This is just an idea for the context of the design proposal. After reading "exploration #6: the uncanny in Mark Z. Danielewski's 'house of leaves'" by Nele Bemong I notice a similarity between being blind and the "Unheimlich" (at least in my eyes, I don't know if someone who is blind agrees with me?). The text reminded me of the changing character of the house in the book. It started out as a haunted house, intruding in the lives of the Navidson's (the main characters in the book). But coming to the end of the book the house changed, it became not the enemy but almost something godlike. This changing was linked with the mental state of the navidson's and after being almost destroyed by the 'unheimlich' they understand it, accepted it and accepted their own mental state and therefor changing the house to the 'heimlich' again. This accepting and therefor changing the 'unheimlich' into the 'heimlich' sounds to me as a metaphor for being blind, and accepting that. I can understand that being blind turns even the simplest house into a maze giving it a 'unheimlich' feeling. After understanding and accepting that your blind this maze can become a simple house again, forming a 'heimlich' feeling. Ok, this only applies for people who turn blind later on in there lives, because they're not accustomed with there other senses yet, but it can be a concept for the institute.
You can read this essay about "house of leaves" here. And also start reading the book if you didn't do this already!!!
Of course I read the book, I even gave it to you, but I wonder if this is the wright approach towards the house on Ash three lane. Personally I prefer the idea of the house that evolves around the expectations of the persons. Do you remember the big staircase in the basement, when they expected it to be very deep, it took them days to get to the bottom, while in a rescue attempt it only took a few minutes. Shouldn't a blind institution work in a sort of similar way, evolving around the experiences and 'limitations' of its inhabitants? [making it a heimlich place...mmm] this could go into the same direction...
BeantwoordenVerwijderen-MLP-
And I thank you for the book of course. But what I mean with the changing character of the house is not that the house changed, no like i said "the changing is linked to the mental state of Navidson's". So it are the characters in the house that changed and the house only reflects this change. This means that the heimlich and the unheimlich feeling is not because of the house, but are coming from within the characters. And yes my idea was to let the institute work on a similar way "evolving around the experiences and limitations of its inhabitants" like you put it so nicely.
BeantwoordenVerwijderen