Monday, January 21, 2008




Dear all,

My name is Margit Brünner and I just have commenced my PhD -‘Becoming joy’: site, space and atmosphere. [A creative visual investigation into the transformative character and potential of the relationship between humans and the urban and rural landscape] - at the School of Art in Adelaide, University of South Australia. During the process of writing my proposal I realised that my work, which I am busy doing since I have had completed my studies in architecture, perfectly sits a new interdisciplinary field, that I haven’t had discovered up to now.

My interest in the quality of collective (architectural) space has led me to deeply engage in an exploration of ‘atmosphere’ by undertaking experiments using my body as means of investigation within public spaces. This research involved a rethinking of the terms ‘space’, ‘identity’, and ‘collective’ and eventually resulted in a different understanding of my profession and of what I used to consider of ‘space’/’myself’. Consequently I now prefer to speak of ‘atmosphere’ rather than of ‘space’ and refer to it as ephemeral ‘being’ that can also be interpreted as mutual production of individual and environment.

My proposed research will experiment on ‘atmosphere’, and ‘resonance’ and is based on the hypothesis of the ‘I’ as essentially fugitive and un-locateable, and subjectivity not as given but always under construction. It will explore forms of emergent dialogues within specific architectural urban spaces and geographic locations through a creative investigation of the idea of ‘resonance’ between the individual (myself) and these specific places. I will refer extensively to key concepts of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, concerning ‘smooth space’, with which I associate my own understanding and use of the term atmosphere.

I am very curious about this upcoming experiment and it will be a pleasure to co-unfold .

Best wishes,
m.

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