Oči kože: arhitektura i čula

2023-11-23 16:07:00

Juhani Palasma

About the Author

Juhani Pallasmaa is one of the most influential and widely read living writers on architecture. He is the author of numerous books and scholarly articles in the field of architectural theory.

From 1978 to 1983, he served as Director of the Museum of Finnish Architecture, following his tenure as Rector of the Institute of Design in Helsinki and Associate Professor of Architecture in Addis Ababa. He later frequently served as a visiting lecturer, particularly in the United States, and delivered a vast number of lectures worldwide. He founded his architectural practice in 1983.

As a lecturer and writer, his primary interests have focused on the meaning of the senses, experience, atmosphere, existential feeling, and phenomenological thought.

He began writing intensively in the mid-1960s and has since published 75 books and nearly one thousand essays in thirty-seven languages. He has served on numerous international juries, including the Pritzker Prize jury (2008–2014). He has received many national and international awards and holds honorary doctorates from six universities. He is an honorary member of the Finnish Association of Architects (SAFA), the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

About the Book

The title itself, “The Eyes of the Skin,” emphasizes the importance of touch and other sensory experiences in architecture, opposing the ocular-centric perspective that often predominates in the field.

This compelling book opens the door to a fascinating world of architecture and the senses, offering readers a profound insight into the essence of space and our surroundings. In this work on sensory experience, Pallasmaa guides us on a journey through space, time, and matter. Through various lenses of art, philosophy, and everyday life, he underscores the importance of emotional and sensory experience in architecture. Through rich and evocative writing, the author reminds us that architecture is not merely a visual experience, but a complex fabric reflected in our emotional responses to the environment.

The Eyes of the Skin is not only a book for architects and design professionals, but also an invitation to all readers to reconsider their relationship with space and to perceive it in a multisensory way that transcends the one-dimensional realm of optical perception. Pallasmaa encourages us to return to our senses, to open the eyes of the skin, and to experience the surrounding world more deeply. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in a fundamental understanding of architectural space and its impact on everyday life. It is a journey that will inspire you to think, feel, and experience the world around you in an entirely new way.

By publishing “The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses,” Atelje A22 offers readers the opportunity to immerse themselves in a highly inspiring work that reshapes perspectives on architectural creation and is considered a seminal text of the phenomenological approach to interpreting architecture. As part of its mission of cultural exchange and the promotion of carefully selected titles in contemporary theory, Atelje A22 takes a step toward enriching Montenegro’s literary and scholarly landscape. We expect The Eyes of the Skin to become an indispensable title not only for connoisseurs of architecture, art, and theory, but for all those seeking a deeper understanding of their space and environment. We would also like to thank all collaborators who contributed to the realization of this project.