Decoding the Poetics of Spaces

As designers, artists, creative individuals we are poets at heart. How can we design without romanticizing about space ? The fact is that poetry does not exist in the books in the library. Poetry is in the journey of reading the book. You change as a person in that journey. Poetry is the encounter of the reader with the book, the discovery of the book. For the monsoon semester of 2021 we shall make the book Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard as our North Star. Various exercises in the semester will respond to the 10 chapters of the book. Each chapter of the book will be read-reread-analyzed-torn apart-critiqued during each week. Text shall provide visual genesis for the design exercises throughout the semester. Students and faculty will do periodic readings together to interpret and understand various meanings of the text. Students will be given specific exercises to broaden their repertoire of elements of space which will help them to build and construct spaces. All exercises will be done keeping the text of the book in mind. The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard places special emphasis on the interior domestic space and its component: the various rooms and the different types of furniture in it.