Corporeality: a haptic space

The hegemony of vision and the suppression of other sensory realms has led to an architecture distanced from the human body. Undoubtedly, vision has the ability to receive the greatest amount of information from our surroundings; hence, it has been considered as primary to our perception. However, its interconnection with other bodily sensations is essential to perceive the totality of space; this connection also compensates for the limitations of sight. The purpose of this critique is not to demonize visuality; it is to consider the rhizomatic and interconnected nature of haptic perception of space. Approaching corporeality results in haptic spaces that enhance or suppress our bodily experience of spatial qualities while sharpening our visual experience. A haptic space will introduce more possibilities for bodily actions by focusing on spatiality, unifying the architecture of the foreground with the background. The concept of spatiality merges space and movement of the body, and therefore it can support or suppress the actions. These actions are subjectively performed based on perceived spatial opportunities through haptic perception. The thesis is intended to explore possibilities embedded within haptic space to create a richer architectural experience. It will explore the spatial interconnections between haptic perception, somatosensory system, vision and consequently bodily movements.