another place where....This is my design studio. You wondering about the sign there - it was stolen - hehehee

That‟s in University of South Australia. It is non-existent any more. It was old building and they have torn it down and made a new building now.

But this picture was where my final year studio was and yeah brings back lot of many memories so many memories because you don‟t really forget what you are going through during that time. You I don‟t know it is more than a place of learning. You are discovering bit of yourself also.

I mean it was one of my best part of my life I suppose and one of my best time I enjoyed all but also one of the most difficult you know. We had our radio there and our fridge there and it was a big exhibition space and not just warehouse - we were three of us working here and it was a real hub. Often times I look back into and I wish you know I was still in uni - it was such a sense of freedom and this picture definitely takes me back there. and makes me feel good about what I did and going through my projects, going through 4 years of uni and then you remember your friends and its a sense of nostalgia there and it just makes you feel good about what you have done and makes you feel bit sad that building has gone and there is nothing there any more.

I think that was my little corner - well Christina's and my little corner. The outside I suppose didn‟t necessarily have much things for me. This was for me. I think things on the wall and when you make things and pin them up on the wall gives you sense of ownership I suppose. And we had a kettle there and everything a little toaster up and things like that - I think its the ownership of items on the wall and things on the bench on the table there and its also the experiences that we went through in - sat there and through the struggles for anyone who goes through design studios in order to achieve something, you don‟t even know what - you are going to achieve but it sort of evolves and grows I suppose. And sitting there many hours - nights and days and days and nights everything like that sort of makes you - makes that part - yeah yeah.

We did hand drawing and drafted in cad. I didn‟t have pictures of computer lab but you were just one as a group you know what I mean and any studio too people come in and the whole space would be high because you and your colleagues are going through the same thing and you go though highs and lows together and I suppose definitely - like you go to computer labs here you go in there and people have saved computer for you and you watch while little things that really make it a good experience. You have music going, you have food in there, all are really pumped. Best time of my life – really, really enjoyed it and when I talk about them and when I see this picture, I can see I can hear music and feel the feelings when you are there- you feel crazy and you feel tired and yeah certainly that picture frames everything about uni for me. There isn‟t one thing about uni which is not in it - this is it, this is it. Taken me back there and I see more, I mean people who haven‟t been there I see picture everything entire four year experience that was brilliant but not, not always so brilliant but i have grown pretty brilliant.

I kind of stole that from outside - the sign post. - Hehehe


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Yeah and we that was good, I don‟t why it was so, it was signage I can feel that we put it up there, wire tired with leg of table - light was soft light hehehee and it was sort of half experiment from somebody and you know it provided good night.

This provided soft cool light.

It was great and funny - this used to attract so many people around it you know at night and also fridge was there

So remarkable, so much fun, really loved it - loved uni - I wish I could go back there and always be there I think. Anyway Hehehee

Now, how much more time do we have to go....

Heres another picture of another side - Thats looking from my desk to another side. That was like when it was clean at the start of semester and then it got JUMBLED UP.

Well that was picture taken from in here I think, from there and concrete floors and everything like that so that you can see old building warehouse but yeah that was a very interesting that‟s other side of the uni so....yeah

This was a I cant remember why I was down in Geelong, it was November and I don‟t know I was down at my parents place at Ballarat

I was down there for few days for conference or something, Iwent with my mom and sister to Geelong and it was most bizarre thing...

This building all this is - is this. Merry gold - casserole. Its bizarre.

You got merry gold intended to be bizarre old worldly type of music

You cant go any closer, it was - It was ghost like, nearly ghost type, my nephew was like my sister, you cant look, you cant touch, when I was there, I was drawing out that feeling.

My sister and nephew went somewhere

I was just sitting there and experiencing children- it was bizarre, this building was completely modern it was surreal it was bizarre - cant sort of explain it but it was sense of complete detachment like a ghost thing from a past - a thing that has no purpose.

It was working and there was music playing and there were horses going round and you know how they go up and down but you know children could not ride them. It was antique piece or something, why shipping port out there and why this building……….children screaming, doing that but that was ghost of time combined - strange thing - bizarre

Anyways, I can tell you about another unique experience - this is called Angorichina - we went on this we normally flinders ranges, South Australia and it was part of third year studio. it was part of us - interior architecture studio went there - it was 30-40 of us went up there and this, this town specially called township - there used to be township for people suffering from TB - tuberculosis - isolated in Flinders range which is huge like its massive ranges - thousands and thousands of ranges going up straight up. It has got different landscape it is dry arid dusty and hot and going there in bus together it was amazing it was three and half hours

There in hills this red type of dirt - its reddish you come up here and you look down. You know two hundred people township and - only man in this area were very few – like four or five were there. It‟s not 5 star accommodations its 2 star or 1 star. There is no people. You drive down and you know it was after they recovered from TB they left the place - so eventually closed up but lovely experience in that we felt that we had taken on we felt that we were part of the community we were community. There was real sense of quiet, very, very quiet - it was ghost like - it wasn‟t creepy ghost like, you almost expect as it were but they don‟t have.


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I think these pictures evoke sense of quietude - ability to just to stop to pause and to contemplate I suppose. It is my classmate here but it was like time had stopped still from 1940 s I suppose and kind of wondered there was little grave yard. We sort of went through there it was like I suppose it was like a nearly left because you can still feel sense of presence there. There were hills all around and there were creeks

Gene Lee one of our professors there owns a block there.

It is a dead township as it were but it really sort of makes you think about what you are creating and why you are creating.

You come in as a group and its like you have been there.

I cannot really say - may be we went there with no preconceived ideas. They don‟t have shops there and no shops and no nothing no people living there, we sort of just became I know we slept there for few nights I suppose I cannot really explain why we just became part of community

It was because it was built in that way, open to accepting people come and go – the intact thing, though all didn‟t sleep in one hut. So we go from house to house to house to house. You feel you went to see your neighbours to say what you are doing tonight, come to our hut.

That‟s just taken - this is Brisbane Powerhouse as you enter in the car park, you go up, this has no ceiling, as from my memory - its old power facility that is made into art centre - store stuff in I went there one night, purely its like airy, part of underground roller door here - when I went there it sort of framed Brisbane Powerhouse - chair sitting there purely out of accident. A PERFECT FRAME – created naturally out of accident.

Its all about the acting and story iI suppose, I found kind of bizarre, but it was accidental thing, it came from ..what was going in there and ofcourse there were plenty of silence – that‟s completely as it is, walking around its cold and cold i think few people died in powerhouse, you can feel that bizarre experience.

One last example I would like to share is aerospace and interior architecture - I am teaching there at present. In there is an International space station, this is one of the modules, I watched their activities, though I haven‟t been physically in there but you watch out activities, before you know it, it takes you there, flying around, micro gravity.

Its called Nasa -TV

My slight obsession with aerospace, course is meant to do that, I feel so often I have been there and I don‟t know it creates real thing, I have connection with it, when I log on I am going back in that space. Its like seeing my friends again - when I log in, I follow their activities - They joke and they laugh, they are doing their work and it feels I am there with them.

I feel sense of floating. I am so passionate about it. I am peering up and around and from me may be its a space I feel I go in there on regular on basis not part of this exercise but physically I am there psychologically or in my mind's eye. They do all sorts of things like research, everything is filled, they strap themselves to wall to sleep and they don‟t have bed - they don‟t feel that sense of gravity - they sometimes bump into each other - they can pull themselves up – push themselves across and down and I can feel that – bizarre!

This goes down. I so wanna be there – brilliant.

I feel that I have been there so many times. A

ctually its so amazing.

So alright is that all what you wanted? I hope I have given you enough data.


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Participant A2

I do remember one place that was quiet important to me and its really bit embarrassing so you will have to forgive me there. But it was this one bathroom in one house I was living in and it was all green - like the tiles on the walls were green and the bath tub itself was green and so it was all that kind of light was this kind of minty glowy kind of in that room and bath tub was really really, really deep old one. So when you are in it you are actually up to your shoulders in it. and I just loved to be in that space (lot of laughter). Taking a bath was really important like even to these days somebody you know it was ten years ago and I still remember that bathroom. I don‟t have photo of that place. It was probably about 1970s made home like 60s fit out - that kind of - so I mean, it wasn‟t glamorous or anything like that and I - but I think you have to do with that - that it was all one colour and it had actually to do a lot with the light in that room - and the fact that you were so submerged. Like you are really almost looking over the bath so it was a good place to be. It was very inspiring to me. I think it was comfortable but more inspiring. Because I think places can be comfortable but not contemplative. And there has to be that sense of release perhaps that allows you to go somewhere where normally you don't go and I think that inspired that release quiet easily. So yeah it was a good place.

At the moment I don‟t actually get to take many moments just out. I suppose its probably combination of work, but its also this health element with me all the time so I find it, when I stop work, I have level of pain and tiredness or its something else going on in me all the time and I have to kind of cope with if that makes sense so actually being able to let go of even that to let go of work and let go of that and to be in a kind of place that is contemplative - is bit more difficult these times but at the moment we are in this house and we are renovating it. So I think lot of contemplation ties up with that perhaps.

I often sit in front yard in a chair, yard isn‟t done, house isn‟t done, paint is peeling out - it is not particularly nice spot but I sit there and think about what I am going to do with house and then that - that kind of focus leaves me off to alert areas to the more kind of less project directed and more sort of contemplative - front yard is totally important - its lower area because the footpath is covered up there. there are high trees behind there and some houses so I suppose I have got nice sense of enclosure. Is that the kind of thing you are looking for?

Trees cover me from being viewed by the people passing on road.

I don‟t have to be observant any more here about what is happening around me. Here there is the sense of distance perhaps between someone can walk past and not be totally aware that I am there - so then I don‟t have to be that interested in them either and I think that‟s why I like that spot.

We have got 4 m high tall trees running around where I sit. Metre and half up to footpath and then on the footpath there are mitre high bushes as well. So there‟s quiet barrier between people walking past and where ever you are you know. So they can see you but it doesn‟t feel you watching or bothers you. Also the house i think, when you start thinking about future of house, you start thinking about future of other things as well so for me that‟s one of the trigger for you know getting off the track little bit. There is not much to look at it, so yeah, that‟s a good spot.

Also this is another embarrassing one but where we are living, is in a house. There is a window right here (shows till her shoulder while sitting height) and it looks at mount Coo-tha and we don't actually have any neighbours at the back at all like anywhere so I can open the window and look at the mountains so I tend to take a long time in the bathroom for that reason first that we are not exposed and can take some time out at the moment. And again this is again a contemplative spot not to worry about for me. That‟s the moment – that‟s about it.

There‟s not much other contemplation going on. Sometimes beaches are good for contemplation. But not down the water, actual water is too much but back up on the dunes is more about you and less about the action. You don‟t have to worry about the waves coming in and making your clothes wet and that kind of thing when you are down there. So I find, in the dunes up in the actual dune part is more in line with that kind of thing than to the going down.


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I can actually remember like if I had a bad day or if I was feeling out of thought, I would actually go into that bathroom and close the door and sit on the floor so and just kind of chill off for a while and I would come out alright - it is a strange thing to explain to your family that you are going to sit on the tiles for a while but so yeah it wasn‟t necessarily about the bath it was more about the larger room. It was not leafy green but it was more blue kind of minty green I suppose that i can - it was probably have much more blue in it rather than a crisper apple green. Light was important aspect of that green bathroom. It was diffusing light from the frosted glass - so it was kind of everywhere. It was mono-chromatic quality and the space was wrapped up in that light and so it was very evoking. It was not that there was any focal point in that room or anything like that there was nothing that drew your attention. It was just a moulded space with the series of units together in it. You know bathroom can be one thing, two thing, three things in a room - it never felt like that - it was more like a one come space. I think that had a lot to do with that experience. Colour did add to that feeling - kind of almost twilighty feeling in it. That‟s probably all about it. There are other places I can think about but not as same as these.

Participant A3

Yeah so colours, impressions, the spirit of place ideas of travel, mythology all combined in what I call this a travel diary. So this is my experiences as I am painting so that‟s why I suppose it is a symbolic journey that‟s physical but also symbolic. Ahhh, and so one of my places that I really


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love is Byron Bay. And there‟s there is a camp place where I park my caravan – a caravan park in Byron Bay – that‟s Broken Head sorry which is not very far from Byron Bay. That‟s the Byron Bay light house - and to me this is one of my spirit spaces you know - I love to go there and I love to camp and I draw - I draw this a dozen times over the years so ....ahh and its like when I go there, I am at home - I feel at home - I feel relaxed and comfortable and there is something about that place that does that to me - you know. This is the most easterly point of Australia - this light house, so it‟s right on the east side of the country. I don‟t know how to put my finger on that - what we call the spirit of that place and something that makes me feel that experience. I think its something I discovered 30 years ago and I have gone back probably hundreds of times - I don‟t know certainly tons of times - I don‟t know how many times. I, guess its a distant area that I like and I don‟t know what it is - its a natural beauty of the space I suppose. Also I suppose it is the experiences of being there and part of painting there which I really love doing and its the beauty of the place - its just a loving place. As I said, I have painted it over many years at many angles....that‟s just a cafe in Byron Bay - a quick sketch of it and these are the scenes at the camp site while I was sitting there drawing you know - ....what structure it is, what fascinates me I suppose - when I go camping one of the thing that fascinates me is different colours and these colours and the camps and the way they are in the environment you know - so these colours in the environment are not so strong so to us they are different tints - shapes, colours of bunch of things on the camp side.

So more ..............These are just a series of sketches that I was doing while toddling along on the beach and doing these really quickly - all these are done fairly quickly any way and just experiencing from - from the natural beauty to all the things on the beach - people, beach, shoes, balls, the umbrellas, natural things that are there, people so I guess that makes the place - these are quick sections that are drawn. These are flora and fauna and all the companions that are on the camp site on that particular day you know - these sort of bugs and flowers so all of that goes together to make it important to us you know because I suppose about these things being around or about these flowers being around is the same. And the other thing you know when a storm comes over, the whole things changes you know and its just really nice - I have never done it - but really to capture that - that nature at its extreme - with the sunshine out and it gets black sometimes - absolutely black you know and they are just small camp sites done in small bits ahhh again trying to capture them just quickly - not trying to do a show piece again put on rays, storms of it and sunsets. So you just trying to start I suppose to know the place, the beauty of it.........lot of these not all were done on a one trip. Like may be three or four in each of those and that‟s away from light house - just capturing these sorts of things and just close by restaurant.

And then this is a camp sites and again, just in very slippery way just capturing what was happening at the camp site around not my camp site but the people around me - their cars, their tents and people having conversations you know and the natural beauty and so on and so on - just really quickly putting my ideas of it. And that‟s Australia map - print - over the years - like these drawings go back over 20 years or something you know - and this time though this is Balabodur, place in Indonesia and this is a Buddhist temple - it has been restored and it is quiet stunning you know - it is quiet beautiful - its from 14th century I think - lot of time ago and these again are just some of those drawings - these were just a restaurant hotel in Jakarta or so I am not sure at ...so these are the things that sort of captured my attention - these is Prambanan - a Hindu site in Indonesia - there is 20 kms between them. One is Hindu and this is Prandanan - it was big as a spiritual place for Hindus living in Indonesia at that time like all religions come and go but I can't remember how long it was but it wasn‟t too long between the two. And its still being used, still processions going on outside the temple and I suppose in this what I liked about both these places that you could feel the history and ancientness of the whole of the buildings and its still contemporary with the people around and so on and so on but so once you go into both these sites it is quiet beautiful you know and I suppose its because of history that triggers those things off.

It comes from long ago and it survived the time - lots of these was knocked down by various people - they tried to restore it and rebuild it. On my particular travel through Indonesia this was lot of rich village called Yogyakarma which is south of Jakarta and this was over a place where I met someone on my travel - he met me there and said you come and meet my parents. So while I sat and sketched there place there - i was just drawings - you know again this lovely little place and they were these really lovely people and so I had just had something really nice about it - the tropics are really lovely anyway - just in this tropical sort of village it was quiet evocative in the


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sense that you can see they were a family and they were living a simple life I suppose. At one stage they asked me would I like a glass of coconut water and I said o yeah, the next thing - the father of this guy he just said something to one of these other guys- other people and he just went up on the coconut tree - ooooph just daaaa knocked the couple off dropped them on ground, took them off, chopped the top off and here it is - coconut water to me - so its that immediacy I suppose and it is so abnormal in most societies today you know where people can still do that - want a coconut - oooph up on the tree - cut few and offer them to your guests - its fresh in moments. I draw patterns of these..........

One of my other spirit place is Bali - and while it is part of Indonesia, its separate from Indonesia because most of Indonesia is Muslim - Bali is Hindu. So they have most of them there are Hindus and so they have retained this island. They have turned it into a sort of paradise. It is changing now but it is paradise. And again this place is just - they, they are really artistic, the traditional colonies - they societies are changing now but the traditional Balinese are so artistic - they can so - they live in harmony - I visited them in early 80s and they were still living very basically as I had seen the same over the years - a very simple life, just very artistic, very natural and considering and seeing there architecture - I just could not believe - I was knocked over as an architect. Anyone could do buildings as good you know, they are, they just fit the environment, fit the culture, everything very right, you know its one of those things - all the temples are open air – there‟s no roof for the temples except the galleries, etc but they sit essentially and every place has an entrance. So you got this, you got this lovely transition from outside to inside - in every building you know - then you enter the building and you know you go into another row and they make it different space which are its all - whole idea is of a mount, its symbolic – what‟s it called - Hindu mythology for a mountain - its mythical mountain - anyways it will come to me. So what it is - is the mere structure is based on that symbolic mountain and the gates are like you have got them, you slice it half and put them apart - so every thing - everything in that whole idea is then built with this sort of thing in mind. So you know when I first went there, I didn‟t know anything about that but once I saw it, I came back and read about it because it was so amazing - it was amazing architecture and all traditional architecture is based on a very strong spiritual belief and a very strong belief of its inhibitors as well as the God who inhabit in all of these structures.

So they got separated all of these things out and its very - it all goes together - everything that is symbolised, everything is based on mythology. So all of symbols, and mythology are put in there in their traditional buildings. So when I first went there, I got these incredible sense of belonging I suppose - being in a place that was just extra-ordinary!!!!! I just couldn‟t believe how lovely it was you know. And again whole of these buildings are based on very strong physical - they are based on mythological belief but they also come there to a human value so they see that the from the island to every small temple that is based on the same thing - and that‟s the head the spiritual path the body and the feet. And so when they look at the planning of an island, they Mt Lagoon - which is the highest mountain of the island and very spiritual and so that‟s the head and all of these - the land masses is the body and sea is the feet. And when they get into building - ahh sorry when they get into their village, the temple - village temple is the head, the place where people live is a body ahhh legs - sea is the legs I suppose again, and when they get into - so that‟s the village and every building in there has the same idea - so entrance of the building is feet, building where people live is the body and head is the temple on that site. And then when they come down to every detail, these are feet, so in every building run down the smallest detail is based on that. These are the feet - the base of the column, that‟s the body and this capital at height is the head. So that gives us every detail comes right down till the columns. So they have feet, body and head. So I suppose when I say, when one has any intention - this is what I believe in anyway - when one has the intention of designing with these things in mind - it some how comes out in architecture because as I said, when I first went there, I could not believe how good it was. And wasn‟t till I started reading about it, that I got all of these stuff and that‟s why its so good - you know. Because there is a strong spiritual bases to what they are designing. Of-course it is changing now, and most of the time these days it isn‟t done but that‟s the tradition - so when one - if one has that intention - I really believe that it somehow comes out really in that building. And lot of people, many of them experience that - they get that what I get with it - a connection with it - its something about it you know that is good.

