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freshkatsu's review
4.0
Everyone loves this book. Well, at least all the architects I know. But then my only 'friends' seem to all be designers, so not that much diversity of opinion there. Not that I don't try, but people tend to not respond well to 3am 'Maxwell just crashed at 17% The end is nigh!!!' texts.
I guess I should address my Goodreader friends as well. We're friends right?
Ok, so there isn't much I can say that hasn't been said or better yet, practiced by the likes of Zumthor and Holl. But, as if I actually need to convince you to read this, it's like saying 'No don't bother with Ulysses, it's pretty dismissible compared to, I don't know, every single work of literature out there or something.' The Eyes of the Skin is also incredibly short. Really - look at it, it actually fits in my bag. Pallasmaa: 1; Koolhaas: 0
I'm quite reserve about the computer bit (in fact, most of his writings on technology). There seems to be a misunderstanding of computer imaging as a purely evil Cartesian flattening of our souls, but digital representation can also be considered in non-visual terms or serves as a transformation of bodily boundary. As for the distance between the object/subject in a virtual dimension - well, I would like to cite Grosz in saying the body and its environment are mutually defining blah blah.
Wow, I sound pretty cynical here, maybe because I've met the guy and his speech was rather redundant. Anyway, great book, highly recommended for quotes and references with that essay you've been putting off for weeks.
Also highly recommended for optometrists. Glasses are so overpriced.
I guess I should address my Goodreader friends as well. We're friends right?
Ok, so there isn't much I can say that hasn't been said or better yet, practiced by the likes of Zumthor and Holl. But, as if I actually need to convince you to read this, it's like saying 'No don't bother with Ulysses, it's pretty dismissible compared to, I don't know, every single work of literature out there or something.' The Eyes of the Skin is also incredibly short. Really - look at it, it actually fits in my bag. Pallasmaa: 1; Koolhaas: 0
I'm quite reserve about the computer bit (in fact, most of his writings on technology). There seems to be a misunderstanding of computer imaging as a purely evil Cartesian flattening of our souls, but digital representation can also be considered in non-visual terms or serves as a transformation of bodily boundary. As for the distance between the object/subject in a virtual dimension - well, I would like to cite Grosz in saying the body and its environment are mutually defining blah blah.
Wow, I sound pretty cynical here, maybe because I've met the guy and his speech was rather redundant. Anyway, great book, highly recommended for quotes and references with that essay you've been putting off for weeks.
Also highly recommended for optometrists. Glasses are so overpriced.
alexccavaco's review against another edition
5.0
The Eyes of the Skin is a thought-provoking book about the role of sight in today's culture and the bias we have progressively acquired towards this specific sensory factor. This short piece serves to illustrate how cities and art have developed an absence of multi-sensory inputs and why these neglected senses are so important. The message is powerful and it transcends the architectural sphere. This occurrence is seen in every day things and has affected our mental capacities and our appreciation for space and time. A short read worth reading.