The Feeling of Space

A richly illustrated exploration of humanity’s drive to shape life as a spatial project, from Plato’s time to the digital era.


Place is something real, but space is generally conceived as abstract and immaterial. In The Feeling of Space, Christopher Bardt explores this damaging modern binary and traces the contradictory impulses that have dematerialized our sense of space through history: fear and wonder; a yearning for the infinite and intimate; and the need for autonomy and belonging. Using rich illustrations and examinations of art, technology, and philosophy, Bardt argues that if we can get back to first feeling space, then we can treat space as the substance that gives agency to our intersubjectivity—the exchange of conscious and unconscious thoughts we have with others.

Expertly connecting ideas with clear examples from lived experiences, Bardt’s revolutionary framework will appeal to a broad readership, particularly those who are interested in the theoretical and philosophical aspects of spaces. In an age where digital media has dissolved, instead of increased, our sense of connection, The Feeling of Space shows that when we learn to experience space as a medium as real as a place, we not only see ourselves as inherently spatialized beings, but we can also rebuild the bonds that tie us together.Introduction
1. Building the World of Space
2. From the Local to the Infinite
3. The Origins of Social Space
4. Space Shapes Us
5. Imagining Place
6. The Space of Imagination
7. Between Space and Material
8. Our Cognition of Space
9. Knowing Space: Conflicts between the Physical and Abstract
10. The Space of Discontent
11. Changing Representations of Space
12. Modernity: Space as Movement
13. Dissolving the Bounds of Space
14. From Genius Loci to Networks
15. The Space of Participation
Epilogue
Bibliography“The Feeling of Space is a thorough and carefully constructed exploration of an old but crucial question in philosophy that has affected modern architecture since the late nineteenth century. Bardt untangles modern misunderstandings of spatial philosophy masterfully with timely analysis.”
—Alberto Pérez-Gómez, Saidye R. Bronfman Professor Emeritus in Architecture, McGill University; author of Attunement: Architectural Meaning after the Crisis of Modern Science and Built upon Love: Architectural Longing after Ethics and Aesthetics
 
“Christopher Bardt’s The Feeling of Space is an inspiring argument for the intertwining essence of space and place, of subjectivity and objectivity. Bardt’s new book addresses one of today’s greatest challenges: the divorce of thought and feeling.”
—Steven Holl, Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Principal, Steven Holl Architects
 
“Bardt takes us from place to place, space to space, lingering at each stop to reflect on its substance and meaning, specific and generic. Nuanced and thought-provoking.”
—Barbara Tversky, Professor of Psychology, Emerita, Stanford University, author of Mind in Motion: How Action Shapes Thought

“This is an important and provocative study of the messy intertwining of space, place, and experience. Bardt challenges our worn assumptions and invites us to recover the feeling of space. This book will be of interest to anyone wanting to explore the theoretical preconditions that make such a shift in perspective possible.”
—Lambros Malafouris, author, An Anthropological Guide to the Art and Philosophy of Mirror Gazing; Professor of Cognitive and Anthropological Archaeology, University of Oxford
 
“Participation in the social spaces of cultural institutions, Bardt argues, reconnects the abstract and concrete dimensions of space and place. His insightful studies of buildings, paintings, poetry, and philosophy will dramatically refocus architectural discourse and design.”
—David Leatherbarrow, author, Building Time: Architecture, event, and experience; Emeritus Professor of Architecture, University of PennsylvaniaChristopher Bardt is Professor of Architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design, a founding principal of 3sixØ Architecture, and the author of Material and Mind (MIT Press).