And this is part of a restaurant here - this is a restaurant, at in the background is a lake, so I was just drawing that and again just all of the architecture - this is again a symbolic mountain, Mt Peru


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- is it Mt Peru? - may be not. Anyways, in the whole building you can see this - lots of these shapes essentially and though when you - there is a reason - there is a purpose behind what they have done - so when they...it doesn‟t matter whether you understand that or not - but you get this something special feeling about it because its been designed that way. So its lot of wind, it‟s not an idea - its a something done with lots of purpose and intent - its not just a wind - its a purposeful design - so when you go there and I dont know who is not knocked over by the culture, by the architecture, the buildings, its just is. And of-course, everything that happens is ritualised - it is continuous ritual events - sequences – there‟s a ceremony - cannot remember what it is called - visuals offerings to Gods. So people bring all these food to the temple, offer the food to the God and what God doesn‟t eat, they take it back and eat it. Beautiful - It is just extra ordinary you know.

These were couple of characters that were involved in that. And this is an entrance to the building - cannot remember hat it was!! I think it is an entrance to a house I think - can be wrong on that. Again it is like - the entrance is not like something you walk in back doors or something - this is how it is celebrated - you get into that wonderful gate creating beautiful little space. And these are again entrances and people playing games, its very strong - like its the music and the dance - its all there. This was cleansing ceremony on beach in Bali and again several hundreds of people celebrating a cleansing ceremony - just going to the sea and cleansing their - things into the sea. This was for half a day and I think whole village was involved in it. And these were sort of cafes and things like that. This is a hotel in Legian and this was not designed - its a hotel so it was designed by an architect and he was an Australian guy and he did such a terrific job on this - he did this in 60s and I tell you, it is still as good now as it was then and he did the - he used this Balinese architecture - but he didn‟t used it literally - he knew the scale - I hope you know what I mean - so he really understood the traditional culture and then he made the centre which is so many years old and still is as beautiful - still terrific. It is a first class hotel I mean and you name it and what it is - and all he has done is revamped the place and maintained the tradition and its so good.

Peter Muller was his name - Sydney architect. These are just ahh these is as I was passing had little bit of time - one of the mosque in Malaysia. This is a street in Kuala Lumpur and it has got all of these little stalls - must go for 500 m - in one line, all lined up one after the other - I really liked the idea and it is just FABULOUS. I wish, when I am there I would be only drawing these you know. I think it might be this one, when I was drawing this and sitting there in a restaurant, eating a meal and drawing and a guy comes up - the owner of the restaurant - and he said ahh you know Chinese and I said no - I said I am just drawing what‟s there and he said ahhh oh no (bit disappointedly) and he walked back (lots of laughter) (he took lot of time laughing and expressing his expressions of remembering something that he was so fond of and the reaction the guy showed up to his sketching).

This is, I suppose what I am saying is that it is not just temples I guess for me - because I think its ....I guess I had beautiful experiences at religious places..but its something more than religion.........that just this one - this is down at the university - University of Technology, Mada and this was Ramadan. We had an exhibition over there. And giving talks, so during Ramadan there is no food from sunrise to sunset but as soon as there was a sunset - there were all these stalls with the food and so the whole car park - all the cars were taken out and people just came in and set up these stalls and had these AMAZING food. And I went with a guy and these guys - one of my colleagues from here and we were just go down there - sitting in the crowd virtually and eating and that was just amazing, an amazing experience - you know and it was just the food stalls in the car park but it was beautiful, it was beautiful experience of an environment because it was just temporary. .......it was...the next moment it was car park and in the afternoon..........it is..........so its its to me its not necessarily designed for that - its just something that happens like this you know - I got as good a feeling going to that as I would get going to any space - because I remember that experience!!!

This is central market.

Petronas yeah, I just didn‟t finish that - because while I was drawing, I got a phone call that my mother had died so I just ...worked my way back to the place. It‟s unfinished............................................


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And my wife and I went for about three months in India mostly travelling around Rajasthan and also .........................took students.

Just writing the notes to capture - what we were seeing you know - things that happened were crazy you know - this was just general - over all thing I wanted to write about. And some of these when I first went there, I was on a trip for University for QUT - and all of these were quick sketches while I was waiting for things to finish and you know - this one was when I was staying in Goa. Again Goa, the sun sets over there were really, really nice.

And lot of these, this was Mt. Abu - I went there after our trip - we went to a retreat at Mt. Abu and when we left that - it was an international retreat for .........this was set up in 20s I think - the treat and when we left there we just went into the town and just stayed there for three-four days and it was near the lake and again it was so so, so (pause) amazingly relaxing - so beautiful - I mean you had a beautiful experience in the retreat but this was the ...................it had got..in it - the lake was bit dirty but again it was so beautiful you know. It was just an extra ordinary experience - you know - ..................sitting - all the temples - ..............Brahmakumaris -

They are loveliest people - absolutely fabulous people - do you go there? I go there sometimes not often. Lovely people!!! Just it is away from the heart - they are really good. ....................................................this path I found it most extra ordinary thing - ..........so beautiful - all these decorations, so gorgeous!!! This is another place in Jaisalmer and just I couldn‟t ..to me something out of the - it was a fairy tale - like out of the Arabian nights - I don‟t know some fairy tale place - I couldn‟t believe - one of the places here was as Jodhpur or somewhere we had been - I cannot remember - but it was one of those things - we went into a shop and my wife started talking to a guy and I cannot believe he said to me - you have to come you know. I promise I will go back there in few days so come - he had some ....in boutique hotel in fort - that was just unbelievable - that was like ahhh - you know how architecture can be that good!!!!!!!! (he was so happy while talking about these and laughing - he went on and on)

..........Now again it wasn‟t a space for contemplation but I would have contemplated more - on top of that building - they were just small spaces but so beautiful you know. You went up the stairs and you go on the roof you know - overlooking this desert - and this was special. I mean there were parts there that were lovely - this is one of the ............and some of the old gates - this is ...away from fort and this - we had a car with a driver and when we first started driving he took us to the restaurants type of cafes and we stopped every two hours for coffee or something to eat because it was driving and we wanted to do that. So he kept on taking us to these restaurants two or three times and we told him - we want to go to these stalls. It took some few trials for him to do that but finally he would stop. At any little place - where 'chai' was served - we loved 'chai' tea in India and it was like every time we stopped - as we stopped at the side of the road cafes there would be one person come and talk, and than another, and then another, and at the entire length there would be ten people standing and talking to us you know. ............And he was like - again to me this was like this is special - I cannot forget that place - the guy was like - and it was so beautiful evening - this man was ......we asked him for a chai, and he offered that to us and then he came up to us and placed his hand on my head you know - and he blessed my wife and I was like ...ahhhh you know I was tingling for an hour afterwards - it was so beautiful, it was so genuine, we would loved to do anything and he did you know. That would be around ten years ago.

Than of-course the great love palace - the Taj Mahal - yeah, I again it is an individual experience one has I suppose - I was just sitting there - drawing this and quickly doing a water colour and this young girl come in she was from Scandinavia - she comes down and sits there besides me and she just watched me for fifteen minutes I suppose while I was doing it and she just said that is beautiful - she didn‟t have any other words and I was like - it is one of those beautiful experiences one has I suppose - the architecture is allowing that to happen - its not just the architecture - it is more of it - more than it. And of-course when one gets inside I suppose it is stunningly beautiful and its just the marble and the workmanship of it - but I think I like the outside even better you know.

A quick sketch of camel in Jaisalmer. Yeah, so I hope I have answered your question.

I mean do you want to ask me anything else about it.


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I suppose to sum up I call it you may be doing something different but what I call this - what I am trying to say about these places that are special to me is that they have what I call 'a spirit of space' - it can be a car park or can be a beach or can be the Taj Mahal or it can be Labadore or can be little coffee shop on the side of the road you know - they have something, something that essentially they have - something above the normal line - something that you cannot put your finger on - part of it is people - it think if you take people away from the buildings you go to - i think people are intrinsic part of it unless they are tourist but you know if you go into a temple or a fort - its just amazing - people are part of that building - I mean building can be quiet beautiful but they - its only part of it - its the people who are angry or ........not the guys - ........then the building wont be half as good - do you know what I mean? So its the experience .......................................so its more than buildings,.... what is there, as I was saying before I think when these things are designed, they are designed ........taking into account nature of the places, there is something that someone wanted to built it better than all.............so in that process the design comes out better. So when the design comes out, the intention - what they intended to build - the intention was stronger .........I mean that fort - full of dunes but Jaisalmer is just an amazing place - just like extra ordinary. Just beautiful. Its beautiful - the rooms were small, the staircase was small - it was fantastic!!!! And so, I mean..........yes it can be impressive and it can be contemplative, but so can be the car park - so I think its the people as well as the other thing you know. I think its just not a building - its made up of lots of things and one of the things I think is intention. Its like an intention to do something - and the intention comes out in certain way - I think that does come out in that way because I mean I have never been to forts before - I only went there ....because people want to be there. Jaisalmer was on the way of Silk Route so I mean it was very very important place on Silk Route you know. And I think the hills were made by human beings you know - it was only the fort - and restaurant was flat - everything was flat (he laughs) and fort pops up on the hill side you know so yeah to me its..its more than buildings and I think its because of the intention - having intention to make something - make something really good and part of why it is really good - so I can go there from totally different culture and I can appreciate what has happened you know. Same with Bali, same in Paris you know, some of the little streets in Paris or little cafes there. There is something about them that is quiet beautiful and I think that‟s because someone has intended to do that you know. To have that intention therefore when they are done - the result of something - other human beings can relate to. Its suppose it is Carl Jung's idea on collective consciousness you know about his work?? - Carl Jung - and he was a Swiss psycho-analyst and he was a student of Freud and he was beyond Freud I think and he believed that we are all connected - all human beings are connected on a psychological level - no matter where we come from.

Now ahhh at the same, round about the same time Joseph Campbell he was a mythologist, he studies mythology and he was an educator and he also found the same thing - so no matter whether you were from India or Australia or America - according to his study - any culture - the ancient cultures where ever they were - what he was finding was this commonalities - so the images may be different but the rituals would be similar or may be the symbols may be similar - you know and you can trace it back to the archaeology and didn‟t that matter where it was - the similar thing was happening - and those people have never met each other. So if that‟s true I think, I suppose what I am saying, I think if its done with right intention, if its coming down with positive intention - all human beings will like it. If its done well - I mean if its done with right intention to it - we can than start to relate to it - we do relate to it in different ways but still we relate to it you know we can still say this is a good building. Or this is a good interior or this is a good place to contemplate you know. Any more questions? Does that help you??? (he laughs)

Participant A4

Okay, one of the photographs I was going to show you, its old like property but now we have it for two years which is out near Mt Samsung. It is six and half acres and situated in a basin which is surrounded by mountains to the south and west and also some hills towards the north and the actual site runs north south. Its sort of a truncated triangular shape which has steep incline from the northern side down to the relatively flat land to the bottom south and it has underground stream - some ponds and

The land is fairly much cleared - really nice clump of gum trees down the bottom around the area where underground stream is and its wonderful gum tree - really beautiful gum tree up the top next to where the house will be eventually there and at the moment there is an old gazebo on the


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northern side of the top of the hill. but the previous owner had put that there to take advantage of the view and to look at the story I told you, to look at the fireworks of Brisbane - ranges to the south - fireworks of Brisbane. so its when we first looked at it, we were suddenly and quiet quickly taken with the beauty of the site and the vantage point of the Gazebo works really well because as far as the location-view is concerned it kind of refuge with some sort of security - we actually have this great prospect of vantage point to looking at the land and the neighbouring land as well so its a very sort of secure yet open sort of site but the thing that always surprises us is the fact that when we are there we are so peaceful and content and there are times when I have been on my own to .......contract or whatever and its always very difficult to pull myself away from that particular site because I feel .....just magnetic or attractive about it something that wants me to stay there all the time - its almost intoxicating - so when you go there you just sort of sit and don‟t walk - you just sit - so I think to me ..........the meaning to be contemplative is that you are allows views.................might be distracting you or worrying you or keeping you sort of thinking about something all the time and then you are out there, you actually leave behind everything else and become I would say LIBERATED so you can sort of wonder and you can just think about these things or you can think about very transcendental ......something with a deeper meaning at the same time so its sort of ......state of meditation I think but I think that happens for number of reasons - one from those, one of the significant reasons for me would be that being there reminds me of being in the farm I was brought up - first seven years of my life which for me are still very strong vivid memories and really significant in terms of my upbringing and closeness I feel to nature - so ...........natural environment as child there that was the only thing I knew because there weren't any houses around in the farm - quiet isolated, it was very beautiful place and .....it just connected to my personality that‟s what I would say...my personality was predisposed to really appreciate nature - I don‟t know - may be just being there made me appreciate it but second photograph that I was going to show you - that connected back to the childhood memory - and that was one that my mother took of me standing - I think it was at the bottom of a street but it was this quiet sculptural, quiet big tree that was out to the northern side of the our house and the bottom of the tree was chukk house and it was an old shed where I used to climb up at some of the stuff of the tree and then climb up on the shed and the above the tree actually went across the roof of the shed to form like a barrier and for me I could look out............out to the things and out to the ocean. So for me it had a really good view of the light house, ocean, surrounding, rolling green hills, cows, and trees and all sorts of things and that‟s where I would sort of go and I don‟t know actually what I did but I know I was sort of very happy and content and probably made up an imaginary games or something. But I know that it was sort of my special place and in a way I have the same sort of feeling that I had there - I have that now at the property we bought at Mt Samsung and the same sort of feeling I get while standing at the Gazebo out there to the one I had many years ago - as a child on a farm ............... if you read what is common between both the situations - it is outdoors - both of them are sort of very natural beautiful environment, ............you know where close proximity to ..........grass and trees, and birds and sun and sky and water because I always find water is very contemplative even though at Mt Samsung we cannot actually hear it - we can only see it so we have sort of visual connection to something which is very psychologically very soothing and still and ........it tends to slow the pace of life ....water apart from the fact that water is suppose to ionise the air and physically make it feel better anyways so I think that physical proximity has a very ..a well as some psychological benefits, so yeah, I....(long silence) I think I am also prone to those sorts of place that cause ..may be because my job is so busy and full of things that are always positive but always sort of have to be dealt with and I really sort of enjoy and appreciate getting to a place where isn‟t that sort of stimuli where there is other sort of stimuli - more natural sorts of stimuli but not lots of people, lots of cars, lots of you know all those sort of man made stuff - so I think being able to withdraw to some place like that is a necessary part of - I try to manage my stress of everyday life and that offers such a contrast to working in a city - and being out there in the country - what else can I tell you?

About the third photograph I was going to show you I am bit ....one of your other participants have already talked about this particular space and it does not have to be this particular specific place - although since I work in the city and I sometimes walk past St Stephen's Cathedral, I something go inside the cathedral and sit there. And its not because I am religious but because the nature of the fact that I don‟t believe in God - so its sort of ironical that I go in the church but having been brought up as catholic I think its quiet comfortable going into a catholic church - irrespective of the fact that I don‟t believe in the God because I still find it a spiritual place and a place where you can contemplate, you can sort of withdraw formally again from the world outside to a place... that


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is in contrast to that so usually its quiet cool, its darker, the architecture and the paintings designed suggest this...........................light. transcending sort of everyday ...I guess its also the smell of incense and candles that people come to burn that psychologically connect you with a higher plane and invite you to become one and think about thing at more sort of spiritual levels - so I think in that particular space the design of the environment is very powerful in terms of facilitating sort of tranquillity ...with whole lot of implicit ...in terms of the height of the space, the way the roof's height sort of draws you up to above the hall or above the earth so there is like symbolism but its very uplifting and ..........moment and i guess ...site because of the steadiness of the building in that particular case the church is made up of stone - well, the windows are semi-obscure because they are stain glass windows and they don‟t allow the views out but they allow the light to come in - so they give sort of central ling effect .............nature of different colours and different lighting effects and set quiet meditative mood I think. Besides that we have been socialised into not talking in side the churches so I mean to get people to come in and sort of remain quiet - to get that taste in terms of minimal amount of sound apart from the sound coming from the street but that is again in the sort of distance because it is again in the way its constructed - it has that portico which has a double entry so you climb up the stairs - I think that door is on the main side is open going to the portico - to allow you to go through another set of doors so there is a transition again from the street to the inside which is like a preparation to move one from one dimension to another dimension. And for the Catholics that are going there, there is a ritual of blessing yourself with a holy water - sort of ritual usually - which I don‟t follow because I don‟t follow the religion but ...and I don‟t actually kneel down either so I guess in some sense its almost me being rebellious to that aspect of life - my upbringing - I just don't do that but that‟s not to say that I don't appreciate the potential that - that space has to offer in terms of transcending one's everyday world.

But have I painted the picture of those places??? So, what was your question again, now that I have rumbled out ......... - your experience of contemplative space - well, I have described three spaces - they enable me to contemplate because another space is the yoga hall - where I do yoga - which is different in many ways - still right in the centre of the city - well its New Farm so its not quiet centre of the city but its still in that vicinity of that area and its domed quite old igloo type shape with the covered roof like old army sort of shed and its quiet big and obviously because of that igloo shape it doesn‟t have any structural supports underneath - actually its quiet big space - and the organization called Yoga in Daily life owns it.

And that‟s a non-profit organization that has centres all over the world and it has its sort of yogi master and all of stuff obviously - again that religious aspect does not attract me to yoga - i think its more in that spiritual connection or connection between the mind, body and soul that I like about the yoga - that I like, so I think that fact that you can somehow integrate those three things make any activity like contemplation easier and if that environment is conducive to that then it will still affect that again....and in a way I guess - thinking back, that‟s what happens when I am in Gazebo at Mt Samsung or when I was little and on top of the shed, you know down on the farm or at St Stephen's - i think that, that‟s where my mind, body and soul come together and enlivens my desire to allow that to happen. I think in some way - ........even prompted environment - like the ones I have described and the yoga hall I have described, isn‟t really very well aesthetically - actually its quiet blend with timber floor, or painted walls with no sets of windows ...or that little garden that‟s not enclosed - there are statues and you can actually see the alter out through the door but probably what makes it contemplative for me is the actual activity which is taken there - which is ritualised - so - and its quiet and so while the yoga teacher is talking to you - they are usually talking in a very soft voice - everyone is respectful of the need of others - everything is sort of slow down - everything is drawn out - very calm and peaceful and the sessions go for an hour and a half - so its actually quiet a long time - I always think that its too long and it used to take me ages to not get to a stage where I was waiting for it to get over - I have used to being so busy - but now its like I am almost sort of conditioned - when I walk to that space - I go ahhhhh - ..............and I am actually getting better at that - you know pre-stilling my mind and using yoga practice to enforce that transcendental sort of state - but certainly is has facilitated to some degree by that environment because its ........carpet and wall........out on the street although you can hear lots of noise from the surrounding businesses. I think the high feeling in that particular place works - that whole sort of activity - like the church where there is a very high ceiling - I guess I feel which is probably a paradox in a way that for me the interior contemplative spaces are ones that have high ceilings - I sort of forget about that sort of connection - and those that .....relationship between that and I like......the outdoor spaces and the sky obviously over arching and very quiet


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but sense of height is almost type of .......like sometimes I question about my experience of contemplative spaces - I have described few of them - I have tried to describe how I feel in that sort of spaces and I have tried to describe why I perhaps feel that way I feel about those spaces or environment.

