The impact of time/emotion factors on the interpretation of meanings of Iraqi architecture, and its transformations

Abstract

According to Modern Semiotics, the perceiver is the main factor in interpreting the meaning, in general, and in architecture in particular, the thought is that the perceiver’s cultural and personal background would affect the formulation of his/her interpretation of architectural meanings, and then affect the transformation of these meanings in time. This research assumes that (Emotion) influences the interpretation of meaning, especially in architecture as it is linked with the memory of place, where memory interacts with the “Sensory Diffusion” and “Knowledge” in the process of thinking and interpreting the research discusses the time factor in the transformation of the interpretations as well. This argument is clarified in theories of appreciation, aesthetics, and perception, with the semiotic triangle. Different types of various groups in society have been chosen according to variety of cultural background, a questionnaire has been designed to investigate this in the interpretation of Iraqi architecture, to interpret six samples of Iraqi architecture varying in time and function. Main findings showed the connection between meanings and emotional responses, in the interpretation, but mostly in transformation of the interpretation over time for Iraqi architecture.