245
A chi ec u e: Uns able and Dynamic Phenomenon
The main p oblem wi h buildings is ha hey look ‘despe a ely s a ic’, s a e B uno
La ou and Albena Yane a in hei p o oca i ely i led essay ‘Gi e me a Gun
and I will Make All Buildings Mo e: An ANT’s View o A chi ec u e’ (La ou ,
Yane a, 2008). The s a ic na u e ha his essay poin s o doesn’ e e o he
immobili y o buildings in he physical sense, ins ead he au ho s ad oca e o
unde s anding buildings as p ojec s in mo emen , a se ies o ans o ma ions in
he con inuous low. Th ough his iewpoin , hey signi y buildings as en i ies
which a e p ima ily p oduc i e in space- ime. This posi ion p esupposes ce ain
emancipa ion o a chi ec u e, om a me e backd op o human ac i i ies o an
in e ela ed and ac i e en i y. The con en ional na u e o a chi ec u e, obse ed
as a neu al, passi e amewo k in which he ac ion akes place, is he e o e
su passed, making i possible o es ablish he no ion o a chi ec u e as an
uns able, p oduc i e, and e ec i e phenomenon.
Al hough La ou and Yane a u he ocus hei deba e on he dynamics o a
design p ocess, he co e o hei heo y is ne e heless ela able o explo ing
di e en le els o spa ial ans o ma ions, especially in a chi ec u e’s pos -
designed s a e. The hemes o cons an changes and ans o ma ions o space
SETTING ARCHITECTURE
IN MOTION BY MEANS
OF PERFORMANCE
VIŠNJA ŽUGIĆ
246
unde s ood as a mobile and plu al phenomenon, and especially he empo a y
unc ions ha a chi ec u e de elops in hese p ocesses, ep esen he b oade
heo e ical base o explo ing a chi ec u e as he p oblem o pe o ming a s.
Wha makes his me hod legi ima e is he s andpoin ha any a is ic and non-
a is ic phenomenon can be ega ded as he p oblem o pe o ming a s i he
explo a ion cen es he p oblem o es ablishing, p oduc ion and ealisa ion o
meanings (Vujano ić, 2004). Thus, he idea ha physical space can be ega ded
and explo ed ‘as’ pe o mance (Schechne , 2013 [2002, 2006]) opens up
possibili ies o ocusing on how a chi ec u e en e s di e en lows o p oduc ion
o meanings and becomes i sel one o hei ac i e p oduce s in hese p ocesses.
Spa ial Pe o ma i i y and he P oduc i e A chi ec u al Tex
In he amous chap e o No e-Dame de Pa is, i led ‘This Will Kill Tha ’,
Vic o Hugo announces he i e ocable dea h o a chi ec u e, ha will a i e
wi h he i s in en ion o he p in ing echnology. Th ough such a iewpoin
he ecognises he ex ual unc ion o physical space as he one ha essen ially
cons i u es a chi ec u e. In a comple ely di e en con ex , e e ing o he
momen i e cen u ies a e he one ha Hugo w i es abou , Albe o Pé ez-
Gómez s a es ha in he las wo cen u ies he ‘a chi ec has indeed become a
“w i e ” – implici ly o explici ly, a na a o o e en s’ (Pé ez-Gómez, 1994,
p.5). Th ough his immanen na a i i y ha has accompanied a chi ec u e
h oughou cen u ies, he a chi ec u al ex is in e p e ed s uc u ally – as a
collec ion o signs ha e lec speci ic, p e iously de ined and consciously placed
meanings. Howe e , e hinking a chi ec u al ex h ough pos -s uc u alism,
which sees ex as de e mined by i s con ex , b ings in o ocus he p ocess o i s
p oduc ion ( a he han ep esen a ion) and i s essen ially uns able na u e. This
posi ion indica es ha he meaning o ex is no inhe en ly de e mined, bu ha
‘each ex is ealised as in e ex uali y’ (Vujano ić, 2006, p.32) – he no ion coined
by Julia K is e a, which she desc ibes as p oduc i i y (K is e a, 1980, p.36).