(after long silence)

I think that quality of those spaces ...is that all the elements are working in harmony with each other - and I think that harmony is something I connect to and that allows me to be much more contemplative. So I guess I feel being in natural environment that its more harmonious - all those elements are working together - in a more balanced way. So if I were to say or if you ask what‟s aligned difference between the space you find contemplative and a space that you don‟t - then I would say, one of the differences is that in a contemplative space - everything seems to be in balance and with the space that's not - there is some sort of jarring effect or element - ...................so quickly with the environment which is very noisily for example or one that is you know quiet dynamic and changing all the time like street where something is happening all the time or it can be a place there is an activity going on which is disruptive - we don‟t find them contemplative space.

I actually find, when I think about it now, I find driving very contemplative - I find being in my car on my own driving is almost meditative - might not want to hear that but yeah and I think there is the motion of being in the car, again the train I find the same thing, and then in plane so that. I actually find being in place quiet can be contemplative space - because you can't go anywhere, and again its this motion that my body really likes I suppose. So its quiet physical ...but facilitates that feeling but yeah, usually I seek out - and that ....environment - places where I can be outside or see outside ....to the experience of contemplation.

I think its important to design spaces - certainly from my experience is where designers have given attention to every detail of that space and there is richness that comes across even in a balanced and non-jarring quiet sort of blend way - I think a treat is to attend to all those details ...where you can convey through symbolism messages that enforced on each other - and that‟s why I find church environments quiet pleasant to be in and once that facilitates that type of contemplation, because even expression in the detailing of a building - it all works together - so its telling the same sort of story so you know if we take St Stephen's symbolism of cross with painted pictures of Christ's journey to cavalry - that is I mean even the shape of the ....of the cross being force ...about the fiction - the cross and Christ fiction ....stain glass windows that are traditionally used in church to style of views everything there, religious ceremony, the robes of the priest, I mean everything reinforces the messages of enthusiastically pictures - you know whatever - so that there‟s this harmony - I talked to you about before - all those elements working together and I think this appeals to your all the senses - so in those spaces, even though its almost like you don‟t hear and you don‟t see and you are not moving - all those senses are still working through perhaps the lack of stimuli to experience that sense of peace and calm and those spaces can facilitate that.

So, I guess what I am saying is they are very sensory places so that I have certain smell, everything comes certain, visual character say evoke or allow to produce certain sounds or sounds coming in so its almost like those spaces dampen the stimuli with which we normally see you know and they do it quiet consistently. So you know your view is contained in some way - its usually outside sort of noise but there is sound - they usually work in harmony with what‟s there. They all evoke a sense of stimulus drawing around spaces - you feel like just sitting and sitting is the natural sort of position for meditation. Yes I think it‟s interesting that all the senses are working, they are working in a way where there is not a lot of stuff - about the contradiction I am talking about.

Any other questions? I will probably think a whole lot of things later on!!!!

(long silence again)

I think smell is one of the most important senses when I think about it. That‟s‟ one which you don‟t normally - you are not normally aware of in terms of everyday interaction and things. But certainly as a designer, that‟s probably the one I would use more if I was sort of designing the space and may be I would be using natural materials that have smell - certain sort of odour or


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fragrance or whatever - I think I probably work more with that. And would work more with light I think because all those places I have described have certain quality of light that is making apart from the calm on the plane but its got its own quality of motion. Its a eucalypti smell at our property from the trees of eucalyptus. And some people say that I mean people say koalas get drunk on eating eucalyptus so I feel that it is actually quiet, ...it is seducing or it has that seducing effect - we actually, we sometimes do laugh that we drunk that and we feel drunk you know - with the sense of being in that place - we might be physically annihilated by that eucalyptic....actually when you are driving up there you can feel that haze, blue might and that is from the eucalyptus trees. So could be that, that has a strong effect on how I feel.

I mean, the things that we see - the shapes and the sounds and the smells have a resonance together. Now, it could be that what I am picking up on is a nature NATURALLY by its state of a pose you know - they will find that harmonious thing even if there is a volcano or something but its natural state is one of trying to get some sort of equilibrium. So I think nature is very good at producing spaces that have sense of equilibrium and harmony because that‟s nature of nature. And I don‟t exactly know why but I mean I could speculate that you know everything is energy to some degree - everything is a form of energy - natural elements - or form of energy - we are in a state of I guess tension, all the time there is all sorts of energetic - some sort of chemical or physical process or reaction happening and anything that has energy amidst its field you know like its a magnetic field or some sort of electrical field and that emission is in the form of waves which can be disrupted to our own sort of magnetism or energy sort of areas that we have all...........so I think its sort of like you know it gives you a piece of music. If you are listening to someone playing a trumpet who has never played a trumpet before to someone who is an expert player you know - with amateur trumpet player - the sound will be protruding your ears but the expert trumpet player playing at the same volume or even higher but because there is harmony and balance and registration thing actually worked together to support each other - it becomes music rather than noise.

And I think places that facilitate contemplation are almost like skimming a song by someone who is professional singer - where everything is just working together to create a situation where the experience is more than a song of the past so that‟s what is actually difficult to design it as it is designed to facilitate something that is quite experiential because it is what one really trying to do is orchestrate those parts in a way where they work together rather than working against each other. And they work in harmony with lot of other different people who have their own sort of energy fields and uniqueness in terms of their physicality and their psychology. So what one is trying to do is connect all those sorts of different - I don‟t know if negotiation is another way to describe it - some vibrations that require that spaces and hostile to each other where they work against each other. In other words, vibrations can work quiet well. And I guess best analogy I have is of symphony or a piece of music - one whether orchestra is working together and another where orchestra is not working together. That is best sort of metaphor I can use. Okay. I guess you have got enough there.

Participant D1


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Well, the first photo which you can see there, so you know I am referring to number one. And it was taken at AAA country area called Cooroy and that is in an area which is outside city. That is a photo taken in the afternoon when we were sort of set up – we had been to the markets and we had bought some fresh food from markets and we had come back and made tea and made some scramble and put it out on the deck and it was just in afternoon chatting up on couple of things so that was a contemplation – contemplation for me isn‟t always silent – it is also a discussion with someone over a space and we felt that – that particular space was conducive to reflecting on where we were and where we were going and things. Particularly when, for me I was ill at that time and that was the reason why we went away to that particular place and ….on …and that was a place of kind of recovery I suppose so yeah. We were there for about a week and that‟s what that space means to me. That was a conversational spaces as well as keep quiet and reflecting back, appreciate the surrounds and the natural environment that you can see the photos. It was family member‟s property and the second photo also relates to that.

I will number them as we go through so that you know which number photo I am talking about. Second photo is off from the same balcony but in the morning. So that‟s what we woke up to in the morning. The afternoon is reflection of the conclusion of the day – relaxing and the morning photo is with the mist. It is nice imagery also about what that whole week was about – it was about relaxing, looking at the environment, not having any external stimulus – there was no TV, there was no phone, just us and the view which was amazing. It gave us relaxation and that was the whole reason why we went there. So that type of environment for me is relaxing because you remove other stimulus and yeah contemplative in sense that you have time to relax so that you can think about get rid of all the peripheral and short term worries and reflect more on the deep concern. And as I said before, I went to that place as a healing space, to get away and we definitely achieved that. So yeah I didn‟t recover 100% because my health is always on-going thing but at that time yes I had been made aware about the full extent of my health. So we went to that space to kind of reflect and look inwards and consider how does it fit in within the scope of everything else. And obviously being amongst the landscape like that it is very easy to place things in – in a more appropriate context – its makes it easier to worry less without the peripherals that are really unimportant in that day to day things – just those little things that you get worried about – when is the bus going, what time, when do I have to be at work, what meetings do I have – all those little things that worry you apart from the fundamentals. Peripherals - you can strip it all back and focus on the fundamentals which is just about enjoying – day to day. Enjoying the fact that the sun is rising and that‟s what the second image is showing and the first image is about the end of the day. So sun setting and sun rising and just appreciating that fact – and that‟s all its all about you know. Packing you bag and going away to the place like that is definitely conducive to that. These are similar places – the next is pictures 3 to – I will just label them – 6, 7, 8. It is from 3 to 8 – place where we live, similar area – they are all where we currently live. Its called the peninsular but images are from the beach settings which are Sutlons beach – images 3 and 4, images 5 and 6 are from Scotis Point and images 7 and 8 are from Scarborough (beach) the top end.


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They are suburbs outside the city – this is the place where we live. Its more like a bay, it looks like beachy there but its more like a bay area. I will label it for you if you like. It is 32km from here. And so those images for me reflect – they are from quiet recently in my life. They are from last year and half. They show a transition – how we planned our living. We lived in a city and again due to just lifestyle and the fact that I like to reflect and contemplate this was the perfect decision – place we moved to. We are like this to it. The series of photos highlight the fact that as much I like it so it‟s a beautiful space but also its very unspoiled. And it is the space that has managed well to held to see that it is unspoilt but at the same time be very accessible by all people – whole peninsular was designed really for older people because traditionally it has a – I suppose people would have assumed that a peninsular is a retirement area. But its really transformed in last 10 years and as a result because it was traditionally for old persons it was designed for usability and I really appreciate that because that‟s how a design concern I have in the world of design – people interacting with products – the I love the fact that all these beaches and all these spaces are accessible by everyone on a wheelchair or if you have got a child in a pram or if you are older person – a hundred year old buggies. So these spaces reflect. We go for walks there. You can see these images were taken one day when I was sitting and reading a book – so that was contemplation in a sense that I was reading a book and starring up at sky.

Images 5 and 6 – you can see fish and chips there – it was very, very reflective of how I would like to sum up the environment there and can you can see image of my feet – so obviously that was a day off – an afternoon I and taken the photo and I was just kicking back and enjoying the view really. And so this image again was taken during our walks at Scarborough and enjoy the view and just serenity of all it was extremely peaceful. Looking at water has immediate effect for anyone – the vast scapes of water – with some greenery – whether its overcast or with clear sky - it still has got some – just complete awe about it which is just amazing thing and we get this privilege to drive along the water view every morning so every evening coming home – it‟s a nice thing. So I find this space completely conducive to reflection and contemplation. So that‟s why images 3 to 8 I feel would show you that. Just the fact that when we drive in the morning, we are thinking about the work and all the things you got to do during the day, quiet often we leave early so that we can take the esplanade – I mean we can get to drive along the water rather than take a quick round to the town and we go along the water purely to go „o my God look at the water – its high tide today – it is ridiculously blue. Ahhmmm, its just amazing so and in the afternoon, afternoon when we are coming home particularly in summer when the sun sets a lot later – we travel along the water as well. It take an extra 5 minutes trip but its well worth it just to be there. And quiet often we just pull over, buy fish and chips, and we just sit under a tree because its just, you can so you do. You‟d be stupid not to. So yeah!!!!

They are all close to each other, we live in Redcliffe. From here to right down to here it takes around 10 minutes drive so they are all along the same peninsular. Therefore bulk of my images are from that same area. One afternoon we went for a talk, so this is from there. Well, this is one afternoon, this is one day. Just one afternoon – took fish and chips and reading a book on a beach – and took some happy snaps while I was doing that. Most of my reflection space – my partner and I have been together for a long time now, so to me when I think contemplation as I have said earlier doesn‟t necessarily have to be quiet – images 3 and 4 – to me contemplation was in a sense that I was reading a book – my partner was swimming in the ocean – because for her the reflection and contemplation is being in the sea. Image 1 for me I was reading a book and reflecting while my partner was cooking so for her, she really enjoyed the cooking and then we came together for a meal and reflected together yeah so its all very joined at the same time. To me yeah contemplation and reflection doesn‟t have to be in solitude. Quiet often we go for a walk, purely to discuss matters bigger than as I mentioned before as I would term them peripherals – quiet often we go to walk to discuss everything. So yeah, we discuss while having fish and chips, while lying on beach, while going for a walk, having coffee, yeah everything enjoying the view – just having that someone to share with I think – is nice. Like we go like this „o my god look at the view‟ and view this and see that and even saying out loud I think quiet often when you are contemplating – to get it out, to verbalise it or write it down, to diarities it on your own or talking to someone who is very similar to you like may be diaritizing it or verbalizing it to someone particularly someone who has similar view on it or who can compliment that view, I think it is, it has greater impact. Same as if some one was reflecting and writing in a journal, it has almost more of an impact as actually to get it out and to see more of it – what you are thinking – you see it on paper – to see it come out has more of an impact to the actual practice of reflection.


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I think just the fact that you might have noticed from all of my images –they are kind of nature related. They all involve some sort of greenery or sea. I think those qualities to me as I said help me to bring it back to what it is and what is everything about – and everything is about this cycle in life and I think making sure you just don‟t want the routine life and that you step back – and see………complete awe …how they would exist. You know where that come from or just the fact that we take time out to appreciate the beauty that is around us. We had a lot of friends who go overseas or move to states because they have issues with Brisbane not being big enough or not offering enough – and I think all these images here represent within 2 hours of Brisbane and I think its extremely beautiful. You know Queensland is beautiful and there is lot to offer whether it is ocean, or through the bush or Mt Glorious or even in the city. Image no. 10 is Southbank – simple image to show – I think – just how more in a city space – you can get a quiet space by sitting on a chair under a tree- when I took image number 10. And also it is lack of people. Image no. 4 has some people in there but I am not near them, I have got my own space, I am on beach. Yeah there is not really many of the people in any of the images and I think that is important. Yeah definitely, like I would call all of these – awesome because it is not about people, its about the space. Image 9 is from the area that my partner and I visit regularly – its near Mt Glorious – near Mt Glorious café down the road – we go there very often to the café – that itself is an imagery of the café which is down the road from it. We have been there for picnics, and grassy sort of knoll area – its little shade there and you can go for a little bush walk or so. And we have gone there quiet a few times to take time out but yeah its beautiful up there.

Number 10 image is bit different image I thought I will include……ummm that particular image I took on a day was my grandfather‟s 86th birthday and I was waiting for my mom to bring him – we were all going to meet up at Southbank there. I was on work that day, so I walked up there and was sitting under a tree just having some time to myself. I had my camera on me because offcourse it was meeting with my grandfather on that day. And he since passed away, that‟s the image I like to look at – have got that on my computer at home – just reminds me of catching up with him on that day – and again it was particularly beautiful space and that‟s why I took that photo. Just to timeline the fact that I just walked over the bridge to Southbank, again there‟s no people in the image –there were people around but yeah as you can see I like trees. This photo reminds me of catching up with him on that day as we meet, we walk through the gardens and he loved trees and he chose to come, that‟s why we met at Southbank because obviously over the years he had grown a lot and my grand mother who had passed before his birthday loved Bougainvilleas and that‟s what they have got growing everywhere over the arbour. So yeah I was sitting in that space, waiting for him to come at that time thinking about him and then I thought about my grandmother so the whole image like of encapsulated them. That‟s their bit I think and its just – particularly beautiful with – its very natural – it is man made element but at the same time very natural – an image that is very reflective of a natural environment. And there was a seat at a perfect position – so just sitting on it and looking there – you cannot not be happy so yeah!!! That‟s my images – I do lot of reflection. We often get in the car and go for the drives to enjoy spaces. And there are all predominantly outdoor.

If I was to take any image of an interior space it would be something that is over looking – there is a café overlooking images 7 and 8. There is a café near the place – images 7 and 8 that we visit all the time for the breakfast that looks out over that view – 7 and 8. And we love that café. There‟s another cafe which is not far from images 3 and 4. At images 5 and 6 there are multiple cafes that we visit that over look some other views – so that is another contemplative space like a café environment. And I guess image 1 helps to capture that – having a coffee and overlooking the view – that is something we like to do. Because image 9, we went to a café which is near there and we visited and we also have a view like that when we sit outside. If there was actually an indoor environment overlooking these than a café with the view would kind of summarise that. Yeah and its usually you are seeing the outdoors. Trying not to sit inside the café – more of the outside view – greenery – with coffee, scones, breaky, eggs on toast. So you have to visit Redcliffe. Its beautiful with lots of beach images now. The only other thing I would like to add is that these spaces, do get busy during weekends or in full time holiday periods so quiet often we visit these spaces when we get opportunity to when they are less busy – like Mt Glorious image no. 9 – we go there during the week day when there are not many people around. We have been there before on a Saturday and it was packed – not even enjoyable you know because its noisy. And that‟s not why you go there to get away from. So I think everything I would like to say is that these places are beautiful and I appreciate it a lot – but appreciative is a fact that you can enjoy there when most people aren‟t


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there. It doesn‟t have to be people to have an enjoyable space. Yeah that‟s all I think I suppose – getting away – silence and solitude but at the same time – sharing it yeah – sharing your own space, having your own time but still sharing it with someone else. Except for image no. 10, when I was completely on my own and image 3 when I was up on the beach and my partner was swimming – apart from that – all the time she was present with me in all the images at that time. My partner might have wanted to take them – like she might have said – wow this is beautiful – take a photo!!! Yeah Shared – joint …….!!! Okay.

If I am to reflect more and expand on the café spaces I go to, an example would be as – in terms of internal spaces I mentioned earlier – cafes over look some of these views or are very close to but in a city wise if I was to go a café it is Three Monkeys – it is always crowded but it is crowded with a trance – because it has got quiet dim lighting, it is quiet private, so even if you are in there with other people you have your own little area – like little pocket space. So I think that‟s extremely inductive to intimate environment. It has the indoor area and the outside area. The outside is bit more open and sometime you feel bit more exposed if you are sitting outside so if there‟s no seats inside. So depends on what you are feeling, how you are going, what you are there for – like if you are just catching up with friends sitting outside is fine but if you are going there with a partner to sit there and contemplate, its sitting side, one of the little cosier spaces. Its quiet nice space and that‟s what Three Monkeys is about. So yeah. Zazzycats is just next door and it has got nice balcony that over looks trees and stuff. It has also got trees and vines and filtering that are natural. Zazzy cats is next door and its quiet nice as well. I don‟t mind cafes being zazzy – as long as your table is not sitting on top of someone else. As long as still you get your personal space, and if food is really really good then you get the sense of warmth as well, and I think with that space, and if it is this café we visit regularly, and if we become familiar with the owners that affects the space as well because if you know when you turn up, you are going to get a warm smile or someone affects you in that way – you know what I mean. So theres a café, right next to images 7 and 8 – its called „B and C‟ and my partner and I go there all the time and it sits outside and overlooks the beach – over looks the parklands and beach. And they do great breakfast sweet – we go there all the time and if we have family members we take them to B and C.

But then there‟s another café – images 3 and 4 – …..and its outside and its more busy area - …..cafe itself has its own little pockets of space and it is outside – we sit outside and the food is good and I feel quiet comfortable. Yeah so, ……….for me its people, how safe and comfortable I feel in the space, like coffee club for example is quiet sterile and I don‟t feel comfortable. I would go to coffee club to have coffee with some one but it definitely doesn‟t have..its not at all conducive to a „D n M‟ – a deep and meaningful conversation as may be Three Monkeys. So yeah like for example theres ………………..it has more sterile element to a smaller café where people are more intimate, may be more likely to smile and all that affects the spaces and not just lay out – I guess the vibe – I don‟t know how you explain it – but like kind of ambience. Yeah, we usually pick out and hunt out coffee places and meeting spaces that make us feel comfortable. So yeah that‟s why the place up there the image no. 9, café Malia tree house – Tree House Café Malia – I guess its called or Malia Tree House restaurant – and we don‟t really visit there during the weekends because it gets busy………café lots of bikers – lot of people on the motor bikes………driving around in the hills, but when we visit there during the week days and …..and the space there isn‟t best space – we always sit there and contemplate how we can better design the space because ….environment Mt Gloria is because why we visit that place – particularly poorly design and could be designed better – but we still like going there because of where it is. So yeah, my partner did interior design and that‟s probably why we discuss how spaces can be designed better when we go to these cafes there. ……….consider you know I think because we visit all of them and meet friends at café so its social networking as well as reflection and catch-up time – its like catch up space – the café s. so yeah but it still has lot of contemplation to it because when you catching up with friends, we haven‟t seen them for lot of time, its reflection, discussion, history, and lots of things. We try to find the space that is conducive to these sorts of …………….when you catching up with someone. And the restaurants for say dinner don‟t necessarily great because usually it gets very busy, there‟s alcohol involved, atmosphere is getting noisy so we would prefer and try to go for breakfast – the morning time. Early morning is some of the images but that‟s part of something what works for us. Specially the ………..you know, environment, interior environment.


