SENSORY NOTATION multimodal representation of urban space Dr Ray Lucas Senior Lecturer in Architecture Manchester School of Architecture, MMU
Sensory Notation AHRC/EPSRC Designing for the 21st Century University of Strathclyde, 2007-2009 Ray Lucas Ombretta Romice Gordon Mair Wolfgang Sonne
Observe the street, from time to time, with some concern for system perhaps. Apply Yourself. Take your time. Note down the place: the terrace of a café near the junction of the Rue de Bac and the Boulevard Saint-Germain the time: seven o’clock in the evening the date: 15 May 1973 the weather: set fair Note down what you can see. Anything worthy of note going on. Do you know how to see what’s worthy of note? Is there anything that strikes you? Nothing strikes you. You don’t know how to see. You must write about out it more slowly, almost stupidly. Force yourself to write down what is of no interest, what is most obvious, most common, most colourless. Georges Perec, Species of Spaces
Name Mode of Attention Receptive Units Anatomy of the Activity of the Stimuli Available External Organ Organ Information Obtained General Mechano- Vestibular organs Body equilibrium Forces of gravity Direction of The basic orienting orientation receptors and accelleration gravity, being system pushed The auditory Listening Mechano- Cochlear organs Orienting to Vibration in the Nature and system receptors with middle ear sounds air location of and auricle vibratory events The haptic system Touching Mechano- Skin (including Exploring of Deformation of Contact with the receptors and attachments and many kinds tissues, earth, possibly thermo- openings), joints configuration of mechanical receptors (including joints, stretching encounters, ligaments), of muscle fibres object shapes, muscles material states, (including solidity or tendons) viscosity The taste-smell Smelling Chemo-receptors Nasal cavity Sniffing Composition of Nature of system (nose) the medium volatile sources Tasting Chemo- and Oral cavity Savouring Composition of Nutritive and mechano- (mouth) ingested objects biochemical receptors values The visual system Looking Photo-receptors Ocular Accommodation, The variables of Everything that mechanism (eyes pupilary structures in can be specified with intrinsic and adjustment, ambient light by the variables extrinsic muscles, fixation, of optical as related to the convergence structre vestibular organs, exploration (information the head, and the about objects, whole body) animals, motions, events, and places) James J Gibson, The Senses Considered as Perceptual Systems
basis in sensory notation ‘The channels of sense are not subject to modification by learning. The data of sense are given, by definition. The perceptual systems, however, are clearly amenable to learning. It would be expected that an individual, after practice, could orient more exactly, listen more carefully, touch more acutely, smell and taste more precisely, and look more perceptively than he could before practice.’ James J Gibson (1966:51).
organising perception • Location : plot the site being recorded, whether a part of a route or a static position. Details such as time, date and weather may also be included. • Descriptor : use a word from the list given to characterise each of the six perceptual systems: visual, aural, olfactory/ gustatory, tactile, thermal, kinaesthetic. • Priority : draw a line on the chart corresponding to the priority given to that perceptual system in this context. • Corroboration : indicate how the senses overlap. • Temporality : indicate the repetition, singularity, etc. of the observations. • Narrative : write an account of the experience with closely cropped photographs of things described.
