We live in spaces that we shape according to our own ideas. In the process, our day-to-day life leaves traces that tell of our habits. Experiences that were important for us not only become a vital part of our memory but also leave a significant mark on the architectural space that surrounds us. These sturdy enclosures promise to protect and locate us but may also cause us to feel confined. We become part of spaces—and they, in turn, become an expression of our personality. Conversely, spaces, depending on their design and location, shape our existence. But how can these many ways in which human beings dovetail with their built environment be made visible and tangible?

SPACES EMBODIED in MAIN SPACE brings together artistic positions that look at the spheres of humankind and space not as independent entities, but rather as part of complex processes of interdependence. In a number of ways, the selected works depict the fusion of humans and space: as a bodily experience, emotional dependency, or instinctual need for protection. Using sophisticated connections between space, textile, body, and skin, the artists point to the metaphor of architecture as the human body’s “third skin” and demonstrate the close relationship between it and the human body. In the process, they work with techniques sometimes developed by themselves and with established art forms, including photography, film, weaving, and installation art.

Artists

Absalon, Shannon Bool, Heidi Bucher, Eileen Gray, Do Ho Suh, Mary Mattingly, Tracey Snelling, Francesca Woodman

Credit: Do Ho Suh, Blueprint, 2014, private collection, South Korea © Do Ho Suh. Image courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and London