In his dynamic p ocess o in e ex ual ne wo ks and dialogues, he es ablished
VIŠNJA ŽUGIĆ
247
meanings a e ine i ably p oduced, and hei lows a e o some ex en
unp edic able. Based on his (in)de e mina ion, in e ex uali y can be obse ed
as a undamen al heo e ical concep o explo ing he phenomenon o spa ial
pe o ma i i y. A chi ec u e is now app oached as pos -s uc u al ex , which
is unde s ood as an in e en ion in i s su ounding semio ic con ex (Vujano ić,
2006), ealised as a p oduc ion o meanings in a speci ic momen in ime.
Spa ial pe o ma i i y, unde s ood h ough his speci ic model o he
phenomenon, e e s o he quali y o space which o en appea s no as ini ially
designed, bu a he as acqui ed o gained h ough speci ic ci cums ances o
con ex ual ans o ma ions. In ha ega d, se e al mechanisms which lead o
he es ablishmen o a pe o ma i e space can be iden i ied. They a e de e mined
by in e ex ual e ec , which e e s o meanings ha a e no immanen o he
wo k (o a chi ec u e) bu appea as a esul o p oduc ion in a con ex ha is
uns able, epheme al and changeable. The e a e h ee ele an ela ions wi hin
which he in e ex ual e ec occu s: (a) be ween space and i s use ( he ela ion
ha I de ine as he mechanism o Con on a ion); (b) be ween space and elemen s
o a s aged e en ( h ough which I de ine he mechanism o Co ela ion); (c)
be ween space and ex e nal inpu s which in luence i s eading (a ela ion h ough
which I de ine he mechanism o F aming). In es ablishing he phenomenon o
pe o ma i e space, all h ee mechanisms employ a p oduc i e a chi ec u al ex .
Mechanism o Con on a ion
The mechanism o Con on a ion p esupposes a conscious and con olled
insc ip ion o pe o ma i e capaci ies in o a chi ec u e by i s designe . I ocuses
on how he a chi ec u al elemen s ini ia e he p oduc ion o meanings in ela ion
o he use /obse e who is exposed o he space.
Theo ising he pe cep ion o a , Donald Kunze emphasizes he impo ance o
he iewe in cons i u ing he o e all meanings in he p ocess o hei p oduc ion.
Th ough his heo y, he meanings a e app oached as no comple ely o med by
he a is (au ho ), qui e he opposi e, he au ho has o ely on he ecei e o
SETTING ARCHITECTURE IN MOTION BY MEANS OF PERFORMANCE
248
he con en , who, o some ex en , ‘ inishes’ he a wo k h ough he p ocess
o ecep ion. Simila iewpoin s ha o igina e om he ield o pe o ming
a s deal wi h he posi ion o he iewe : p oposing one possible in e p e a ion
o pe o mance as ‘a way o seeing’, which p esupposes ‘ce ain collabo a i e
and con ex ual unc ions (be ween wo k and spec a o )’ (S a es, 2003, p.118),
o , emphasizing he ole o an audience membe in o ming a common ex
o pe o mance, which always exis s, e en i i doesn’ include any spoken o
w i en ex (Jo iće ić, 2007).