Step 1: Location
Step 2: Descriptor VISUAL AURAL TACTILE KINETIC THERMAL CHEMICAL Dark High Pitch Static Strong Hot Weak Bright Low Pitch Mobile Light Cold Intense Saturated Quiet Rough Free Dry Stagnant Neutral Loud Smooth Bound Wet Fresh Perspectival Clear Light Indirect Natural Musky Flat Reverberant Heavy Direct Artificial Putrid Intimate Vocal Porous Level Ambient Floral Vast Non-Vocal Resistant Graded Source Fruit Solid Natural Hard Sustained Radiant Spice Void Artificial Soft Quick Convective Resin Detailed Attack Warm Crowded Constant Meaty Blank Decay Cold Empty Responsive Oily
Step 3: Priority Sensory Notation Radar Chart
Step 3: Priority 1 Visual 4 5 Tactile Kinetic 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thermal Chemical 6 2 Aural 3 Standard 1-6 Priority Distribution
Step 3: Priority 2 Visual 2 2 Tactile Kinetic 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thermal Chemical 2 2 Aural 2 Low Priority: Sensory Deficit
Step 3: Priority 5 Visual 5 5 Tactile Kinetic 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thermal Chemical 5 5 Aural 5 High Priority: Over-Stimulated
Step 3: Priority 3 Visual 3 6 Tactile Kinetic 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thermal Chemical 2 3 Aural 2 Spikes in Priority
Step 3: Priority 4 Visual 5 1 Tactile Kinetic 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thermal Chemical 5 4 Aural 5,3,4 Multiple Priority
Step 4: Corroboration Corroboration
Step 5: Temporality Visual T a c K t i i n l e e t i c 1 2 3 4 5 6 l a l a m c r i e m h e T h C Aural Situated Singular Constant Directional Repetition Ambient Temporality
Step 5: Temporality Situated Singular Constant Directional Repetition Ambient Localised Temporality Modifiers
Step 6: Narrative
Step 6: Narrative
Step 7: Analysis of results Visual Tactile Kinetic 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thermal Chemical Aural Route: Visual Priority
Step 7: Analysis of results Visual Tactile Kinetic 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thermal Chemical Aural Route: Deficit
Step 7: Analysis of results Visual Tactile Kinetic 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thermal Chemical Aural Route: Overload
Step 7: Analysis of results Visual Tactile Kinetic 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thermal Chemical Aural Survey: Differing Opinions
Sensory Notation Key VISUAL AURAL TACTILE KINETIC THERMAL CHEMICAL Dark High Pitch Static Strong Hot Weak Bright Low Pitch Mobile Light Cold Intense Saturated Quiet Rough Free Dry Stagnant Neutral Loud Smooth Bound Wet Fresh Perspectival Clear Light Indirect Natural Musky Flat Reverberant Heavy Direct Artificial Putrid Intimate Vocal Porous Level Ambient Floral Vast Non-Vocal Resistant Graded Source Fruit Solid Natural Hard Sustained Radiant Spice Void Artificial Soft Quick Convective Resin Detailed Attack Warm Crowded Constant Meaty Blank Decay Cold Empty Responsive Oily
Lucas, R & Romice, O. 2008. “Representing Sensory Experience in Urban Design” in Design Principles and Practices: an International Journal . Volume 2, Issue 4, pp.83-94. Common Ground Publishers. Lucas, R. & Mair, G. (Eds.). 2008. Sensory Urbanism Conference Proceedings 2008 . Edinburgh: Flâneur Press. (lulu.com) Lucas, R. 2009a. “The Sensory Experience of Sacred Space: Senso-Ji and Meiji-Jingu, Tokyo” in MONU: Magazine on Urbanism . Issue 10: Holy Urbanism, pp.46-55. Rotterdam: Board Publishers. r.p.lucas@mmu.ac.uk Lucas, R. 2009b. “Designing Ambiances: Vocal Ikebana and Sensory Notation” in Creating an Atmosphere Proceedings 2008 . Grenoble: CRESSON. http://www.cresson.archi.fr/ Dr Ray Lucas AMBIANCE2008-commSESSIONS.htm. Lucas, R. 2009d. “Designing a Notation for the Senses” in Architectural Theory Review Special Manchester School of Architecture, MMU Issue: Sensory Urbanism , Spring 2009 Issue. Volume 14, Issue 2, p173. Lucas, R. & Romice, O. 2010. “Assessing the Multi-Sensory Qualities of Urban Space” in Psyecology , Volume 1, Issue 2, p263-276. Lucas, R; Mair, G & Romice, O. 2009. “Making Sense of the City: Representing the Multi-modality of Urban Space” in Inns, T. (Ed.), Designing for the 21st Century: Interdisciplinary Methods & Findings . Ashgate.
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