Psychocity: Manifesting Unconscious Desires into Conscious Representation

Abstract

Currently there is inattention to our unconsciousness as designers and how there is a consistent negligence towards unconscious thought. Examining the role of the unconscious, psychoanalysis and corresponding theoretical frameworks of Jacques Lacan (1901-1981) the French psychoanalyst, this thesis posits itself between the practice of psychoanalysis and the practice of architecture. One of the central concepts of Lacanian psychoanalysis is the concept of unconscious Desire where, through the course of psychoanalysis, the analysand/subject comes to articulate their Desire through speech; however, there is a limit to how far Desire can be articulated in speech. Desire is not necessarily incompatible with speech but the unconscious cannot be fully spoken or made conscious, whereas speech is all we have (according to Lacan) to articulate the truth of Desire. This thesis speculates on architectural representation as methodologies to not only bring the subject closer to their Desire but to manifest Desire into a visual form – transcending the limitations of speech. By exploring the theoretical framework of Lacanian psychoanalysis this thesis speculates on the integration of psychoanalytic treatment, theory and architectural representation. Through the use of the representational tools of an architect, this thesis intends to arouse (un)expected readings of the subject’s Desire through a provocative architectural language. The execution of the project relies on an active engagement between the subject, (both author and viewer) and the work. It is imperative for the subject to name, articulate and bring this Desire into existence–allowing for an emergence of genuine readings of the subject’s own unconscious. Through visualisation, provocation and signification, the body of work generated by this thesis will ultimately perform as a series of analysts that will assist in the stimulation of our unconsciousness. Subjects must continuously ask themselves, what this piece of work is trying to tell them. What does it want them to know? For this thesis to engage convincingly with psychoanalysis and its visual articulation, it must abandon existing conventions embedded within contemporary architectural representation. Current architectural methods are defined, finite and dangerously conscious. To generate genuine readings and free associations, the work produced by this thesis does not adhere to conventional methods– allowing the unconscious to flow freely and not be restricted by architectural datum.