D awing a pa allel wi h he pe cep ion o a chi ec u e, Kunze a gues ha he
ela ion o on ali y is o key impo ance. I does no e e o a physical posi ion
o an obse e in on o a building, bu o he imagina i e displacemen o
he obse e in o he wo ld o illusion, which essen ially belongs o he wo k o
a chi ec u e. Kunze ma ks on ali y as he d i e which makes he pa icipa ion
in he ealisa ion o he wo k o a chi ec u e possible:
F on ali y in a chi ec u e hus designa es a momen in he encoun e wi h
a building whe e an ac o ascina ion akes place. Fascina ion enables he
clien ’s in e es o be displaced in o he imagina i e an icipa ion o he u u e
ecipien o he a chi ec u al idea (…). In his cons i u ion, he iden i ies o
he a chi ec and he ecipien me ge – o a he , i would be mo e accu a e o
say ha he single iden i y o a chi ec / ecipien is bo n o he i s ime, ou
o i s p io cons i uen pa s. (Kunze, 1994, p.106)
The concep o on ali y can be ead as a key heo e ical concep h ough which
he mechanism o Con on a ion is unde s ood. The ac o ascina ion, which
akes place du ing his p ocess, b ings in o mo ion he p oduc i e mechanism,
which Kunze e e s o as he es ablishmen o a unique en i y o a chi ec /
obse e . The con on a ion o he iewe wi h space akes place in a limi ed
pe iod du ing which he esul ed meanings, pa ly de e mined by he in en ion
o he designe , and pa ly condi ioned by he di ec expe ience o he obse e ,
VIŠNJA ŽUGIĆ
249
a e being p oduced o he i s ime. F on ali y in ha sense is unde s ood as a
p econdi ion o ‘en e ing’ he ‘wo ld’ o a chi ec u e, which leads o ac i a ing
he p oduc ion o meanings h ough he mechanism o Con on a ion, and
inally, o he es ablishmen o a pe o ma i e space. One o he bes examples
o achie ing spa ial pe o ma i i y h ough a chi ec u al design is he amous
Jewish Museum in Be lin, by Daniel Libeskind (2001). I was designed o be
pe cei ed ac i ely and p oduc i ely by i s use s ( a he han passi ely “ eading”
he space), hus insc ibing he pe o ma i e quali ies o space al eady in he
p ocess o i s concep ualisa ion.
Mechanism o Co ela ion
The mechanism o Co ela ion e e s o he dialogically s uc u ed ela ionship
be ween a chi ec u e as an en elope o ac ion, and elemen s o a s aged e en
b ough in o he analysed space.
An impo an p esump ion ela ed o his speci ic con ex is ha he physical
space, o some ex en , always achie es he ole o a co-c ea o o meanings
ealised wi hin he e en as a whole, becoming one o i s in eg al pa s. The
co ela ion be ween he space and a s aged e en e e s o a syne gy achie ed
be ween a chi ec u e and he elemen s o a pe o mance ( he body, mo emen ,
scenog aphy, echnology, e c.). The s udy ocuses on physical space ha
en elopes an ac ion, ega dless o he spa ial le el ha dominan ly de e mines
i ( he building ha hos s he e en o he seconda y le el o scenog aphy).
Fu he mo e, he elemen s o a s aged e en could be educed, o he sake o
he heo e ical a gumen , o hei minimal o m: a single pe o ming body. This
way, i is possible o obse e in e connec ions be ween space and he body as a
pa adigma ic ela ion ele an o his mechanism.
Theo e ically, he mechanism o Co ela ion elies on Jacques Lecoq’s concep o
complici é which, in his unde s anding, ex ends beyond i s basic ansla ion as
oge he ness, and e e s o complici y, a speci ic o m o collabo a ion be ween
he pa icipan s in a pe o ming e en (Mu ay, 2003). Complici é is he e o e
SETTING ARCHITECTURE IN MOTION BY MEANS OF PERFORMANCE

250
unde s ood as an abs ac ca ego y, a quali y ha e e s o a aci ag eemen ,
non e bal communica ion, a ce ain kind o uns a ed unde s anding. As a o m
o ins inc i e communica ion, i signi ies a p econdi ion, as well as an ou come
o a success ul s aged e en .
Rega ding he mechanism o Co ela ion, he main ques ion e e s o he
possibili ies o achie ing complici é be ween space/a chi ec u e and body/
mo emen . I i is he quali y accomplished be ween he pa icipan s o a
success ul s aged e en , and he physical space is possibly app oached as one o
he e en ’s in eg al elemen s, hen complici é can be obse ed as he alue which
appea s in a success ul co ela ion be ween he space and he body. This quali y
is e lec ed h ough he es ablishmen o an ac i e dialogue and he in eg a ion
o he wo en i ies. The pa adigma ic example o his ela ion is ound in T isha
B own’s pe o mance ‘Man Walking Down he Side o a Building’ (1970). The
‘me ging’ be ween he building’s açade and he body o he pe o me , p oduced
by hei mu ual dialogue, happens on he le el o he pe o mance as a whole.
