Zoom Space: The Limits of Representation (2017)
article⁄Zoom Space: The Limits of Representation (2017)
abstract⁄What happens when we reduce architecture to the logic of representation This question is set in perspective by the recent reemergence of certain discourses in architecture that see the world in terms of style, and that privilege the appearance and form of a design over its performance and the processes that generate it. This in turn is being fed by certain digital platforms that encourage the user to see the world solely in visual terms. The issue comes to a head with the practice of zooming in and out on the computer screen, a practice that helps architects to operate seemingly effortlessly at a range of different scales, from jewelry through to the city, but is not without its problems. This paper looks first at the challenges of operating at different scales by drawing on insights from the world of biology, and considers the performancebased issues being overlooked in this process of zooming in and out. It then goes on to theorize the problem by drawing upon the distinction between extensive and intensive properties as promoted by Manuel DeLanda following the work of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, and considers the relevance of this distinction for architectural design. The paper concludes that we can never escape representation, but by focusing solely on it at the expense of performanceand vice versawe are overlooking an important factor that defines architecture.
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| Year |
2017 |
| Authors |
Leach, Neil. |
| Issue |
ACADIA 2017: DISCIPLINES & DISRUPTION |
| Pages |
350-359 |
| Library link |
N/A |
| Entry filename |
zoom-space-limits-representation |
