Body, Memory & Architecture

Excerpts from the book 'Body, Memory & Architecture' (Bloomer & Moore).

"A body boundary, or any outer boundary that envelopes the body, which is opaque and difficult to penetrate becomes a surface that gathers and concentrates the forces acting on it from all directions.... Conversely, a boundary which is transparent and penetrable can be expected to stimulate greater fusion between personal and environmental events....If the landmarks in the external environment are very close to us, like a nearby wall, we perceive our body as having shrunk, while if we are oriented to an opening in a great space by a doorway, window, vista, or park, we perceive our body as having expanded. When we consciously stare at an object the body boundary hardens and there is heightened sense of separation, whereas a casual viewing weakens the sense of separation and encourages instead a psychic fusion with the object. '
(page 42-43)