In ha sense, complici é is unde s ood as a goal o he in e ex ual wea ing o
he physical space and a s aged e en , and a he same ime, as an ou come o
es ablishing a co-pe o ma i e unc ion o space, ela ed o his con ex .
Mechanism o F aming
The inal mechanism, o F aming, ac i a es he pe o ma i e capaci ies o
a chi ec u e o a ce ain ex en indi ec ly. This mechanism p esupposes he
exis ence o ex e nal ac o s, condi ions o con ex ual de e mina ions, which, in
a limi ed in e al o ime dic a e he ways he a chi ec u al space is pe cei ed. The
no ion o aming, in he con ex o pe o ming a s heo ies, e e s o he way
an ac i i y is con ex ualised and b ough in o ocus (Pa is, 1998). In ela ion o
pe o ma i i y o a chi ec u e, speci ic condi ioning o space akes place due o
he ame, a con ex ual sys em which ocuses he a en ion o a ce ain (spa ial)
phenomenon, and s uc u es i in he domain o i s meanings.
The no ion o ame was coined by E ing Go man, a sociologis who explo ed
VIŠNJA ŽUGIĆ
251
he ‘p inciples o o ganiza ion which go e n e en s – a leas social ones – and ou
subjec i e in ol emen in hem’ (Go man, 1986, pp.10-11). Th ough a de ailed
ame analysis, Go man p oposes a me hodological app oach o explo ing how
he in e p e a i e ames shape social in e ac ion. Especially impo an o he
p ocess o aming a chi ec u e is he no ion o key, as a cen al concep o ame
analysis, and i s e b keying, which Go man de ines as:
(...) he se o con en ions by which a gi en ac i i y, one al eady meaning ul
in e ms o some p ima y amewo k, is ans o med in o some hing pa e ned
on his ac i i y bu seen by he pa icipan s o be some hing qui e else. The
p ocess o ansc ip ion can be called keying. (Go man, 1986, pp.43-44)
Mo eo e , he cha ac e is ic o he desc ibed ans o ma ion is equally impo an :
‘ he sys ema ic ans o ma ion ha a pa icula keying in oduces may al e only
sligh ly he ac i i y hus ans o med, bu i u e ly changes wha i is a pa icipan
would say was going on’ (Go man, 1986, p.45). In o he wo ds, he subjec o
ans o ma ion (in his case, he ma e ial p ope ies o space) doesn’ necessa ily
ha e o change, o usually inconside ably changes i s cha ac e is ics in he physical
eali y, bu he way i is unde s ood, pe cei ed, expe ienced and in e p e ed,
becomes signi ican ly changed in compa ison o i s basic meaning, de e mined
by he p ima y ame. This p inciple is o g ea impo ance o unde s anding he
mechanism o F aming, in he unc ion o pe o ma i e ac i a ion o a chi ec u e.
I doesn’ necessa ily unde go any isible ma e ial changes on a physical le el,
bu he ( ans o med) meanings i p oduces a e guided by he in e p e a i e
key imposed on i s iewe . Wi hin his con ex , he key is unde s ood as a
means, an ex e nal ci cums ance ha in luences he p oduc ion o meanings
h ough a speci ic way o con ex ualising a chi ec u al space. The applica ion o
his mechanism is mos no ably seen in he se ies o pe o mances ‘Remo e X’
by Rimini P o okoll. I u ilises exis ing u ban spaces, and empo a ily changes
hei meanings, ans o ming hem in o one o he ac o s o hese pe o mances.
SETTING ARCHITECTURE IN MOTION BY MEANS OF PERFORMANCE
252
Pe o ma i e Spaces and Aes he ic Communica ion
Single mechanisms ha gene a e he pe o ma i e unc ion o a chi ec u e
(o Con on a ion, Co ela ion, and F aming) can be discussed in analogy o
he no ion o aes he ic communica ion, de ined by Ronald J. Pelias and James
VanOos ing.
Th ough de ining his no ion as a ce ain kind o p ac ice, he au ho s ha e
iden i ied he con ou s o he ield o esea ch ele an o pe o mance s udies.