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I think people think that they have to leave Brisbane or leave Australia to get an experience and I don‟t believe that. I believe that you can all my images show, you don‟t have to go far – all the images are within 2 hours of Brisbane to have beautiful experience, and I think people go overseas and they say o I have visited six countries therefore I am more wise. Yet they have this inability to reflect within and critic themselves or criticism…and I think – I believe it someone …critic themselves even before they begin to critic anyone else and I think the second you have the sense of self-reflection or more of self critic and you automatically walk humble. I think you automatically have great appreciation because you begin to show – I suppose the only example when I contemplate it is the whole where you fit within the spectrum and all these spaces help you to show that you are in the individuals and we are only minor element in the whole so to say life. So for me these images are quiet like I said and my experience of them, in many senses you can draw parallel between that and religion. But I wouldn‟t identify myself as pertaining to particular religion. On humanistic you walk in and I believe in – control people – but I have far greater appreciation for the environment than I have in individual persons which is why the environment features so strongly in my images and so………….that is. Yeah what we were talking about I guess I guess …….anything I would say, it would be …..someone‟s own personal religion but to me I think its important to have to constantly self reflect and to constantly look at how as an individual you engage in the world with others..and I think one of the best ways to do that is to extract yourself from day to day and place yourself amongst as much natural as possible and that why all my images are from natural environment. So ….if you need to travel to be withdrawn then yeah. Many people would say that‟s quiet spiritual – so I mean in that sense and I do believe that I am a spiritual person but that does not constrain to any contemporary religion. It is more of a humanistic environment verses spirituality I guess you know. Believing in the betterment of self I suppose. To be able to give back more- have a greater capacity to constantly give I think that‟s all really we can do, I guess, to get deep and meaningful.

Participant D2

This is the main building of ashram and it has all the things used by Gandhiji during his time including his seat, desk, charkha (spinning wheel), etc in a very intact condition. Second reason that makes is so important is its orientation. It is located at the river bank of Sabarmati River and parallel to the river. Gandhiji used to live here from 1916 to 1930. All the famous people use to come here to meet Gandhiji from all around the world and they used to have meetings and plans were developed for freedom fighting of India with the weapon of non-violence and all political and other issues were sorted out here. He left this place for salt Satyagraha (freedom movement of India) and never returned back. His principles like simplicity were reflected in this building. When we sit there on „otla‟ we can feel so much peace.

Every thing used by Gandhiji is placed intact and they are integral of that building. It was very well maintained place. The second photo shows the same place where Gandhiji used to sit and work during his time. People are not allowed inside and the room is viewed from outside veranda only. Otla had woven jute carpets spread on floor for visitors to sit there for some time. The entire space gave a very warm feeling. Rough materials that were used in the building like rough kota stone flooring, simple wooden structure made special atmosphere of the place. Colour scheme gave warm feeling. It was very, very quiet place. It is museum but there is no restriction - not like typical museum. We can feel how people used to live in their time. Kitchen in the ashram has all the utensils. It looked so real as if it was used even today. And so minimal, that everything sufficiently required was present and nothing in access. It was very quiet place. When we had gone there it was monsoon season. It was completely different to the photographs. It was so green, fresh and clean.


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Charkha (the spinning wheel) and the desk are very inspiration to me. They were distinct and reflected his lifestyle. I liked it so much to watch all the things he used in his time. It interested me a lot. It is something that made me pause and ponder and wonder. I would keep on liking to see such articles that reflects the stories of the people who used them. They bare their character in their non-living nature of matter and that i guess brings life into them which strikes our attention and appeals to us so much. The way Gandhiji used his things was so very typical. It reflected lot of character. It was so real.

He stuck to his principles till the end of his life. It gives the feeling that the ashram as we see is reflection of his life, of his values and principles. The front elevation of Hryday Kunj had three columns, linear otla, red wall that blocked the view - simple form and the scale of the building were eye catching.

This photo shows Vinoba Bhave and Miraben's residence. It is a small simple structure which is eye catching. It had two small openings and an attached bath area. It was very, very simple with low openings, shallow otla, low ceiling. Its scale was eye catching and made me feel very humble.

The pitched roofs made up of mangalore (red ceramic) tiles were very effective to give coolness inside the buildings. Now we come to Gandhiji's sanrahalaya 1 and 2. I liked picture 2 as good


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composition for a photograph. I will talk here more about photograph 1. In 1958 it was designed by an architect called Charles Correa as a memorial museum of Gandhiji. The museum sits well into the ashram complex slightly away from the main building and its access is from inside the ashram complex only. Big scale photographs of Gandhiji and his quotations/sayings for people were put in the museum.

One of his poster read 'My life is my message' - it appealed to me very very much. It striked me a lot. It was written in his own handwriting. It was so touching.

Overall building was created as passage type. Hryday kunj concept held rooms and courtyards together. Lots of different, different natural elements were used in creating different courtyards. One courtyard was made up of while pebbles, another had lots of greenery and the third one had water as in integral element. Building is formed with different courtyards and passages are generated while creating courtyards. The courtyards formed part of the design element of the building. The passages had functions like library, reading area, services tucked into them and semi-covered spaces were for simple movements. The movement areas had photographs and hoardings for people to see. This building had polished „Kota‟ stone flooring and the flooring pattern kept on changing through out the museum depending on the movement.

It gave a sense that building contained us within it.

All the materials used in the building like exposed brick work, ceramic (mangalore) tiles on thatched roof and simple structure and humble scale seemed like a concept carried forward from the main ashram building. It was so prominent that even a lay man could feel that. The new museum building complemented the main ashram building so much in a way of adoring it - as life of Gandhiji and his values and principles.

Courtyards were visual organisation between semi-covered spaces - meaning courtyard facilitate to visual perception. Natural elements like water, pebbles, over all feel got new texture, colour and in that way it gives new visual perception to the overall building. I felt very natural over there. Exposed brick and flooring gave me earthly feeling. If we go to see Gandhiji's principles like simplicity, natural materials reflected the same. Nothing is closed, its all open to nature, open to outside.

Museum does not have artificial light effect. All photographs are seen in natural light, unlike typical museums that have focussed lighting for the exhibits. No high technology is used anywhere in the building. Everything is so simple. Simple wooden frames are used to frame photographs and no hi-fi stands or exhibiting frames or elements were used. There was no air conditioning either and no artificial lighting.

Whole building is formed by courtyards. Natural materials give very simple feeling. New structure is really very nice and in appropriation to the old building and in respect to Gandhiji's life. There were no extra design fundas added to the space. It gells well with old ashram. This place is again very quiet place. There were benches placed in the corridors of semi-covered spaces. It gave very warm feeling inspite of the fact that it was a museum. White pebbles laid besides the bench and I was sitting on the bench seeing shallow water body, small-small plants around, movement of people in the surrounding spaces and all these together gave such a phenomenal feeling. It was not like a typical museum feeling at all. What you see in photo is seen from outside of the courtyards. You can touch everything and there is no restriction - no watch man to keep an eye on you or to stop you from going anywhere or feeling anything. Size of windows were so perfect to give natural light and sufficiently light the room. Only sources of light were courtyards. From the structural point of view, it is maximum simple structure.

Movement pattern is also so simple - it is L-shaped movement. Frankly speaking if we see old and new building together, the relation is maintained so well between the both. if we think that old building was made due to lack of expertise or recourses in old British time of India or due to x, y, z, whatsoever reasons but the way it is followed by the new building is so fabulous - it is awe-inspiring. The rich concept of old building based on values and principles of Gandhiji's life are reflected in the new building very properly.


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Similarly sculpture of three monkeys of Gandhiji is made to sit in the compound of the premises. Ashram is maintained very well, it is very clean even after so many years have passed. If I have to give one word for my over all experience, it is "supreme peace" that i felt when I was there. Over all it was extremely peace feeling experience. Sabarmati river on one side, birds flying above, we could imagine that it would be similar peace in Gandhiji's time. There was no noise from outside vehicles on the road. It was so quiet and peaceful. From the view point of contemplative space I think this is my best experience. It was so inspirational. It was all natural and it is so appropriate to Gandhiji's life. We went to the ashram with our whole family including my husband, in-laws and grandfather in law. My grandfather - in-law was a freedom fighter of India who used to work with Gandhiji for our nation. He was so moved by seeing the photographs that tears rolled down his eyes. Emotions had burst out into him so much - he was so happy and he had tears in his eyes. Seeing him we all got deep satisfaction to bring him to this memorial museum in the last stage of his life. He is very old now. The place gave happiness to all of us. Gandhiji's life is so inspirational to me and this place at the same time that every time we see it, we get a new positive feeling which is helpful to us in our lives.

Participant D3


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It is inside space and outside space - we will talk about this one. This river side, I don‟t know but this makes me comfortable. Usually when I have been here during study period - once I think about my study - sometimes - I need some relax or need some thinking than I go towards this side so particularly in the morning time. Morning time there are not many people around and I like the light on the water. Yeah those reason I be there.

Once I seat on this bench, I feel nothing between nature and me that makes me feel comfortable and relax. I always sit with some music in my ears - always listening to music and I sit on one of the chairs - this picture there is lot of branches and leaves/foliage but during that time it was less grown and i could see clearly a river view and at the same time they are covered from the sunlight. It gave me shelter from the sun and feels cool. It covered me from sunlight and I could see outside on the water and with the music in my ears - music makes me cut off from the outside - I don‟t like outside disturbance - I like to listen to music and just sit and see the water of the river. and in the beginning I try to get relaxed myself and afterwards I start to think about my study and that part is still there - this place is important - it covers my face from the sun light otherwise too hot to sit and good view and nothing between me and that. individually I like the river - I mean the water, water drop sound and water in sea or river kind of thing makes me feel comfortable - I don‟t know why - everybody's is different - someone likes to see the trees, someone likes different views and I like river and that is the reason I usually be there but this one is long ago.

I take picture three - I like to see clear view without any obstacles and with cover its beautiful - I like that park. I like to sit in nature. Sitting there or relax with music - always (laughter). Well I just listen to Korean music, not any special just something - actually I love to hearing music every time but these days not - its interesting to know that after converting my self into Christianity and being religious I changed a lot. before without music I didn‟t want to spend any time, I cant I don‟t know I felt empty - not comfortable without music although now like

This days not any more. These days when I go there I don‟t listen to music any more - I just sit. And see. Not music. Long time ago when I used to go there, I used to sit there for long hours - some times hour, two hours. I get the feeling of release or peace while sitting here may be. Honestly I am not really meditating or contemplating at that time because that is I am just what I am saying at the river side is a feeling of relax. all away from outside - I told you may be isolate - I want to be escaped from my situation that why I use music and everything - this makes me relax. Yeah this river makes me relax - under the tree - without the tree I don‟t want to sit because it‟s too hot, its important to get coolness. River and nature makes me relax. That makes me comfortable.

Before I told you about cafeteria - it was more like a canteen than a cafe. But one thing I liked is its position - its orientation towards the river - easy to see water - so last time I draw little bit like elevation with sitting area above on the top and over looking river with intermediately walk way. This is cafe, this is counter area - this is inside the cafe and there are two doors which come from library - when they come in - there is some space through it - you can grab food or order - there is door on another side - and I usually sit near the river looking at the water. I pick which one is empty. Inside there is table here -

And the other one is in the river side so in here sometimes yeah and I don‟t know inside I never sit inside - I always sat outside - using this one - someone - some times its covered - this area - I choose this seat. When I say, I choose this seat, I really love this area actually. This is the same reason I try to go there and relax myself and think about my study - if I have to think about something - it makes me go to this cafe and I really concentrate - and this position - I always seat - it is like nothing between me and river. It isolated me from every thing else. I love it. I love this place and I love river and its water. If you sit here, you cannot see anything - and only river. Actually railing is not very distractive - because may be its much lower than my eye sight. So I go to this places by my self for relaxation purpose and not anybody else.

Best part of this was that I was at height - I was higher than the level of water - also riverside or so - its more higher - its quiet high. Chair was at high position at that time. Look, actually under that area you have some chairs as well. Like there and like this - here as well. I prefer the top one and I don‟t know - my location higher and looking down in river - that makes me comfortable.


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If I have to choose the best between pictures of church and pictures of river - I choose river because I really love it. You can see that people keep on passing at the pathway. But this is always passing here but I can‟t see river and I get distracted and irritated. I want to see only river and nothing else. That is so important for me.

This is church and another one is chapel - this cathedral - I know it from 5 years ago. First time when I had gone to this place, first impression was that I didn‟t like the church. I felt bit cold. I don‟t really know why I didn‟t feel warm over there. May be its so high and the floor is all tiles, and no one can see the and there are so many chairs - wooden chairs - hard but when you kneel they are very hard. So first impression of the church was that I don‟t feel comfortable there and also at that time I used to listen to the music. Everything else was cold. But time passed and I understood more about it and I spent more time over there and I changed it. Now that place make me comfortable a lot. So now a days when I am in trouble, I go there and sit. So now when I see it - it is so beautiful. I am amazed how my perception has changed for it (laughter). I took two different pictures of two different places - one is chapel and another is cathedral. In cathedral, it is so beautiful. It makes me 'waooow'. It makes me comfortable.

This place is sacramental place - honestly saying in church I go to pray and meditate however I don‟t really know about this quiet because this place is put for the pray and that is the reason I am going there to pray. So I cannot say this environment makes me contemplate, however I like this place as quiet place. Specially the chapel area with the glass windows from top to bottom in the morning time - the light is so soft and there is water falling on the glass from outside. The sound of with is so pleasant to my ears. Morning time and water drops makes me feel pleasure - very pleasure and comfortable. Some candles around feels good. The spot lights make me feel concentrate in this point. So this kind of quiet place because every one is praying here so very quiet so this makes me contemplate and pray, yeah.

This is holy body in here - Its symbolic body and part of religious things. We feel as if like God is sitting here. It is sacrament space. In sacrament place there is god here. Its quiet here and huge size of window makes me feel comfortable and relax. Specially light coming in and also at night time the spot light makes me really concentrate and draw in that place. Makes me contemplate may be. It is more symbolic meaning it is place to pray so I go there. Not like river place where I go to relax. It is for prayer so I go there and for the first time I didn‟t like the place at all. It makes me feel quiet and relax and concentrate and therefore contemplate.

Tiles for some sense is cold because of colour but I like it now. Materials used are natural and I like them. Honestly saying, this space environment - not making me contemplate but we say this place is for prayer and therefore I come inside and pray because this environment help me to contemplate - quiet - everyone is quiet - because they are praying - this environment with lighting and huge scale helps contemplation - that kind of thing makes me feel comfortable.

And this chapel, every five minutes we do mass in this chapel. This chapel is made up of natural material - this stone - stone wall, wooden floor and all wooden chairs and everything made by wood and its so cold inside during summer times and I feel so comfortable - so usually I go there. All materials make me feel very comfortable - all the natural materials.

There are two steps down in this photo. I like it very much. I like this environment I don‟t know why - it makes you step down and I remember - when i was young I used to play and I used to sit down and play and those memories of playing on steps in me make me like this place as contemplative may be - very child like.

The chair is very comfortable to sit. One day try it and realise why I am saying comfortable (laughter). Even wood is hard, stone wall is hard and it makes me comfortable – I feel sleepy here - I don‟t know why exactly - I can see the special part - the materials and the colours like this. There is rough stone and hard surface of the wood around - I am not going to sit for longer time here so probably is okay - wooden hard surface is physically not very good but still i like here. Even the harsh environment - I like it a lot and its shape. Simple shape and minimalism in the space makes its special. It is simple and this simple makes me feel comfortable. It is like not very distractive. And it makes me contemplate - makes me more comfortable and less distractive. Well,


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looks good but very creepy design. The design - don‟t make me feel comfortable but when I sit on the chair there it makes me feel comfortable. This is chapel.

That is another chapel. Three different - I like this place but I don‟t know why. I meditate and pray here and sometimes I just sit here and not pray or meditate. I sit in front of cross on the chair and pray. Sometimes there are not many people around and its dark and just some spots of light only. That makes me comfortable and gives me more pleasure. That‟s it. I love it. I will say that it is beautiful space but does not make me contemplate like river. River makes me contemplate naturally but church design not. There I pray because I know that we go there to pray.

Light shade and at river is the best example to describe my contemplative experience.

Participant D4

I would like to understand what you are sort of trying to do but I mean most spaces I have liked in terms of contemplative spaces are the transitional spaces – spaces where you are not quiet inside and where you are not quiet outside. So with the work we do, we try and create – mix – if you like that are not a dining room or a kitchen but a nook where you can sit and experience nature or you can look at sun set or read or you can do all those things, or you can have a drink and its important in those little spaces to be able to get different views and different angles and things like vistas down streets or tree canopies, or sky views or things like that. So one of the things that you had to be able to do in a circle – contemplative spaces that you realise have to rest on something – something to do with nature or physical universe or the townscape or things like that so to me that‟s what give you a contemplation, or relaxation if you like or some sort of sense of relaxation – is it sense of relaxation that you are after and my biggest concern as far as the architecture is concerned – they are the spaces like veranda.

For example instead of having, say you have got big a internal space and then you have got this universe around you so we intend to – we‟d been playing with idea of not necessarily doing big transitional space but a whole lot of little transitional spaces that act as transition between the inside and the outside.

And Japanese are great masters of doing that – you know like they produce what they call „transactional spaces‟ which, which layer up spaces between inside and outside so - to me that‟s where its really nice to be in those sorts of places – particularly if its raining for example – those places have to be rain proof but when rain come down, you are able to see rain coming down, see how it touches the ground, how it forms stream on the surface of the ground and then sort of - that is one of the exciting things about designing contemplative spaces to me because when it rains I get excited because that trance of rain for example – structure we did at Queen St intersection – that is based on a structure collecting water during the thunder storm so when water hits it you get this sense of excitement as well – or in other words – relaxation, excitement and resting. Sleeping is another thing which I cannot mention on the tape recorder for you but so its not so much about being religious or sacred space so much – I think sacred is really very strong word and I have been in spaces like cathedrals, temples, Corbusier‟s Ronchamp – I have been in the ahh zen temples in Kyoto, ahh I mean one of the great spaces I visit when I was a student like you is the temple of Ryoan- ji in Kyoto which is the most amazing space because, because when you see it in books you think its such a big space but when you get there, it‟s a tiny little space which then goes back to my original hypothesis that to me good contemplative spaces cannot be big spaces, they are little spaces when you – and complete opposite to that is when you go to that say…uhhh in Beijing, if you go and visit, that ..the big square what‟s it called in Beijing – a huge square – the square is just too big – its like you loose all sense of relativity - contemplative spaces have to have to give you that sense of relativity - you got to relate to things and particularly I use the thing about – tree canopies, if there are trees nearby – it naturally comes to your experience of tree canopy or being able to be really conscious of - of I mean one of the important aspect of this transitional contemplative spaces is that, that each day of the year you can track where the sun is – you know where the sun is and if you – you know I have wonderful contemplative space at my place in Noosa so and I know exactly when I am sitting there when I go there after a week, I sit there and I


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come back after and I know where the sun is, I got to know where the sun is, I got to know where the wind is and I got to know all those things to do with universe – wind, fire and water all those sorts of elements that make up the universe.

