Material Atmospheres: Theorising Recent Shifts in Interior Visualisation

Abstract

Much like Walter Benjamin's analysis of the Parisian arcades during the interwar years of the early 20th century, emerging methods of seeing interior spaces reveal a deeper gaze into the contextual, material, and phenomenological conditions that produce more nuanced visions of interiority. A collective consciousness surrounding these constructed narratives is reflected in charged associations with the most salient imperatives of our time—globalisation, resource depletion, ecological degradation, and political instability—as well as their corresponding effects on the built environment. These visual provocations have incrementally percolated up to embody an expanding field of design activism for educators, theorists, practitioners, and students. How do these avant-garde techniques operate?  What do they reveal about socio-political, economic, and consumptive forces shaping the global built environment?  How do these speculative methods offer more critical ways to communicate dynamic conditions?