The thinking hand : existential and embodied wisdom in arthitecture
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The thinking hand : existential and embodied wisdom in arthitecture
（AD primers）
Wiley, 2009
- : hbk
- : pbk
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 150) and index
Description and Table of Contents
- Volume
-
: hbk ISBN 9780470779286
Description
In this book Pallasmaa progresses his case for a multi-sensory approach to architecture, espoused in The Eyes of the Skin , by taking a wider view of the role of embodiment in human existential reactions, experiences and expressions as well as the processes of making and thinking. ' The Thinking Hand ' is a metaphor for the characteristic independence and autonomous activity of all our senses as they constantly scan the physical world. Many of our most crucial skills are internalised as automatic reactions that we are not consciously aware of. Even in the case of learning skills, the sequence of movements in a task is internalised and embodied rather than understood and remembered intellectually. Prevailing educational philosophies continue to emphasise conceptual, intellectual and verbal knowledge over this tacit and non-conceptual wisdom of our embodied processes, which is so essential to our experience and understanding of the physical and the built.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Embodied Existence and Sensory Thought. Chapter One: The Mysterious Hand. The Multiple Essence of the Hand. What is the Hand? Hand, Eye, Brain and Language. Hand as Symbol. Gestures of the Hand. Language of the Hand. Chapter Two: The Working Hand. The Hand and the Tool. The Hand of the Craftsman. Collaborative Craftsmanship. Architecture as Workmanship. Chapter Three: Eye-Hand-Mind Fusion. Experimentation and the Art of Play. Skill and Boredom. Eye, Hand and Mind. Chapter Four: The Drawing Hand. Drawing and the Self. Tactility of Drawing. The Computerised Hand. Primacy of Touch: Hapticity of Self-image. Unconscious Touch in Artistic Experience. Chapter Five: Embodied Thinking. Creative Fusion. The Work of Thinking: The Value of Uncertainty. Resistance, Tradition and Freedom. Thinking Through the Senses. Embodied Memory and Thought. Existential Knowledge. Chapter Six: Body, Self and Mind. The Body as Site. The World and the Self. The World and the Mind. Existential Space in Art. Chapter Seven: Emotion and Imagination. Reality of Imagination. The Gift of Imagination. Reality of Art. Art and Emotion. Artistic Experience as Exchange. Chapter Eight: Theory and Life. Theory and Making. Opposition of Theory and Making. Architecture as Image of Life. The Task of Art. Index. Photo Credits.
- Volume
-
: pbk ISBN 9780470779293
Description
In our current global networked culture that puts so much emphasis on the virtual and the visual, the mind and the body have become detached and ultimately disconnected. Though physical appearance is idolised for its sexual appeal and its social identity, the role of the body in developing a full understanding of the physical world and the human condition has become neglected. The potential of the human body as a knowing entity - with all our senses as well as our entire bodily functions being structured to produce and maintain silent knowledge together - fails to be recognised. It is only through the unity of mind and body that craftsmanship and artistic work can be fully realised. Even those endeavours that are generally regarded as solely intellectual, such as writing and thinking, depend on this union of mental and manual skills.
In The Thinking Hand, Juhani Pallasmaa reveals the miraculous potential of the human hand. He shows how the pencil in the hand of the artist or architect becomes the bridge between the imagining mind and the emerging image. The book surveys the multiple essences of the hand, its biological evolution and its role in the shaping of culture, highlighting how the hand-tool union and eye-hand-mind fusion are essential for dexterity and how ultimately the body and the senses play a crucial role in memory and creative work. Pallasmaa here continues the exploration begun in his classic work The Eyes of the Skin by further investigating the interplay of emotion and imagination, intelligence and making, theory and life, once again redefining the task of art and architecture through well-grounded human truths.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Embodied Existence and Sensory Thought 010
Chapter One: The Mysterious Hand 024
The Multiple Essences of the Hand
What is the Hand?
Hand, Eye, Brain and Language
Hand as Symbol
Gestures of the Hand
Languages of the Hand
Chapter Two: The Working Hand 046
The Hand and the Tool
The Hand of the Craftsman
Collaborative Craftsmanship
Architecture as Workmanship
Chapter Three: Eye-Hand-Mind Fusion 070
Experimentation and the Art of Play
Skill and Boredom
Eye, Hand and Mind
Chapter Four: The Drawing Hand 088
Drawing and the Self
Tactility of Drawing
The Computerised Hand
Primacy of Touch: Hapticity of Self-image
Unconscious Touch in Artistic Experience
Chapter Five: Embodied Thinking 106
Creative Fusion
The Work of Thinking: The Value of Uncertainty
Resistance, Tradition and Freedom
Thinking Through the Senses
Embodied Memory and Thought
Existential Knowledge
Chapter Six: Body, Self and Mind 122
The Body as Site
The World and the Self
The World and the Mind
Existential Space in Art
Chapter Seven: Emotion and Imagination 130
Reality of Imagination
The Gift of Imagination
Reality of Art
Art and Emotion
Artistic Experience as Exchange
Chapter Eight: Theory and Life 140
Theory and Making
Opposition of Theory and Making
Architecture as Image of Life
The Task of Art
Index 153
Photo credits 159
by "Nielsen BookData"