Uhh I really don‟t like artificial sacred spaces like church places in general. Its one thing I can‟t stand is cathedral space where to me it s very artificial – I mean one of the thing to me – I‟d love going to South America, I‟d love going to these cities of South America with Spanish influences, plus the ethnic influences and you get wonderful urban spaces, wonderful little spaces depending on these huge things which are these giant cathedrals which are symbols of artificiality from a concern – but you get nicer spaces when you go to the back streets of these spaces and you get these mini-squares – Rome is the place where you get big space. But the most thing about these spaces is that you get big spaces and you get smaller spaces – like for example if you go to Piazza in Milano for example in Rome which is one of the great sort of urban design space and I‟d rather go to piazza in Novano than the piazza Saint Marco because at some stage they lose the scale, they lose the scale which is sort of reluctant – its all those things excitement, scale, relativity, relaxation, and good contemplative spaces can be used for range of stimulus like it can be used for sleeping as I said before, it can be used for other things, like it can be used by two people making love, they can be used for uhh business discussion, they can be used for just think you are tired and you want to have a drink, do something, or just sit there but usually they are intermediately spaces between the cusp around – the cusp between the inside and outside if you know what I mean.

Cusp means „on the edge‟ yeah so I mean that‟s basically very, very simple sort of I mean I am fascinated with ethnic cultures about how they treat sacred space for example if you know like sacred space of aboriginal or ethnic people like Indians and Americans – like the most fascinates me is how ethnic cultures deal with contemplative space and lot of them get rid of the fact you like, get rid of the superfluous space – they have little space for sleeping in, they often share their contemplative spaces. They share one space – say in a village where they all sit down and they have a contemplative space.

Well, when I said I can see where the sun is exactly and when the wind is in my house in Noosa, I mean that well you can see it well defined against its topographical mark so you know exactly which tree, which tree sun is shining through at certain times of the year and you know where the south winds are and these spaces and the forms that make these spaces give you forces into where these things are happening.

And that to me is and I think our cultures have always done that as to create things. They use to create things to remind them about that included worshiping the sun as well – they worshipped the sun, not saying that worship the sun or anything but but its nice to know and like for example last night – we were sitting in another little contemplative space with all these little spaces that settle this living space and we were sitting there and the wind changed from going from being a north easterly sea breeze – flipped around to become northwest without much much uhh it didn‟t give you any warning, all of a sudden just went bang and we – the rustle of the trees changed and the freshness of the wind changed and these whole lot of textural things that changed so all of the indicators that happen – uhh the noise and the release is different and that that to me is wonderful experience that you get from being, being in a contemplative space, you know you really do get a feeling of what the outside is doing and that‟s, that‟s, that‟s sort of applies you to the universe and not so much of getting on your knees and you know praying to realms and all and that to me is what a contemplative space is and that‟s what we spent our whole time doing, creating little slivers of these sort of, of zones if you like to sit – the trick is actually to pull these little spaces out and actually build on that – so that ….so that!!!!

There are other things that you can do with these spaces – you can dry clothes in them, you can direct art in them, you can do dance in them, paint in them, read in them, do all those sorts of things. So its I mean I basically never, actually that‟s wrong - we are doing crematory at the moment and we have designed a church before and I will lie if I‟d say we have never designed a church because well, we have and we have done it, all this chapel and crematorium and and so I guess we we think a lot about uhhh uhh uhhh how how that space is going to work – but the most important thing in those spaces is light – how light gets dispersed through that space. Materials are one thing but its all about dispersion of light from – whether its direct light from sun or in this climate it shouldn‟t be direct light and it should be indirect light uhh so aaa its the intangibles


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that‟s the stimulus…….thats the uhh that to me makes the qualities out of it. And then the view – distance you know.

We, if you are out in one of those spaces, its one of these early good idea sometimes, to and offcourse Louis Khan was the master of that – the great American architect – you create the opens in neighbouring buildings so that when you are in - on a contemplative ledge of contemplative place or space, you can look through one of these opening and then you get another little view and then you can get another opening and another view and another opening, you get this sense of travelling – you know – I mean astro-travelling would be going bit far but the quality of those spaces that can do that for you and that can give you some sort of experiential feelings if you‟d like – the sense of – and it happens in urban settings – and it s very hard to me to differentiate between the buildings and architecture and sort of urban space too because its so …so merged together you know and so but I have to say I don‟t because I don‟t go to church I am not a religious person and in that sense uhh, uhh, uhh but certainly good contemplative spaces like Ryoan-ji uhh they, they you loose all sense of, of form and that‟s why, I mean when you look at the photographs and its huge space but its not actually – create these not illusions I guess but, but stimulus like going and seeing a good movie or something or or …ahh well that was my experience of Ryoan-ji that I was looking forward to it for weeks and then when I get there it was almost…in some ways it almost got a disappointment in some way I guess because when I got there – the courtyard was only very tiny it was about the quarter of that corner of the space over there and the sand was all gravelled and furrowed and so on which they do everyday – the timber ledges just floated into the sand but well when again I started thinking about it – I though this is it you know. And there weren‟t any views to infinity, there weren‟t any views out and so I guess it was just a pure religious space where as where as to me its got to be up things that give you this control of light and wind and breeze and so on like what Japanese do in those transactional spaces how they have – they have movable fenestration on one line and they have another line and so you can get, you can get these sort of these ahh sort of turn on perspective, like a good painting you know and aaa look it was not a sense of disappointment it was sense of well, I am here and I have don‟t it and I sat there for half an hour and you then you leave you know – its is something as a student you do like yourself - uhh looking forward to seeing it and then that‟s it where as uhh uhh you know my little spaces I am playing around with are at the edges of the buildings where you continually go back to it – its little bit like sailing in the ocean – every bit you think its boring but its not because everyday is bit different because the sky changes everyday, the wind changes everyday, the sun changes everyday and the same with good contemplative space… It‟s a pigeon spot for observing universe so, so you know like even if you took the same day in a year from this some particular little space – it will be different because trees grown bigger, there will never be the same wind, there will be different colours in the sky you know so little things like that I am not one – you know I love the idea of idea of translucency too that‟s, that‟s another sort of word that instead of using just solid wall you can use greens and translucency.

There are lots of contemporary architects now, they are lucky enough to have the budgets but you want I am going to New York in couple of weeks time to see this new building by ohh its group of them but Shaji Ma the Japanese architect she, she has just done a project – that‟s a whole building covered in a vale so we are very interested to see these sort of spaces – so to me to closest you can get to contemplative spaces are art galleries. It is like because I am great fan of art so so rather than ….O the Corooy Studio.

I mean you would be more than welcomed to come up and look up the structure if you wanted to – you are more than welcome. That‟s a very interesting building and there is a really beautiful exhibition going on it at the moment on it at the Gallery of Modern Art at the moment – its called Mountains and Streams in Southbank and and it is a Chinese exhibition and its all about its all about what I have been talking about and this project talks about that well it has a sense of that – its about, its about a mountain and its about a valley and its about inspiration and contemplation or inspiration verses contemplation or uhh uhh uhh or what do you call when you sit down and you..uhh meditation so inspiration, contemplation, I guess inspiration and meditation are different but up both are contemplation you know – and what‟s that about is that you have got a stream and a valley and you got a mountain so you you go to the mountain and a steam and you go up on the mountain to, to meditate or become inspired or to do something, a piece of art or to do something and in that case its got an incredible mountain aside so this thing has got contemplative space for looking at the mountain and the trick to this building was that this things was actually a golden


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mean proportion – the rectangle and its completely glazed in and it can be completely open - depending on which way the wind is blowing you can close it off because its like its another when you dealing with these sort of spaces you also got to see the universe because you are above a hill so you gotta deal with the wind coming from all different angles and its totally different so the only way we were able to do that was by, by doing two different plots of union – that‟s where the toilets and kitchen are like a crater in the hill and this thing is like a its like an insect with translucent winds so it‟s a fly and this one is heavy tin box which sits in crater, its heavy and this thing like a dragon fly just sits on the ground like its wanting to take off but it doesn‟t quiet know whether its going to take off or whether its there or its not – so I abstracted that idea – with that Chinese idea and when you go and see these exhibition you get to see example of what is there in these building- is shown in that exhibition – its about – I mean it‟s a folly but its not really a folly because, because it‟s a temple but its not a temple like a cathedral or a …but its like a temple for creativity to happen, it‟s a temple for conversations and so on so and when you are there in these building you have a very strong sense of, of religious feel but its to do with nature and universe – its not so much about an institute you know uhh but its worth, its worth I mean if you want to experience – I forgot about this space and that‟s how dumb I am I mean I just forget about it but that‟s really your super folly. And that‟s what they use to do in old days in 19th centuries they use to built – rich people in Europe built follies – in their back yards for people to go and contemplate you know those funny neo-classical columns you know were in ruins and down in the back yard of the castles, they use to sit down in there like that and that sort of think about what, what to do or where to go and so this, so that‟s the building about that – I mean its quiet uplifting to go up there and spent a morning or an afternoon – particularly in the afternoon when the sun sets and this building‟s wings are twisted, the translucent wings are twisted so that – the roofs actually point towards the longest days of the year you know that stay there – gives its hat to the sun across like a priest but not like a priest but its really interesting so that you know so its definitely a contemplative space I guess – but that‟s contemplation for whole lots of things – creativity in particular - doing something creative that‟s what it is – it is an artist‟s studio or a temple but that particular Chinese exhibition is very well relevant - trying to explain the relationship between the hill top and the valley – two very important connecting major landscape components and you can use contemplative spaces to connect elements in nature and that‟s what Chinese do – really well. Well they do it in all the great cultures, I mean what culture are you from – see there you go I mean that‟s, that‟s - what you are asking me about contemplative space - you have got it in your own culture – I mean I don‟t know but if you go to any of the great you know Hindu shrines and things you just sort of walk around them and it gives you a sense of some excitement – even though I am not Hindu you know and there‟s absolute masters out but I cant I guess I mean I mean I its hard to know when you are sort of – usually the the ………the spaces the best contemplative spaces are usually unexpected spaces – there‟s fantastic contemplative space in Chicago the main I think its Sears building the big one that goes up like that with a criss-cross façade – we were directly opposite where ever it is I actually forget the major medicine avenue whatever it is – is a little church and it has one of the most beautiful courtyard and its right opposite to this Sears towers and it has this incredible big sunken courtyard with people everywhere and yet on the opposite side of the road is this dear little church with little colonnade with this beautiful contemplative space and its strength is really the huge Chicago building rounded and if you didn‟t know if its there you„d just walk straight past it you know I mean I was there because of this architect who was a friend of my mate who was there told me it was there and we saw the church and then little courtyard which was a contemplative space - all the times I find in all these villages or if I go to India per say haven‟t been there for a while but that the last place I had been to was South America and if you go to a little place like Khusko or like that and if you walk around the streets you find little spaces that do have that sort of strength that you would like or spirituality. Its hard to describe what it really it - its to do with force lines, its to do with space contracts and expands like you know and they were always trying to contemplate like Einstein and these other people who have written about how you can do it.

And great cultures sort of excel in that in simply spending money on those sorts of spaces because basically they are follies in a way they are not spaces that you can cook in or go in, or sleep in or whatever you know they and in our culture the first thing you get cut out because people sort of don‟t want to pay for them and yet they are the spaces that whether its urban design or architectural spaces that make up that really give something, something a sense of special you know a special feel I think the colonnades in – what‟s the white city in South America – you go to the main square there and the colonnades all run around the square and that‟s all white and from


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the urban design sense which gives you that fantastic sense of – you can sit there and you can have a cup of coffee or something or you can sort of look out in the square from the colonnades and you get this feeling of that you can contemplate something and you contemplate. You know so it has to do with relaxation, meditation, spirituality and all those sorts of things. Yeah it‟s a I would like to design this – I mean this building the staircase is able to maintain its pure form it does not have staircase and so the stair is outside and you often find – when you go to the countries like yours or you go to the countries where they have really beautiful contemplative spaces but they are not trapped by all mid-class sort of non sense like having a lift, having a set of stairs thats waterproof or that sort of stuff. But to maintain the purity and to get that sense of excitement or whatever you can feel in space - you tend to have to what‟s the word you tend to forget about some of the normal things that you – sort of middle class living provides you and its probably why now we have lots of gurus and people in your culture that sort of decide to become the ascetics and they decide to give up all the pleasure of life take up contemplative living and they just go up and live in mountain or a cave and some one may not even eat or drink and not take facilities or I don‟t know but yeah I think that‟s all its all about and the guy who built this I mean you know had no profit had no return its just spiritual property – its just experience banking and letting other people like artists and poets go there and create wealth, well not materialistic wealth which I think – I think the problem with our society is and particularly from last couple of years ….that‟s why I just become cynic because the quality that we should be producing there in series of architecture gets shaved off because you know there is no realizable profit so and as a result I mean we aren‟t here – we are like what sort of contemplative spaces do you know - we have in the cityscape around here I mean – its hard to even sort of think about any you know and when we do have any they, hey pull them down and they don‟t find them useful for anything so they become follies. I mean one of the nicest experiences I have in this area is jumping on the old Brisbane ferries – not the new ones – you know the old timber ones that just cross across the river – if you sit at the back of that – that‟s a great contemplative place – because its changing - I guess the other word is „changing‟ – like if you are part of that space and the view is changing – slowly, not, not rapid change and if you sit in that ferry at the back there, its a lovely contemplative space, you know you are relaxed, you go calm, your heart rate goes down – all that sort of stuff and that‟s one of the nice contemplative space I reckon here – sitting at the back of one of those old Brisbane ferries, yeah. And so yeah I mean, but with Cooroy Studio - this thing also derives itself from transactional space which is the surrounding veranda (pointing the picture of the windows of the gallery project he designed) and it means that when wind is blowing from different places that means you can open that up and the space between there and the veranda becomes your zone if you like and I mean sometimes wind gets so strong here that it sort of cocoons the building and its very hard to find a spot to get shelter so even if the wind is coming from might as if here then its this wind that coze around the space and there is only very tiny little space you can get to and when you get to that little tiny space – its beautiful because the wind is roaring around you and the sun is setting and you just get this wonderful feeling of sort of being part of the universe and I reckon that‟s the closes that I have been to being a very spiritual person you know. I know many people meditate and sit cross legged and sort of jump you know – run up and down things but so usually the spaces that are simple and small, have got some way of dealing with the outside – controlling it and to me is also about it and they can be little spaces I think. Seems that our culture wants to be bigger and better than anything else – its like Tiana square I was talking to you about in Beijing and its really, really ugly space because its too big, it doesn‟t give any sense of enclosure or sense of being in a town square – its just been down to intimidate or to sort of dominate or to do anything, the human scale doesn‟t have a meaning – its about other things – about power and that sorts of things.

So I mean we had a great deal of pleasure doing that because we weren‟t in a normal building designed for a township you know. It is a folly. I mean folly in intellectual sense like 19th century sense – it was very fashionable to built these sort of neo-classical follies in your backyard where you go down and sit there.

I think, in some ways, I hadn‟t realise before, before started talking to you about it but it‟s the glue – contemplative spaces or whatever you call it is probably the glue that makes good urban design, good architecture and it‟s the colonnade spaces, it‟s the little nook where you can sit and so.

And things happen and particularly where, as I said before you get this humour were you can look down as a movie screen or in 3D and you can sort of, your eye can find the way down through sit belts and then you become aware of how things are changing around you. I mean that other thing


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was to - people like being in the space where they can lock everything up and close the door, lock it and sit inside – and I cant see how you can be contemplative in those situations you know, without having any relationship with what‟s going on outside. Rain – rain is just most amazing thing and people want to get gutters and they want to get rid of the rain – now they are letting us run rain off roofs so where I live there‟s no rain - its like that structure and when it really pours you get the sense of excitement – wish comes out at the top of it and you get to speak to the rush of water and enjoy the water fall like when you go near to the waterfall. Its contemplative situation - isn‟t it? I mean its not a space but its sort of space whenever you go to these waterfalls you sort of stop and you contemplate - like don‟t you? You want to walk through the bush down to a big waterfall and you stop and you might even go on the top to find the waterfall and sort of watch the water go over the top of you –that gives you that wonderful feeling of release I think half way between the real life and the next life – something like that it is. I don‟t know I mean I was bit apprehensive about talking about it because its, I don‟t know. I am up there all the time and I mean if you want to come there to use that thing as your case study, you‟d be more than welcome to come over. I have got some photographs of it so you can use them.

Ronchamp experience was a beautiful thing but then again it‟s a religious incredible – its been designed for a western religion you know. Its got a sculptural experience – its sort of incredible. It is religious and its sort of opposite to out talk because it is like a cave with slits and they still work on light – light coming in vast amounts is controlled and it has got little shafts of light coming in – in the sculptural forms – because it is sculptural experience and I don‟t know whether I would sit in there and contemplate like I would on a ledge at Ryaon-ji. I have to be like the mountain and valley I got to be either sitting in valley like in a mountain stream, and water going past or at the up on the ledge looking at and supervising the clouds or something. Where as the Ron Champ and those sorts of buildings have, its like walk in little kaleidoscope or something where you got this incredible feel you know – it is a spiritual space and its based on nature and its suppose to make you contemplative like this but you got to be religious at the first place. Or religious in terms of whatever religion – that‟s a catholic church – isn‟t it? So its a great experience more or less but I don‟t think you are going to sit and be contemplative there and you are not in a mood because you think about I have to catch a train and go to the next place and I got to do this and I got to do that – I think that other thing with contemplative spaces is that they have to be regularly available to use for any different moods – I mean my friend has got a lovely little space in Tenerriffe and its has lovely little veranda which is great after work to sitting in there and do something or just looking at the river and watching things going along and up and down and whatever sort of changes. I think the other thing that good contemplative spaces is – it teaches you to be perceptive you know – its an example of, of the environment becoming educative rather than being educated by another person – sort of zen sort of thing. So, yeah I don‟t know it‟s a tough topic I think. So idea is whether you sit on the bottom or you stand or you lie or you go on an opium sort of and lye down and have big snuff and sort of and become contemplative – I don‟t know – you have to be comfortable. I guess that‟s another word– you got to be comfortable in the space so as to make you feel like that. But always with me its got to have that translucency with the outside as well. You still got to be sheltered and if the rain comes, you are going to be protected from rain or thunder or whatever but then if you are – you get a good view, you get a good vantage point – when the thunder and rain and when its lightening – it becomes better than anything else. So I don‟t know. I haven‟t got a clue. It‟s real touch topic. Its like how do you draw a space? Have you ever worked on drawing a space? Actually what I am doing is I am writing an essay at the moment – and its on an island artist – its an aboriginal artist and he does the most beautiful paintings (I have got one in the car and I will show you when you go) and I am actually talking about Paul Klee – the great Bauhaus artist – to me he was the greatest artist of all time who was ever able to draw space. He was able to draw space. He has written in his sketch books and if you read those books, he intellectualises this thing of being able to draw the dynamics of space and he was able to actually draw a space and I have been trying to just briefly think about him and think about this aboriginal artist – to me he draws intimate meditative spaces in nature – he might have – and aboriginals are very spiritual people and they might find a grove and tree somewhere and there might be a little waterhole with it. So they actually ship around that and draw. I have actually found both the works of the artists are very similar. Terry Namindaire and Paul Klee. They can actually see the relationship between the art and they can draw contemplative spaces or experiential spaces. They can actually draw graphically using different techniques that‟s what I am interested in and it‟s the same thing when you go and see really nice movie or listen to Indian music – you get that feeling of experiential spatial quality and we haven‟t even talked about introducing music in such spaces


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and its whole another area you know where we listen to really good sort of ethnic music – I mean if you are in a contemplative spaces and you put some music on that‟s made in desert - say a desert music and you put it in to that small space and see what happens or vice versa. If you put the music that‟s made for a smaller space I don‟t know somewhere else. Its all sense you know. So that‟s what I am interested in, is drawings spatial transactions and how it sort of works and than ofcourse finally trying it to do in the architecture as well and but quiet importantly experiencing spaces is better than experiencing form.

