A journey of my theory of architecture. MY blog. Mei Yin's blog.
P03: Essay Review - Heidegger's Thinking of Architecture
Relationship between Man and God in the context of Dwelling.
In Heidegger's philosophy, he used Greek temple as example where he said that; a building, a Greek temple, portrays nothing. It simply stands there in the middle of the rock-cleft valley. The building encloses the figure of the god and in this concealment lets it stand out into the holy precinct through the open portico. By means of the temple, the god is present in the temple. It is the temple work that first fits together and at the same time gathers around itself the unity of those paths and relations in which birth and death, disaster and blessing, victory and disgrace, endurance and decline acquire the shape of destiny for human beings. This leads to the points of 'the temple makes the god present', 'temple fits together what shapes the destiny of human being' and 'the temple makes all the things of earth visible'. As a Christian, i do believe that church is a place where people believe God is present within it. And by believing God's presence, God is exist and even visible in action in our daily life where He is always with us. We believe that by praising God, we will live eternity in our spirit. This 'God-feeling mood' is actually affected by the architecture of the dwelling of God where we often see, the existence of Gods' statues in most of the temples and churches. By entering the space with God's existence, we believe that we can communicate with God.
Relationship of Man and Nature.
According to Heidegger's philosophy, there is the concept of fourfold in the world; Earth, Sky, Mortal, Divinities. He said, earth is the building bearer, sky is sun path, mortals are human beings and divinities are messengers of God. Each of the four is what it is because it 'mirrors' the others. It is further explained as man's stay between earth and sky, between birth and death, between joy and pain, between word and work and that is' multivarious between' the world. As we can see from the fourfold of world, it is understand that Heidegger is trying to explain that mortals are closely related to earth, sky and divinities. From my understanding, human beings created temple for God. Through temple, we can see the links between the temple and sky and earth which actually bring back to human that we can connect with God.
Place and Space
Heidegger uses bridge (building) which discloses more comprehensive properties of the surroundings. In my opinion, man is linked with nature and vise-verse. When a bridge is built, it not only connect one place to another but it also make the surroundings explored by man. Thus, through the bridge, man not only travel from place to place but also to discover the surrounding within the space, space within space. It is understand that, if there is a space, there will be a place; if there is a place, there will be a place. It shares the same concept of 'if there is an egg, there will be a chicken, if there is a chicken, there will be an egg'. We can't determine whether place is within space or space within place because they are both equal in terms of existence.
Dwellings
Then, Heidegger said that man dwells between work and word. The word opens up the world and the work gives the world presence. Obviously, word is language. By using language, we give the thingness of the thing. We recognize a temple as a temple because we use language to describe and to communicate. By using language, the world is open because we speak words. Words of praising to God open the world that link between human and God. In further, by using work, we make the world presence. It is understand that, by using work, we make the world (temple) exists and we can use the words to open the world, to speak with God. When we use work to make world present, God present. God dwells in our work.
Language
Language, by naming beings for the first time, first brings beings to word and to appearance. When things are named for the first time, they are recognized as what they are. That linked back to the dwellings of God when we speak words, a world is opened and thus, language keeps the world. Man dwells in language because when he listens, he responds and the world is opened.
As conclusion, Heidegger is trying to express that the fourfold of world; earth, sky, mortals and divinities are linked. There are relationship between the fourfold that we as mortals are actually depending on them. Language is used, to open and to keep the world while work is to make the world present. God dwells in our work and we used word to keep the world. Bridge not only connect the place to place but also to explore the space, the surrounding. Human create building, building brings human back to nature where space is discovered; this shows the relationship between man and nature. Overall, the fourfold of world is closely linked and each of them is dependent on each other.
The church im attending is actually an adaptive reuse example. It was a cinema during the older time but it was renovated into a church. Although the exterior and interior of the building doesn't look like a church but the atmosphere created inside using artificial lighting and the environment of interaction between human and God's dwelling giving a feeling of God's existence. In my perception of the building, the use of lighting and poster on the stage gives a feeling of 'shine from God upon the building and the people within it'. It is my first impression of the building. In this building, i can feel that God is existing, around us and we can actually communicate with Him. With the feeling of God's existence, warmness can be felt.
Attached is the website of my church community. Feel free to go through it :)
http://www.grace-intl.com/index.html
Yet Another Day ; Tuesday, June 29, 2010
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