The analysis ocuses on ex – unde s ood in his con ex no only as a w i en
ex bu as a b oad phenomenon – and he condi ions unde which i achie es
aes he ic communica ion. The p oblem is decomposed h ough h ee heo e ical
lines: (1) he heo ies ha ega d he use o ex s which a e in ad ance de ined
as aes he ic, and as such placed in socie y. He e he ini ia o (a pe o me )
es ablishes a ce ain e en wi h an in en ion o i o be pe cei ed as aes he ic;
(2) he heo ies ocused on quali ies ha de e mine ce ain phenomena as
aes he ic. In his case, he e en ( he ex ) possesses ce ain quali ies ha a e
gene ally seen as aes he ic, ega dless o he in en ion o he ‘pe o me ’ o he
pe cep ion o ‘audience’; (3) he heo ies ha explo e he e ec s o eac ions ha
ce ain phenomena p oduce in he p ocess o hei ecep ion, due o which hey
a e in e p e ed as aes he ic. In his case, he one ha pe cei es o eac s o he
e en ini ia es his/he ole as an audience membe and eac s o he e en as a
pe o mance (Pelias, VanOos ing, 2003).
De ining hese h ee condi ions, aes he ic communica ion o a ex may
be achie ed om any o he pe spec i es – o a pe o me , ex o audience.
Analogically obse ing how pe o ma i e spaces achie e aes he ic communica ion,
wha is e e ed o he e as a b oad no ion o ex can be ega ded as ex uali y o
a chi ec u e and i s physical elemen s. The e o e, he mechanisms o achie ing he
pe o ma i e unc ion o a chi ec u e can be seen h ough he ollowing analogy:
pe spec i e o a pe o me –› aes he ic in en ion –› mechanism o Con on a ion
pe spec i e o a ex –› aes he ic quali y –› mechanism o Co ela ion
pe spec i e o audience –› aes he ic e ec –› mechanism o F aming
VIŠNJA ŽUGIĆ
253
Following he pe spec i e o a pe o me which p esupposes an aes he ic in en ion,
i is possible o posi ion he mechanism o Con on a ion as i s co esponding
ma ch. I e e s o he physical space o a chi ec u e, o he a chi ec u al ex ,
which is designed wi h an in en ion o communica e aes he ically, o , o be
pe o ma i e.
The pe spec i e o a ex e e s o i s speci ic aes he ic quali ies, ega dless o
he in en ion o hose who happen o be in he ole o a pe o me o audience.
The mechanism o Co ela ion, placed in analogy o his posi ion, e e s o
ce ain spa ial quali ies ha a e unde some ci cums ances ecognised and used
as pe o ma i e. In ha limi ed pe iod, a chi ec u e achie es i s pe o ma i i y
h ough he speci ic use o space, independen ly (o despi e) o he ini ial
in en ion o i s designe .
The pe spec i e o he audience ela es o he heo ies ha explo e he e ec s o
ce ain phenomena, whe e he obse e insc ibes some quali a i e ela ionships
in o hem, and om his/he posi ion p esupposes he aes he ic communica ion.
This posi ion is connec ed o he mechanism o F aming, which ela es o
ac i a ing he ex e nal inpu s ha condi ion he expe ience o a chi ec u e as a
pe o ma i e en i y.
Theo e ically, i is possible o obse e he de ined mechanisms h ough he
ypology o he condi ions necessa y o aes he ic communica ion. Wi hin he
ac ual a chi ec u al, a is ic and social p ac ices, howe e , he single mechanisms
don’ exis necessa ily as isola ed. On he con a y, hey a e mos o en
in e ela ed, appea ing in a complex and dynamic coexis ence.
Conclusion
Re hinking a chi ec u e as a collec ion o ime-spaces, as opposed o one inished
physical ou come, displaces he a en ion om he p ocess o concep ualising
a chi ec u al spaces, owa ds he lows ha a chi ec u e en e s in i s pos -
designed s a e and exploi a ion. The hemes o ins abili y, change, p ocess,
mo emen , ans o ma ions and e ec s o a chi ec u e, ha e been ecognised
SETTING ARCHITECTURE IN MOTION BY MEANS OF PERFORMANCE