And sort of the wealthy people or situations like you would never, got the Taj Mahal for example. Like it is a piece of ice cream cake where form is like a piece of Easter egg but the great spaces are the ones that are sort of intangible and you walk through and you sort of ….and because of the rhythms and the relationship between the areas and the blocks however. Another interesting area however I mean now that I go and see a couple of Frank Lloyd Wrights buildings every year – just as an experiential thing – I just zap out – I just go there right and I went to Taliesin West because of Prairie workshop and that like Ryaon-ji was little bit like disappointment because I builded up so much so much in my mind and so on and yeh its – I mean its a wonderful thing to go and see it but it‟s a tourist show now and that‟s the only way that it can be seen now as tourist but the thing sort of I mean the living room is fantastic where all the students gather and saw spaces face to face but than when you go to Frank‟s own little flat and it‟s a disappointment because its too small for me. Its like you know I command a bigger space for my own sort of use – his space was I mean I straight went flat out going into his bathroom and just my shoulders and so on were touching the walls on both sides and Frank was a little man you know so so you know his idea of contemplative space from that particular trip was slightly different to mine because, because of probably a whole lot of things because I have got, even though I am European but I have spent more time travelling in the east, you know – it is the spaces indefinitely that are treated differently – its been like I do all those things – I go out into the open spaces and to me going to his bathroom, means you at least are I meant to get the towel and for that you need to stretch your arms you know or when you have a shower here we need reasonably big space to have a shower – but if I was having bath in Frank‟s bathroom I tell you I would be straight flat out completely you know because of his tiny little bath space – so but its wonderful space that he was able to master – absolutely and you know that very well, don‟t you? He was able to contort and unravel space – he could laid you along to the tiny little space and then you come to the big space – so what time you got to the big space – you were, I think got constrained with this tunnel space when you come to this bigger space then you have a sense of exhilaration because as I said you came into this big space you know – so those were his few designed spaces in Chicago you know – and his own office, that he played around with his own house – we started playing around with those ideas of smaller spaces and bigger spaces and so you know and so that‟s what I don‟t like doing these big, big mansions and things of these rich people because its just – because I don‟t – because they don‟t want any sort of meditative spaces – they think the only spaces they need are the big ones – bigger the spaces the better – and that‟s just based on material desires – pretty easy to become pretty simple you know but these sites don‟t shows what these big, big houses are like – you just end up creating strange head space, I mean big spaces of houses and people don‟t know what to do with them – they just don‟t have any meaning – they spend on 5 or 6 million dollar house and they have not got one single contemplative space in it – I mean its contemplative space like small units you know. Sometimes the transactional spaces like that in Japanese houses are only about that wide you know that – you can hardly put a chiar on them but it gives you a that sort of …have you seen that book called „From Shinto to Ando‟ – it‟s a great book – that‟s one of my Bibles you know.

The other great Japanese architect I love and who is my guru is Shinohara – I went to see him when I was in Japan once and he is the one who did a house for a poet with sloping earth floor. He actually did a slopping floor space in a house like that – it went like that – he had a sloping roof on it – when I was in uni, it was a big design you know. You can google him in internet. He purposely had done its supports such that you couldn‟t walk through them and you had to duck your head when you walk through the building so you can contemplate and if you didn‟t duck – you hit your head – so you know. So I don‟t know I mean. It certainly they had the sort of commissions to sort of create – their priority was to create that sort of spaces not necessarily functional. I think one of the things in your thing is rather than function being a priority, spirituality is the priority and its not necessarily religious spirituality. You are more then welcome one weekend to take you up there and show you the mountain and the stream principle you know. So but this is like a truth serum talking about this sort of stuff - isn‟t it? Its being like having a truth serum – either speak the truth


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or you know!!! So you know I think its good, its good public buildings that have range of contemplative spaces and I think that‟s probably why new state library has got big small contemplative spaces in it and it has got big spaces.

You can see by drawing these trees and the trees got being by the wind. So air movement is such an important part of these sorts of spaces – I mean we use this cross ventilation for our own comfort so that we don‟t need air conditioning you know. But it was just… last night was just incredible – it was almost dark and then all of the sudden wind changed – it just went totally changed like from one quadrant on the compass to another – like and whether you have ever noticed when – sometimes when these breezes blow – they blow the leaves upside down and then you can see the down side of the leaves instead of the top side of the leaves and then the total idea of the tree changes – or the whole form of the tree changes. Certainly there are not enough special areas for people to go and sit you know – even in modern cities like Hong Kong there are contemplative urban spaces where people can sit and your city would have ancient spaces – wouldn‟t they? – over in India? – Like old contemplative spaces. (My input to his inquiry - The nodes of streets in vernacular architecture – created junctions that formed meeting spaces for people during the times of gatherings, people used to sit there during night times, discussed and knew about well being of each other and during the day – cows used to rest under the shade of the trees.) And cows were there too – that‟s funny because when I was doing my first house for my mother up in the mountains in behind Gold Coast - I asked the old farmer – as to where‟s the place to built house and he said that‟s the place there because the cows have protection from the strong winds in that spot and in your case cows were in the same space where the people were because to you cows are important part of your religion – aren‟t they? So yeah, there you go. So there‟s bit of cross cultural phenomenon there – where the cows rest!!! That house had a beautiful contemplative space in it and it was just – still has it. That‟s sort of interesting happen but that‟s interesting thing about an idea about realising about living fauna – I mean all the time I was talking before about contemplative spaces I was thinking about birds in the trees but I haven‟t really thought about cows but certainly I had thought about the other beasts – but having said that when you have a chance to be contemplated with the ocean, when you look at ocean elements – its always interesting to see them - the ocean fauna. Cricket is contemplative game when you go to the arena of the stadium and watch it – every movement of the players, the ball, creates so much excitement and contemplation.

Participant D5

So I have got some images of the space that I think I used them for in terms of getting inspiration for our project. So there was, is a chapel in Columbia which is similar because in terms of wall cladding transparent timber batten finish, there is this chapel that opens up to the elements, the arch - …can slide back and open up so that the whole – whole – the chapel opens up to the altar point – so that the ….cost of intersection zone – basically chapel is not made in to ……like a close down introspective mode – but it opens up to the elements inside it – like you are out there and you are don‟t have any views. That‟s the altar end, and that whole section arch moves back so that these areas become enclosed and covered and there is a wall in between. They are like boxing bridges – its got that sort of structure and whole thing is on wheels so yeah that‟s in a closed position and that is in an open position – that pulls over back – and it‟s just a way it pulls landscape in the open position. I haven‟t been into these space and this is from architecture review magazine. And this is another one, again artistic and more from religious sources than contemplative sources – this was again a good one because it was very cheap……….church in Bolivia by the local designed by an architect which is very simple – two circles with the roof and polycarbonate sheeting and random patterns very simply – created this light and shade effect inside. So you enter by entering one of these around and then walk into another circle…so it filters – you are not connected to the exterior anymore – so you are filtered – its….its a filter between you and outside so – in a way emphasizing your relationship with outside or having something in-between. I thought it was very effective and cheap and really robust and beautiful scheme. Just for that reason that very simple interior which is based on raw materials and very simple details to create an effect in the inside yeah so – that was an inspiration for the activity centre. And because they too are smaller scale as well rather than you using a large church as an inspiration when you


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are like to make a smaller space. And it was meant to be a space which was open to the elements where position was important and so having you been out there at Ipswich campus??? – the activity centre.

Yeah, it fits on the University of Queensland campus on – I will show you a plan of it – I will get the computer. Its open to the public for use through the university. So you contact the university, just say that you want to visit it. The intention was to ahhhmm ….it was intended that it will be used by students but also …..in a way where they came into interface with the larger community. So it was intended that they‟d have Friday evening prayers there, by local Muslims – they use the building – its really a multi-faith space – it is intended to be a multi-faith chapel if you would like – that was the reason we couldn‟t come up with a reasonable name for it. But …..(he was still searching a folder of that project on computer to show me its plan) (I asked him – have you felt contemplation there) Yeah, the original design, is in sort of two large fig trees and it the camp itself is built on the site which was an old – what is it called – a challana centre – the residences for insane that were built back in early pie of last century. So it has got great heritage value of the building but the principles of design of original building were based on gaining mental health through access to views and air so it was built in this beautiful region of Ipswich. So the university of Queensland took it over. They converted it into university buildings but its set within this kind of park land and our building – the activity centre - sits at the end in sort of urban quality of campus and the park land. So it is meant to be space that is slightly separate from that goes on with day to day campus you know. So we chose a very specific site just from going around campus and walking around – while this site was on side, at the edge at the verge of the campus and it was beautiful outlook views to the southwest and it was between two mature big fig trees – so intention was to use the fig trees and landscape drawing into the building making it the part of the larger landscape and not necessarily inside small jewel box you know. So it operates similar to the chapel in Columbia and it can be very introspective. It has these large doors that open up. We couldn‟t get the whole building roll away but that large doors could open up so that it could operate as a as a closing chapel or a gather up space extending to the fig tree for general weddings or serving as large galleries and things like that. So yeah the building purpose was important for the university. And I think, bring in the outside landscape in I think was important to that sense of contemplation that you can be in that private space and still feel the …breezes and particular place and………variety…coming inside the building. So design so that its robust – concrete floor, it can drain, so you can hose it out – so yeah just have a look. I think I have got it. (He is finding some good pictures). That‟s the text that we put together as a statement for the building which would be helpful. ……………. We tried to get as much relation for building with landscape as much as possible. (How do I connect to the network – he asks the office IT technician)

Okay, Ammm so what we started with was – we went through lot of innovations of design to set up best place for the sacred space in the middle and a very simple circulation around to the outside. We had to provide certain limited services in the space – hands and feel washers, space for leaving bags and things, secure sort of area and then a sort of sacred space in the middle – it was divided into two for men and women in according to Muslim faith. They would separate into two spaces so that once if we satisfy those – in a very simple robust plan, the idea then was to create a screen towards the outside – timber and louver screen and, and sort of push people to interface with outside by drawing attention to that external screens so that the timber battens have got on them fibre glass on it, it has got louvers behind it which allow breeze to come in through it, and …..glass with louvers adjusted you can be, it can be entirely quiet space. Then in that sort of timber batten exterior which is like a box we have huge punctuations in glass. So you got a door entry, you got a corner window which is about accentuating the views, out and then up to the sky and then you got a large picture window which frames the view towards the southwest mountains. And its also reasonably low window head height there so its sort of forces you to engage with the view but in a way brings the horizon up and the view to sky down. So that it deliberately frames that view – the southwest. So I guess you are interacting with the exterior through them. Through very particular frame of views and breezes that come into the building and once you are inside and you open the louvers, and there is no eaves around the roofs - so the sunlight streams in and the breeze glows in.

We wanted an elemental experience of the whole thing. The floor is ground and concrete, the internal walls are poured concrete and interior and exterior is just this pattern-less random timber battening with fibreglass backing. So this is sort of all interior shot you see. It‟s a very simple interior of the concrete wall, all concrete floors, its very transparent external wall.


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Sacred space we created inside, had just a platform. The way you approached the building, the platform meets the ground at the point at which you enter and then obviously being horizontal surrounds in lots of way – so that it sort of mounts this platform and surrounded by timber frame. So its really creating a sacred space by emphasising a polished form. But also what we did was we put a dark margin of trough and gravel in the interior around, around that polished platform and thats what comes into picture you know – there‟s like a trough that runs around underneath that external wall and we fill that with just polished pebble – gravel. So that does two things – the building drains through it, if you hoze it out it will run water through that gravel. The other thing is that it emphasizes – it gets the floor to float off the building and emphasizes that detail. We got these side spaces where you pass through them, the door you wash your hands and feet and then go round the back of that wall, to the back of the room, to enter your pray. I mean the intention was that - its a multi-purpose room, but there was certain symbolic elements required by Muslim faith that they had needed to be there for them to be used by students attending prayers in the course of the day. So if you are muslim student, you happen to have time between the classes, you walk down there, wash your feet, roll out your mat, pray, roll back your mat, put it back and go back to your classes – that was the intention that it can operate by that. But I really liked that it still needed, even though it was very you know very utilitarian space, it still needed some elements – some symbolic elements that needed to be incorporated into that – into the building. So theres little, down on the side there is a little low shelf which is a shoe – space to take off shoes. So then we come around this back and then see that‟s the main space.

Its got suspended plywood ceiling there – really for acoustics purpose but again its about whole power to achieve this was concrete floor. Inside these concrete pods that hold up the building, there‟s storage space and kitchenette space – so some stuff can be stored there but it was intended that people will bring what they need. There‟s no toilets in the building. The cleaning space is the symbolic things coming from the Muslim faith that is represented in this space – in terms of direct symbolic elements – that‟s about it. The rest was I mean its very modern architecture in that sense its about planes and texture. There‟s no lot of common clichéd elements. We haven‟t put arrows to sort of indicative element as signage in the building. Apart from that its very universal in its architecture language. Robust as in hard to break so it deals with the elements – the construction is using chunky material and hard forms but making sure they are crisply finished when they are done. And one more thing about this was that we had a very good builder who understood that –


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the details matter – the way its put together – so he really assembled it like a piece of furniture. He was a local builder yeah, Brooke Field. That‟s the hand washing facility, that‟s the seat with couple of taps, charcoal wall, no real colour apart from timber I suppose. So, it was used as meeting room, used for ..I don‟t think its used for wedding yet – like a Christian wedding, its run by a Chaplain of the university which then supposedly accepts booking for any kinds of purpose. The university as number of campuses and one of them is at Gatton and on the campus they had this building over the years, its just an old church - timber church and I just found that very, very useful space because there‟s so many things that happen on campus that they need – they need a space that is set aside, which is basically sacred for certain ceremonies and functions. So that‟s what they feel the need for this – on this campus, to create a space for weddings and funerals for people who live their lives on campus – teachers and students have relationships there and the building was about having the capacity to celebrate that – so that‟s in the open mind where it opens up to the space in need for between the two fig trees. So it can be closed and introverted or open and be a stage!!! That‟s when the door is closed and that‟s when the door is open. Night shots look good – so there‟s two big fig trees.

Yeah, contemplative experiences you know for me from where I have – spare time during the day – and not necessarily in a religious space, not necessarily – this is based on faith and spirituality I guess. Ahhh but I find being in shower in the morning – ammm hot water is a good spot – just not think about things and not necessarily based on an experience of space but a I guess isolation and quiet you know that sort of thing. But I also really admire the gothic cathedrals in England – when I went on holidays there – travelling around some spaces are like that – they are just incredible, they are huge and old and its magical spaces like that. And you know from the times it was built – it has been incredible construction. And its built over hundreds of years back so that‟s another inspiration. There‟s another place in Ireland that we visited once which was called New Grange. Its sort of pre-historic place, a construction in Ireland and it was designed to celebrate the winter season and summer season. Basically it is a mount and you can only get within internal cavity – its got internal large cavity along the tunnel which is framed by number of rocks in certain positions to get into the internal cavity and for many years – till my wife – the particular way it has been built we discovered that for 2 or 3 days of a year – at the point where ….summer sun there reaches its northern most point – where the sun rises and just at that sun rise moment, the light projects into – directly into the tunnel framed by a couple of particular rocks. So you only get a beam of light coming into the interior cavity and its like 10m long tunnel and suddenly this interior cavity is light up inside the space. There‟s something like that which would have taken you know, enormous amount of time to built like it must have lasted there for 30 or 40 years. Or it would have taken a more longer than an average person‟s life span to construct – as long as it comprehends and sets it up in an actual way that even now you know few thousands years later you still light travel into the space and lighten up inside two days a year. Its pretty amazing!!! Its called New Grange in Ireland. When you are there you realise its its part of a valley which has pretty regular range of hills around it which sits on this mount – this is a large scale but it sits on the mount in the centre of it you know – it‟s the sun rises and sets in summer – you know the sun tends to go further north until at the summer specific regions, sun goes to its specific points and then it starts to move south again. So it would have been would have been a very important moment to mark you know that on a calendar of the year – it‟s a point on – its gets darker and colder – you know. The harvest time or whatever. So its pretty amazing space. Not only that the rocks that were used to decorate the wall – would have been kilometres away. They would have to had negotiate different areas of Ireland to just get rocks to just decorate this thing. It was quiet amazing. So I hope that helps.

Okay so to me I guess, if I had to define those elements that comes in a space which emphasizes that to me its commune with nature, and in terms of these space, it is the interaction point, it talks about an interaction between users - user as person and the greater environment. ahhh and again its a built space, so the way its brought together - very you know well detailed in a way that Japanese buildings so ....put together and the Japanese gardens and very particularly put together and the relationship between that two and the detail and the experiences of the materials you know, i guess create that sort of spiritual contemplative serene quality to a space so that it can be displaced and it can also be in a way that that the built can accentuate that quality. Yeah so hope that helps.


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Participant D6

Its about saying you know our architecture is largely residential architecture so we haven‟t specifically designed spaces for these sort of functions that you must say „were contemplatively important‟ except in the context of residences and it is an interesting subject in terms of what we try to achieve with our residential projects because there is a NEED for even in residences „kind of retreat‟ sort of space at which is quiet different function than more active spaces in residences and so we certainly almost try to embed within the kind of planning diagram – a sort of space that could be used as a space of retreat – retreat space and I guess so in terms of residence, residential terms that would be called personal contemplative space. Yeah and we designed a house very specifically for that kind of function and people who might be interested in meditation and those sorts of contemplative activities - actually there is one of the houses that we designed up in Noosa and I do have images of some of its spaces if you want to look at those but from your point of view – your thinking of contemplative space as just space for contemplation – is that right? Is it specifically for a particular building typology?

Obviously I think most architecture and certainly what we do, strive to achieve experiential part of contemplative experience. It has that incredible sort of, I would call it more emotive, very visceral, very direct experience of architecture that is difficult to describe in words but it is to do with that immediacy of a reaction to the qualities of space and it‟s something we always try to achieve you know and its something architecture should be striving for and architecture you know should have higher degree of special intelligence that can predict from planning arrangements and even from sophisticated 3D generation – a methodology what sort of impact space may have.

And we had just on the last day actually, I got a very nice email from a client of ours who has just moved into the new house. And the email said we are really enjoying this house, thank you so much and all that and then he said it has really beautiful feeling you know and to me that is just so powerful and that is what we try to achieve and its not about the size of the thing or its not even the views out, its not necessarily about you know the individual elements like how the lights coming in but its some kind of sort of combination of all of those spirits in a way that just makes some interesting chemistry happen and make spaces feel beautiful.

And I had an another client recently who said again a new house they moved into and he was sitting on the deck one of their first evenings there in the garden and having a glass of wine and he noticed this really particular view – right through - saw a mountain beyond and the whole house sort of shaped around it and he was so swiped – he actually said to me that „I JUST CRIED‟ he said I just – I don‟t know was just calmed by this lovely emotion you know and he was just SO…he said it was just so beautiful about being in that space that I just I just cried and then I just just drank a lot of red wine (hehehee – long laughter follows). So its just so nice to know that he was kind of just sitting there and enjoying the house. And those are the things that are really kind of marvellous. Its hard for people to involve in experience while the design is being built on site. You don‟t necessarily they get that emotional impact until you are actually inhibiting the space and using it with the purpose that it was designed for. Yeah so I guess that‟s kind of my take on kind of architectural impact and its so lovely when you get the feedback I suppose and comments from people about the emotional impact that space has on them because that‟s what you wanted them to have. Its so beautiful witnessing that when people go into those spaces and live there and experience that might be an enormous sense of calm what we would be striving to do - not necessarily major just a dramatic impact necessarily but a sense of comfort in a way, sense of space kind of embracing them yeah and so that‟s definitely an aim in terms of our designs. We aim for those things and achieve them through design elements. And architecture which has been – ahh some people have this art I suppose but if you have been practicing it for a number of years I guess that you can – its something easier to predict in a way – and just putting those marks on paper you know or putting initial shaping of it – ummm your kind of imbuing those kind of qualities thing – its bit hard for people to relate while looking at the drawings – I just came back from a meeting just then actually and showed them a new client - very early sort of schematic proposals for their project which is really just a site scheme up but it was very nice again too.

They actually saw this really a diagrammatic arrangement of spaces on that particular site which was taking into account their particular brief about privacy and very much about contemplation and about the place being sort of refuge for them. They are particularly worried about security and


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so the whole house design is about that building being the ramp parts and refuge in the garden which create that soft inner zone for them which in this case is a large garden of the house which just kind of edges and this whole kind of choreography of how one enters the site and how you move to on to sort of merge in central garden and very really very early and very crude kind of drawing to explain that but they got it straight away because in a way its kind of simple elemental powerful human understanding of experience you know - just sort of explaining them a sequence of movement and they could see what the impact of that thing was going to be and so that they were able from the description that came from these very primitive drawings too predict that sensation. Movement, pause and circulation are one of our design elements to provide an experience of journey to our clients. So the way I was describing it was rather a way of sensation and an experience rather than delineated rooms or necessarily explaining relationships within the rooms. So that‟s how we often see architecture as well - its about that choreography of emotion you know – choreography of experience and how you can bring people to a certain kind of -certain state of mind I suppose, how you can obviously how movement through those spaces occurs and kind of. Quiet often there is lot of nuances like that but obviously can‟t be described adequately on a plan. But when you actually take people on a kind of journey through their project and explain that even before you put too much down on paper – what that aim is and what you are trying to do in terms of with the emotional impact of the space I suppose – its really very nice early conversation to have with people – so that‟s the thing rather than planning that sets the kind of agenda and sets the brief in a way of the project. So that was exactly the kind of conversation I had in my meeting just before I met you – for THAT you know – talk was about what we want to achieve here is the sense of that in their case coming through a quieter a sort of wall – you know opening up into a preliminary introductory garden space, moving you through that space up and you know and on to the kind of piano nubile of the plan of the house which is a garden and to all of the experiences and the views and the sense of space you get as you move through that which is symbolised by these very early sort of planning diagrams on paper but the real story is what that sequence of the emotions is really and spatial experience within the job – so that‟s the kind of conversation that we often start with so I guess its all about kind of the emotional content really you know - this kind of very elemental human reaction to spatial quality, yeah!!!

I have got images of our own buildings that give this impact. I don‟t necessarily have huge library of images of other buildings that have affected me in this way. But there is one building – one building that sort of made me cry is – because of its impact – well – two churches in France. One was Ronchamp and you know that was all about talking before about how kind of experience of introduction of architectural impact in that building – have you been there? No? And the other one is Notre Dame Cathedral. And it was very powerful kind of emotional experience in that space. Its just like ultimate contemplative space I suppose – very !!!! - and the interesting thing about that was awareness not about particular form – the form obviously creates volume that has this real kind of power to it – but its also kind of embracing and mysterious sort of power.

I really felt it when I went into that space and I loved the kind of shadowy nature of the form you know and that was very powerful to me. And obviously the huge kind of dimension of it being for the focus of contemplation and religious contemplation and just how powerful the essence of that building was to me. So that was one of the most powerful architectural experience that wasn‟t about the external form of the building, but interior human experience and interior building experience – yeah. So that was probably be my most sort of powerful experience. Its interesting to know that it wasn‟t about the shape or form of the building at all that caused that experience at all because the space and form of the building is quiet dark inside so you are not really aware of it – you are only aware of an idea in a funny kind of a way and there are focal points – obviously beautiful light coming through window – those candles I mean, even the smell of the space and the softness that there‟s not too much of noise and coming into that space like that inside from noisy bright space outside and the shear contrast between them - the in and the out and again you sense the volume rather than you see it and you sense it in other ways – orally – other senses – kind of predict what the volume might be or the shape of the space might be but its not evident necessarily visually. So its not about the sort of shape you know – shaping it out and to me it was just kind of an essence of this amazing emotion you know and that‟s what kind of I think is something architecture should strive for.

Its understanding of the essence of experience rather than the obsession with what actually shapes things or even obsession with materials and detailing. So we had been experimenting over the


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years – how you almost disappear buildings or dismantle form in a way so building isn‟t what‟s evident – its kind of experience while moving through the thing and we have been designing few buildings where we have been experimenting with the idea of not being in or creating strong experience but it being a kind of form or space where you can‟t draw – if you‟d try to draw later on – its more like a memory of space rather than an object – I guess. So its whole thing about space and object dialogue I suppose – we are very much more kind of I suppose spatial choreography school I suppose, rather than the form of the building as an object in space. So its kind of a concept of architecture as interiority and experience and certainly that‟s something we have been experimenting a lot with our buildings – like buildings are gardens for example where buildings are almost incidental to the landscape that makes one observant to the landscape and building is more about becoming a vehicle to experience the landscape for kind of a distillation of particular experience within the landscape rather than building being about the building itself and you know obviously a lot of south eastern Asian architecture offers that kind of experience. The architecture just shaping the edge of a landscape or absorbing the landscape or being quiet reasonably ephemeral and just kind of or lets say a minimal kind of enclosure that then relates to a landscape which is being one half of the landscape or something like that and those little the things we have been experimenting with in our buildings. Yeah!!! (laughter)

With Ronchamp the coloured glass was powerful just like interpretation of stained glass window in other Cathedral spaces and particularly those dark spaces and that glass become kind of filter for the light outside. Depending on what time of the day you are in there, you might see some light shafts coming inside. All sorts of things that Ron Champ has experimentation with the sense of depth of the walls, its so much not about the plan is so much about how it embraces you and create whole theories of different experiences and introduces you to the main experience and also obviously has its own terrain and that‟s another important thing that really important architecture kind of generate I think is the actual topography and terrain and the building being the site and the site being the building and so in a way Ron Champ has a lot of all those sorts of things – naturally grow from site, and the energy lines of the site and so it feels like completely natural extension of the conditions of the terrain and that‟s what that building so like to me you know like a pure kind of interpretation of the actual conditions that it was in. So in a way its another role of architecture in a way – its intensifying the natural experience you know and distilling a particular experience in landscape lets say or an urban experience of something and actually distilling it and you know making the experience in much more intensified way than the natural, original natural experience might have been. I think most powerful things grow authentically out of that place. Obviously the things we make and things we engage with more strongly than other things that have that authenticity and not sort of something that is super imposed on to their context. And that‟s what is so beautiful about these spaces – the Japanese houses and buildings is that kind of very, very – kind of what I was saying before I suppose – kind of authentic distillation of the actual – of the actual place, of the space, of the culture, all of those things are so beautifully and simply kind of interpreted and intensified in the building itself. And that‟s something we are trying to you know - Australians has imposed European culture on particular landscape that is so not European, you know – but we are still striving to find what it is – that is the essence of this place – and that‟s how we see, that what we see - our endeavour has been into – you know like - developing a deep understanding of what this particular place is and I think architects are starting to have that sense and sensibility about this particular place and it has to come from a respect and an understanding of the terrain, of the landscape, of the vegetation, clarity of climate, of the quality of light, you know that way we live in this particular place. And those sorts of buildings for me are the most powerful ones – that really do kind of interpret the place and by place you know – its everything – the landscape, the culture, climate, all of that, history, all of those thing. You know how buildings actually understand that and even a very simple, little building can come up with understanding like that and can almost sort of embody it you know – explain it, distil it.

With photographs of Ron Champ, I don‟t have them because it was ages back during the time when digital photography was not there. But I think photographs have to do a lot with lighting in a way because its impossible to capture – that viseral thing – that essence of building I was talking to you about before in a photographic image. Certain great photographers can might achieve that you know. But its not kind of, its not about looking at particular part of it or anything like that so much about that whole sequential experience of the space – that a photograph cannot capture in a moment you know. Photographs frame something. A film could do it better probably. A movie – a film with movement you know. Or even music, you know. Some other kind of thing other than a


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still photograph can capture that. And certainly I don‟t think you could capture the power of the interior – the power of the Notre Dame either. The thing photographs represent an object rather than an emotion I would say. Its very interesting subject, definitely. That‟s fun, thank you very much.

We were down at RAIA conference in Sydney recently and it was this great architect Billi Tsien from New York have you seen their work – its so much what you are talking about but she said something like what they were trying to do in their buildings that they were making – and she was making a speech on „less speed‟ and she said „buildings should capture and slow you down‟ and when I think about architecture, certainly her buildings were like that – just this sort of opportunity to slow – to be slower from the rest of the world and I think architecture can do that – it has this amazing capacity for it to be able to do that. And number of her buildings demonstrate that beautifully, and I think another architect that was speaking – whats her name – Jill Garner from a practice in Melbourne – she said something like – what they were about was „less noise‟ you know and that was she was striving for in her work. It might be worth looking some of her stuff as well. Forgot the name of her partner – Garner Davies or something she is called. Anyways I just thought about those two women talking about their things – and in that way - one was saying –„Less Speed‟ you know – we aim to „capture you and just slow you down‟ – and that‟s really beautiful kind of description of contemplative space and really beautiful building – I don‟t know if you are familiar with it. And I am pretty sure, its finished recently. The photographs were of this Folk Art Museum in New York – you know it has that theme of it – we just saw images of it – and it is a museum for folk art and its is next to the Museum of Contemporary Art in New York. You can imagine it to be almost like temple of sort of quietness – quietude in the middle of very, very busy city and it certainly looked like that. You know all of that – how you would move through the spaces and to be able to stop and contemplate the art but also „to be in‟ to actually experience the building as „art‟. You know just seemed really, really beautiful. And another thing that they were sort of concerned about was „how you experience materiality‟. You know like the actually joy of the nature of the materials – particularly appropriate for Folk Art Museum you know there actually enjoying the stuff. And she talked about the craft as well - being able to be an important part of architecture - that‟s another thing about „being slow‟. You know buildings sort of showing the works of hands and being crafted and being made by craftsmen and in a way slowing everything down. So the experience of the space is slow but also even the process of building them is slow. And even the building process becomes more – the making of it, becomes more contemplative process too. So it‟s the kind of experience of the space is the actual joy of making of things which becomes part of contemplation. I think about architecture and lots of her buildings were like that – opportunity to slow up and I think architecture has capacity to do that.

Participant D7

This participant preferred not yet to let our talk be recorded. I wrote the points during our conversation as we talked and she helped me to note down few points categorically as follows. I


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am drawing a snapshot of my talk with her below. She provided me with a photocopy page from the book called „The architecture of Luis Barragan‟ by Emilio Ambasz. She said the contemporary houses coming up these days have these qualities of contemplation – she said this the new trend these days -to have spaces that give contemplative feeling in residential spaces. An Australian architect she referred to is Sean Godsell from Melbourne for creating internal spaces in houses that give experience of contemplation.

The other example she gave is from aboriginals of Australia and land of Australia, landscape, all external, related to land as their sacred spaces. Another thing she exaggerated was symbolism and that according to her symbolism is essential part of sacred space and absence of symbolism gives contemplative space. Without symbolism, sacred space is very difficult to define. The same can be checked in different cultures. Symbolism is a key that makes contemplative space – a sacred space – she ponders and suggests!!! She suggested one of the way to study it which is as follows:

Understand characteristics of contemplative space through interviewing people. There is certain sense of spirituality with this. Define „spirituality‟.

She herself pulled out oxford dictionary to understand exact meaning of spirituality which said „related to religion‟ or „spiritual‟ and meaning of spiritual said of spirit as oppose to matter. Analyse what makes contemplative space turn into sacred space – a reflective space. Use environment behaviour studies – design shapes people‟s behaviour – use aspect of this to define contemplation – reflective space. Mexican architect, Luis Barragan‟s work, Chinese temples on top of mountains, Zen gardens, Japanese pleasure gardens inspire her. Such spaces tend to focus you within yourself say said.

Take away any stimulation like pictures, artworks, patterns, unnecessary light, lighting fixtures, all distractions and make the room empty and simple as much possible…and imagine what one would do in that space – one looks within oneself then. Also the whole quality of journey of arrival to this contemplative space is very important. It is about exclusion from the space than inclusion in space and make it plain white box with indirect calm light. It is about setting a view point of control and order. Lastly have a view of the distance to reflect on and that makes a way for a contemplative space. She explained me „ORDER – INTEREST‟ phenomena for contemplation. The more we increase INTEREST, less contemplative it becomes. More we exclude and control we move towards ORDER – which sets contemplation.

It is simple purified space to her that brings her contemplative experience. She felt that experience while walking along the sides of Australian Catholic University which is located on a top of the hill. Views from there and walking in the colonnade of the building (designed by them) gives her that contemplative experience. All distractions being eliminated brings focus on one-self.

The same is shown the picture she used to talk about the experience from Luis Barragan‟s private house. Its just you, floor, wall and sky. This might be more so than looking at distant landscape because distant landscape is engaging. Sometimes even a ship distracts one from looking inwards.

If the picture had patterns like a fort wall or busy tile pattern – the space would have lost that feeling. It is only about a floor, wall, sky and you – no neighbours, she said. It is about controlling sense of order. Any interests and stimulations are reduced so we cannot play rock music in there otherwise it would destroy its ambience.

Australian Catholic University near Brisbane airport designed by them has place representing aboriginal‟s – sacred space philosophy through land, water, stones and landscape.

She concluded the talk saying that one her visit to some place at a beach in USA, she came across a man who was making up these most simple stone sculptures by putting rocks on top of one-another. They were not stuck or anything and the act looked amazing to her. So she asked him, how do you make them to stand and he replied to her that „there is one thing called balance for everything and he was establishing that point for those sculptures. It was great.


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Participant D8

Preamble…words and meanings

I find the word “contemplation” to be rather loose. It is used in many different ways with many different layers of meaning. It is good to reflect on the meanings of words and the subtle differences between similar words…trying to understand what those words mean…looking at the difference between words. I am a lover of truth. Though you often hear people argue that truth is personal, this is not so. It‟s a convenience to say that truth is personal. Such a declaration is a means for the mind to avoid difficult discussion. Truth is what is left when all else is put aside…all the untruths…all the layers of detritus…the centuries of collected dust…the dust of personality and culture.

Truth is often not an easily discerned black-and-white matter. Nor can truth be a case of white is true and black is false because I say so. Truth is not particular to culture. A thing observed by two different people remains the same object no matter who the observers are or where the observers come from. It is the opinions and prejudices that are embedded within the mind which filter the view and colour the object. The object under the magnifying glass is still the same object…no matter by what name or description. To find truth you must remove all the screens and filters, strip away the personal hopes and desires, strip away the personal ambitions, strip away the cultural background, strip away the social conditioning and so on. Truth is not a very comfortable position.

Does that make sense?

In other words you must question everything…you must put aside everything in order to look at the world with fresh eyes…you must put aside all that is unnecessary in order to discover truth.

Show and tell

I have some things to show you…some pictures… and I hope I don‟t waste your time.

I should start by saying that I find all sorts of places agreeable for contemplation…or meditation…whichever way you want to name it. However, when the mind is in distress or when it


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wants to go into things but is easily distracted, then I think there are certain qualities that a place should have in order to be a suitable place / space for contemplative purposes.

What strikes me about these pictures is the sense of a complete passivity…serenity. These pictures are not about the building or the space…they are not about declaring that I am an architect…they are not about a design statement. They are only about the sense of serenity.

A tea-house in china

You see it in the picture of the tea-house in China. An all green building…anonymously decorated…fading into the background…reticent…floating silently above the calm waters of the lake. The tea drinkers looking outward… across the giant waterlilies…to who knows where.

The ghost ranch

You see it in the view through the entry gate of Georgia O‟Keeffe‟s Ghost Ranch…the view of the distant mountains in the New Mexican desert. You don‟t know who she is? She was an American artist…died in the nineteen eighties…lived a contemplative existence. Perhaps that is why she loved the Ghost Ranch…its isolation. Perhaps that is why she chose to live in New Mexico in her old adobe house not far from Taos. She lived there for some decades from around the forties. Once again there is a complete serenity in the view…the view is serene...that‟s what I am seeing...in a sense there is really nothing there…within that view man is not there saying “look at me”.

Perhaps the view is attractive because it is exotic…but there is also a great austerity in the landscape…there is nothing there created by the human hand…nothing there that the individual or group wants you to look at…nothing but this beautiful scenery.

In most scenes of human activity people are forever trying to make a statement. That is what the world of architecture is all about. That is what you are taught in architecture school. The man-made world is tremendously ego-centric.

What do I mean? I use the word ego-centric not only in the sense of individual expression but also in the sense of collective human expression. Ego is normally used in the sense of the self…in the sense of the individual. The individual is the opposite of the universal. But ego-centricity doesn‟t only belong to the individual…it may also belong to the group and to the nation. The group and the nation are expanded versions of the individual. The human world is an expanded version of the nation.

All that statement making is a distraction if you are seeking to end the conflicts that result from psychological division…if you are seeking to find peace and sanity and unity within your daily life.

Find these things while you are still young. Don‟t wait till you are old.

To live a life of truth…a life of peace and sanity and unity…is like owning the crown jewels.

A room for contemplation…anywhere will do…anywhere without distractions

A room like one we are sitting in…it is not a very good place for contemplation. It has no outward focus. It can only draw you in.

I have often thought that a room for contemplation would be stripped bare of overt human expression…whether it‟s done by yourself…or by an architect…or by some designer…and you would focus the room outwards toward a garden or natural scene which also would be devoid of distractions. Yes. I think that would probably make a good place for contemplation.

That‟s why a lot of Zen monasteries have rock gardens which are intentionally constructed to represent miniature reflections of the cosmos. The intention behind those gardens is to provide an appropriate place as well as seed for your contemplations on self and universe. But…the intention behind Zen gardens…I question it…there‟s something about many Zen gardens that seem to me to


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be very contrived…contrived to the point of being a distraction. Whether the garden represents the universe or not is something else…it might not necessarily be a negative thing. You must remember that you don‟t have to go to strange places or exotic gardens in order to meditate…anywhere without distractions will do.

Also…don‟t get caught in the idea that you can only find truth in the east…truth is neither of the east nor of the west…it cannot be owned.

Artistic expression in design

In terms of artistic expression…are you aware that in Islamic tradition…you see it in the forms of lavishly decorated temple…man-centred expression was negated in favour of the expression of nature, of calligraphy and of mathematics. These things were understood as not being related to self. They are the expression of the universal. Obviously within Islam, they have no problem with decoration itself…they only have a problem with self / human expression as opposed to the artistic expression of the universal.

It is interesting to compare this with the position of the Modernist architectural movement in the west where it was declared that “ornament was a crime”. This slogan, attributed to Adolph Loos, is thought by some to be an inappropriate interpretation of words uttered by Loos. However, would-be Modernists still hang on to such catch-crys.

A piazza in Mdina

Here‟s another picture…these are only pictures from books… but, for me, they express the essence of something. In this picture, looking outward toward the distant horizon across the massive city walls from a piazza in the ancient capital of Mdina in Malta there is sheer quietness…even in the midst of the man-made town with its old classical architecture. There are these three people…probably at dusk…enjoying the last light at the end of the working day when the world slows down for a brief period…they are simply taking time to look at what nature has provided…as opposed to engaging in a continuous round of frenetic activity. Human beings are like ants endlessly going from here to there…afraid to stop or even slow down in case the world should come to an end. The old architecture is very quiet. The materials of the buildings and the city walls are old stone weathered and marked by the passage of time. Everything is quiet…very quiet. The three people are also quiet…looking at what god / the universe has provided.

A bridge in Thailand

This picture is interesting too. A bridge in Thailand…hundreds of years old...several kilometres long. Though it is a man-made structure, it is expressed with great reserve…natural reserve. Again…very quiet.

Each of these pictures, to me, represents a place for contemplation. Think of this when you can are designing a space or a room or a courtyard or a garden for contemplation / meditation.

A house in New Mexico

This one is a garden in New Mexico built by a man called Bill Katz. It strikes me as a courtyard which is the product of the minimalist movement that springs from the world of art and philosophy. It seems contrived…extremely contrived. It really calls one‟s attention to look at how clever I am. So…that‟s not a space for contemplation. Minimalism is an intellectual distraction…something made up by a complex mind to make things appear very simple. The human mind has the capacity to make life quite contorted.

In the aesthetic expression the sense of self has not been negated though it seems quite low. So somehow…this is not what we are looking for. It is not the right scene. If I am looking at this from the window of my meditation room…with the whole scene calling attention to the cleverness of the designer as opposed to “the nature of that which is universal”…which is a different thing to “the nature of the universe”…then this is not a good space for contemplation. So you must try to


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remove any sense of human expression in favour of the expression of the universal...even though it will be designed and built by human beings.

And how are you going to do that through your own hand, which is governed by an upbringing where you have been told that the most important thing is to express yourself.

This is an important question…if I am a designer and I have to design something, how do I make conscious aesthetic choices without any sense of personal expression other than that which is utterly devoid of self.

The stone mason‟s yard

Now…this picture here…this is the place of Isamu Noguchi. He was a sculptor of international renown. Died some years ago. This was his house in Mure…an island off the west coast of Japan. He would spend six months here and six months in the United States. And so this is the stone-mason‟s yard…where he kept stones for his sculptures as well as his unfinished works.

There are a few things here that interest me. One is the traditional building…an old grain-store which he had brought to the site and used both as a house and as a setting for his sculpture…this seems to be at odds with his otherwise aggressive pursuit of modernity…but I suspect he had a deeply contemplative nature and used his Japanese base to pursue this side of his life.

A second matter…the immaculately kept yard. No show here. No posturing.

Then there is this carefully composed garden that Noguchi has created…a garden in the traditional spirit…I suppose…of Zen monastery gardens. Absolute restraint. The grasses and bamboos…and the stone wall in the background…seem to be carefully posed to avoid any stamp of self-expression. But here, in the foreground, he couldn‟t resist inserting one of his sculptures…his expression of self…he had to put something in. If only he could have left out his own sculpture he might have found that which he sought.

One aspect of Noguchi‟s work that fascinates me is that whereas his sculptures seem very self conscious…the work of an artist keenly aware of making a bold and highly modernist statement…whereas in the stone mason‟s yard his normal concerns seem left far behind…he has forgotten to make a personal statement. Even though his sculptures are sitting there, there‟s something you can see…while he has placed everything carefully in order to be able to study his stones and contemplate his on-going work, he seems to have forgotten to make a personal statement.

A resort in Bali

The reason I am showing you this picture is to point out the difference between a natural quietness created by the hand of man and a calculated quietness designed by the hand of man to knock you out for the designer‟s benefit.

The swimming pool and the surrounding deck look as though they have been designed to capture your attention with wow factor…to shock you intellectually…to stop you in your tracks. The designer wants to capture your attention…to momentarily knock you out. It‟s all rather austere. But there is no humility.

What is austerity? Well…we regard the desert as austere…in the desert austerity is physical. But in the case of the mind…austerity means …when extraneous things are stripped away. Sometimes the word austere is given to describe people who are very straight, people not given to frivolity. Within many religious traditions…you see it amongst the Indian saddhus…there is the business of practicing austerities…which is quite a different thing…this austerity is self inflicted punishment. Perhaps they are trying to rid themselves of the guilt they feel for the excesses of their life…real or imagined. Bhudda told his followers that the path of austerity would not lead to nirvana…the land of psychological freedom.


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Real austerity…an austerity that comes about naturally and easily…is when the mind rejects all that is unnecessary in order to live a sane and intelligent existence…a life devoted to being nothing special…a life of nothingness. This is absolutely unrelated to being dull or stupid. What remains is austere. It is joyful. It is not the austerity of miserable hard-hearted priests.

People are easily knocked out by the exotic and the spectacular. They go to the Grand Canyon to get knocked out. They go to Disneyland to get knocked out. They go to remote monasteries to get knocked out. It‟s a long way to go to get knocked out. If you only want to get knocked out you can do that at home. Take pills. Take to drink. They make your mind dull. If you take enough, thought stops…but for the wrong reasons. The problem is that the effect of the knock-out, whether at home or abroad, soon wears off. The endless stream of thought soon returns.

I have also brought you this. Some poetry I‟ve written over a period of years. There‟s no traditional poetic structure. The form is free. Though there are some prose elements, I think of it as poetry. It is directly related to what we‟ve been discussing.

Golconde and the cabinetmaker

There‟s a book I remember about an American cabinet maker…Japanese American cabinet maker… George Nakashima…he was an architect…died some time ago…his architect daughter Mira now runs the furniture business. As a young architect he worked in Tokyo in the office of Antonin Raymond who received a commission to design a low-rise residential building in Sri Aurobindo‟s ashram in Pondicherry in India…the name of the building is Golconde…you can get pictures of it on the internet. Nakashima was sent to Pondicherry to supervise construction. He became a disciple of Sri Aurobindo.

I can‟t remember when Golconde was built…before or during the second world war…but it was quite a piece of architecture for the time. Aurobindo‟s disciples carried out all the work. Though they were unskilled they made a beautiful job…if you like I will email you the pictures I got off the internet.

In the beginning of the book about George Nakashima‟s work there is a little story…I think it is set in India…about the soul of a wood worker and his relation to the universe…

the wood craftsman, upon receiving a commission from his wealthy patron spends much time in the forest, studying the trees, studying the wood, dreaming of worldly success, searching for ideas as to what he will create, thinking of the wealth his work might bring, searching for what the wood is trying to tell him. Only after he has forgotten himself and his worldly desires does he truly become a great sculptor.

A reflection

Only when the self is transformed can one move from the personal to the universal…from egoistic to non-egoistic artistic expression…from an expression that is personal to an expression that is both individual and universal at the same time. The word “individual” means to be undivided…to be whole / one / singular / one verse / uni verse. To be “undivided” means to be without conflict / at peace with oneself and the world.

What is contemplation? What is meditation? Why does the mind want to plumb the depths of existence? What is the source of all this? Contemplation / meditation takes place when the world (one‟s own life) seems so completely ridiculous that you feel certain there must be more to life than this…something beyond the daily pettiness…something beyond the idea of the self and its limits…something unlimited…something unbound…free. Meditation takes place when the mind asks whether there is any entirely different way of life? I understand that the word meditation comes form the Greek ”to measure”. It means to penetrate the mind to great depths…to wipe away the dross of existence until there is nothingness. Nothingness is real substance. Nothingness is rock solid.

To take matters to such depths requires a lot of physical time…time without distractions. To that end it‟s good to have a place to go to.


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Back to designing

So…how would you design a place where you would go to contemplate the entirety of the world…it doesn‟t absolutely need to be a special place…but on the other hand…there are times when you need to have periods of extended quietness…a place to remove yourself from your daily surroundings…a place to retreat from all the talk, from all the distractions…a place where you can find that which is eternal…an unending joy which is without cause or effect.

I tell you these things because they are a reality of one‟s life. The life that surrounds you when the traditional mind has dropped away is quite extraordinary. It is always there in one form or another…either as the object of one‟s awareness or as an undercurrent obscured by the daily activity. But it is always there waiting. A faithful friend. You watch it in the middle of the busy shopping centre or sitting down to do up your shoes or standing at the traffic lights waiting to cross the road…all extraneous tensions drain away from the face and shoulders…what remains is a complete sense of repose / serenity / austerity…all one and the same thing. I guess it is due to a great deal of heart ache and tears, agreta deal of psychological conflict and introspection that took place a long time ago…when I was in my late twenties and early thirties. Everything was dealt with. You were cleaned out. Now there is nothing significant left to resolve…everything inwardly is done. The big questions and the small. They have all been attended to. The cupboard is bare. But you still have to deal with day-to-day issues…that never goes away.

I recall the day I resigned from the world. After that day I realised I had to start afresh. I realised that I didn‟t want to kill anything, not even flies or cockroaches. So I gave up eating meat and fish and anything that moves. I had to learn a completely new way of life. I couldn‟t take advice from anybody. I felt that the advice of others couldn‟t be trusted…it came from the same mind that nurtured my first life. How could I take moral advice from people who were happy to kill animals? I‟m not judging those people…only commenting on their moral persuasions. So I felt that I had to completely re-educate myself. I had to find out for myself how to respond to the endless moral situations that life puts in front of you…from the profound to the trivial. All moral questions had to be completely reassessed…without reference to any authority but your own intelligence. It took a long time.

Was there a role model? No. None. I was listening the other day to an interview with Yusef Islam talking about his return to singing after an absence of 25 years. He explained that when his life first changed and he put an end to Cat Stevens that he found he was given a great deal of contradictory advice. His response to this was to take what he saw as the most conservative position. So…no singing. Now he understands life more clearly and see‟s that he can sing and keep the faith at the same time.

More silence. How do we continue from here?

It is important in life to have “time to do nothing”…time in which to resolve the complex problems of daily life…time to resolve the dilemmas and conflicts in your own mind. It takes a lot of time. And you may need a place to go. A retreat. A place for quiet contemplation. A place for meditation.

Once the mind is cleaned out… everything is okay. Very peaceful. From that foundation you act. That‟s were all this comes from.

A long quietness ensues.

Rinkle...once you go…

You can still come back and see me if you need to know anything.

You know that don‟t you?

We talk again.

A second look at Malta


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Back to Malta. What were we looking at in this picture? The natural stone? Yes and no. I was really using this picture to illustrate something…within that picture there is no…there is no sense of self expression…it is all quite natural…within the whole picture there is nothing attention grabbing, there is the lowest level of human expression. From here you can contemplate the universal. You really don‟t need to go to the Grand Canyon to contemplate either self or universe. I think it is more accurate to talk about “contemplating the universal” than “contemplating the universe”.

In a place for contemplation, the mind needs a place where external stimuli is minimal… you wouldn‟t want flashing billboards outside the window or a rock band practising near by. The designer‟s job is to provide a calming environment…one that focuses outwards…one without distractions…one with least focus on the capacity of the designer.

Searching for answers… searching for truth

So somehow…as an artist, if you are to design a place for contemplation, you have to create a work which is very consciously lacking in self expression yet very consciously of the highest aesthetic order. How do you go about this? How do you proceed? How do you remove yourself from the world of egoistic expression and still practice architecture? But please don‟t turn this into an approach for every architectural problem. If your job is to design Luna Park, let go.

This was a major question in my life for many years…some questions in life must remain suspended for an eternity. You must be prepared to remain suspended within a great mystery…and not try to escape.

A lot of architects, in their quest to find a right direction…in their search for the expression of the universal…merely attach themselves to an endless round of escapes… a lot of them turn to working in conservation or dealing with existing buildings…they also turn to traditionalism…to regionalism…to neoclassicism…all to avoid self expression. They also turn to the use of natural materials and to the use of mathematical systems…like the golden ratio and the Fibonacci series of numbers…as generators of form and order. In the decorative arts they turn to the use of non-human forms such as calligraphy and geometric shapes.

These things are not necessarily wrong or inappropriate and may even be a good thing in particular circumstances. But if you want to seek enlightenment then they are escapes from self-understanding. They are escapes from figuring out how to live and work within the structure of modern society without getting caught up in all the distractions that twist the mind. They can become traps that you live in till the day you die. They can be large red herrings across the path of truth.

When we chase red herrings we never get to understand the matter of individual expression (as opposed to personal expression…I think you can make a distinction here between the personal and the individual) …an expression which is perfectly natural and uncontrived. That expression will always show the effortless hand of the maker.

As we talk, I am reminded of the story of the Zen master who, upon seeing his disciple sitting in zazen with no fire in his eyes, tells him that “if you sit that way you might as well spend a thousand years trying to turn a lump of granite into the finest mirror. In the end you will be defeated by death”. The true aim of zazen is to achieve enlightenment while you are still alive…preferably while you are young.

When we go to architecture school we are taught that an architect has to stand up and make a personal statement…he is expected to be different…but not in an obvious way…not in a common way…that is frowned upon. These things are not put to you straight forwardly. They are obscured within a complex web of collective thought that takes years to digest. Perhaps this is because the ideas run counter to religious teaching where you are admonished to be humble, to be the last in the line, not to be vain etc. The received word is couched in all manner of intellectual fancy dress. It is supported by the praise of teachers for the better students and their schemes. This is heavily supported in turn by the annual architectural award programmes run by professional institutions


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and the magazine industry around the world. If you question these matters very seriously it will, in all likelihood, bring about a great inward crisis.

To understand all this there needs to be a deep sense of un-attachment. Un-attachment is neither attachment nor detachment. Detachment is the reaction to attachment. It produces a personality that becomes cold and hard and has no feeling for others and what they do with their life. I think that one of the principle tenants of Zen is…don‟t cling to anything. When you cease to cling you are free…even of your own short-comings…free to see them as they are…free to act in any direction without guilt or regret.

Back to design

If you are trying to design some sort of contemplative space, your job as an architect is to create things. But you are normally expected to make a design statement. So…if you have to design a retreat…some sort of place for contemplative activity…like a monastery, a place of calmness…what will you do? The job requirement is contrary to your upbringing.

If calmness and serenity is what you are trying to achieve, how do you set about it…what do you do? Do you study the work of Luis Barragan…he wanted his architecture to have these attributes…whether it was a chapel or a house or a garden. If you want “Zen in the Art of Architecture” do you go and study Christopher Alexander‟s “The Timeless way of Building”. It seems to me that Alexander could not come to grips with the modern age. I think it is essential to find a sane and intelligent way of life within the structure of modern society and the daily round of problems that come with it. To escape from that, other than for temporary respite, means that you have not resolved the conflicts…because the problems of living only stem from the immediacy of relationship.

You may or may not get an opportunity to select the site. You may get to say whether the site is suitable or not. You may get some say in what should be there and what shouldn‟t be there. It is easy to reference the traditional retreat which was generally well removed from the hustle and bustle of daily life…the remote monasteries and rural retreats owned by many church organisations. But what about the more modern highly urban situations…like many of the modern zen centres in the United States…situated in the middle of the noise and distractions and having to conduct themselves as a modern business…how would you deal with this type of retreat? A retreat where people will come after work and then go home to their noisy family surrounded by a hundred televisions broadcasting the latest soap operas and reality shows…what spaces will it need to have? Aside from the spaces for meditation it is going to need all the usual functional spaces…the offices, places for computers and phones, a laundry, a kitchen…you have to deal with that in the usual way you go about architecture. You will also have to make choices about the dimensions, about the scale and proportions, about materials and about the budget. I think that it‟s not the content of the problem that is the problem. The problem is in the person…in the approach…the way of doing.

Have I been helpful? Probably not. I don‟t have a neat set of instructions or a cook‟s recipe.

Where to from here?

Participant D9

For my experience of contemplation, I have got these four series of photos of the same place – and the place is my house – a studio unit that I am renting up at The Gardens overlooking botanical gardens. I love this place for its location.

There is a banyan tree across the road (Alice St) right in front of my balcony and to my surprise I discovered that it if from INDIA and was planted in 1850s. The way it has gown and spread itself – pauses every tourist who passes by it to watch it and may be take its photo. From the very first


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day I started to live in this house, I felt a very special connection to this tree. I moved in to live by myself here and the banyan tree felt sort of my guardian from Universe – some strong unshakable energy or entity that will bring my wishes come true and bring all the prosperity to my life.

The pictures are of the place where I sit everyday to do my ritual prayer to God. The blue mat defines the area where I place the symbolic God I believe in, a sacred book from which I read mantras and Hindu rosary made out of Tulsi (Hindu sacred plant) stem beads for chanting. The mat is only used for praying to God and for not any other purpose.

This ritual is assigned to me by my grandfather in India as part of our religious practice. He told me that I can sit anywhere with that mat, any time of the day for 11 minutes (that the time it takes to be practised) and practice it everyday. I have been into it for 2 years now.

When I sit there on it, what I see in front of me is the second photograph and then the third photograph above it and the fourth photograph above it. So, its sort of series of photos, from down to top - showing my view when I am seated there, to do my daily ritual of prayers. So to me - its me and nature or universe with this connection of Banyan tree. The connection is something so strong and abundant to me that I know it brings me all the positive energies. Sometimes I talk to this banyan tree from my house and tell my wishes and I look at it with assurance that I know that it will bring them to fulfil. It is such a great feeling of happiness.

The sound of the vehicles passing on the road do not disturb us – while I am communicating with universe and God. It brings me so much peace and faith that I am tracking the path led by God/nature for me and that I do my best in this and may universe/God bring me great energy and power.

My experience while praying or doing this daily ritual goes like this – I sit there and make an eye contact with the tree to bridge the connection. Then I close my eyes and recite prayers and chant mantras using Hindu rosary. This process brings me peace and brings my heart to rest – or sort of clears myself from lot of chattering happening in the brain. After that I look at the view shown in second photo which is my balcony – its clear exposed brick parapet and then the third photo which is looking at the greenery from the glass sliding door that is open and finally and lastly the view seen in fourth photo – all greenery and sunlight filtering from the textures of different leaves and touching the balcony floor. The light coming in the room I am sitting is natural light from this opening only and I cannot stand artificial light on while I am in this ritual. So usually if it‟s on, I will off it before I sit to do this prayer ritual. I feel that wind or air coming in through this opening and touching me through those leaves from the sky. I feel all these through my senses. Sometimes


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I see birds sitting and chirping on the branches or some insects or flies hushing inside. I always open the sliding door when I sit for this ritual which is otherwise kept closed due to insects coming in the house.

Sometimes as the part of my ritual, I also clean the balcony before prayers if it is filled up with lots of fallen dry leaves. It gives the feeling of cleaning my own heart while doing that physical activity.

I am surrendering myself to universe to try and come in utmost harmony with it – to do what I am made for to accomplish on this earth – that is the feeling I have in my heart when I am viewing the Banyan tree, feeling the calm air touching my skin, feel my breathing, see the leaves moving slowly and peacefully due to the wind, and sunlight filtering in different density through the branches and leaves to reach to me, lot of different visual textures formed by the leaves. It is my way of making that connection from my-self to the God – from the place I sit on floor to the sky – from my soul to the universe. It is a very strong bond that gives me energy to live each day happily and peacefully. The photos represent the same.

This is my everyday contemplation. The physical setting definitely compliments my philosophy of connection with God. The vastness and openness with different things happening in the garden, though the balcony, gives me a sense of value and meaning in living here, in doing what I am doing at the moment and in seeing dreams for the future.

A phenomenological study of contemplative experiences: Implications for Interior Design – References

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