Abstract:
Craft-making holds a contemplative power; as Richard Sennett mentions, ‘we
become the thing on which we are working’. When we devote our attention
and senses to making, we are temporarily insulated from the outside world and
the running thoughts in our minds. We simply feel and think with our hands.
This thesis explores the therapeutic nature of ceramic-making and how architecture
can accommodate its healing purposes. During ceramic making, mental
and physical energy is transferred into made-objects, in which the maker
becomes dependent on their fundamental bodily senses - the act of movement
and altering of the clay. With this process in mind, the thesis aims to accentuate
the importance of tactile sensation and earth materials, and to integrate both
concepts with experiential spaces and interior objects to manifest the notion of
merging therapeutic crafting-making and architecture.
With the aim to discover the correlation between ceramics and architecture,
research is undertaken in three subsequent categories: the psychological
impact of the act of making, clay architecture and spatial sensation. The three
categories are then taken into account and complement the design process of
the thesis. The chosen design methodology is an exercise of thinking through
object-making conducted in three corresponding stages, which results in the
creation of a library of unique architectural vocabularies that center around
the idea of healing and reflection on the notion of craft. This contemplative
exercise demonstrates an array of sensorial spatial qualities and architectural
propositions derived from a series of ceramic models - all of which respond
to a range of human tactile experiences encountered during the act of ceramic
making.
The research accumulates into the thesis’ design proposal; a community ceramics
studio located in Taipei, Taiwan. It aims to accommodate a communal
crafting space for studios’ occupants to find joy within the simplicity of ‘action-
and-creation’, and to find comfort in the healing qualities of the process.
With this, the thesis operates in twofold - to emphasize the importance of ‘subtle-
approach’ in improving communities’ mental well-being, and demonstrate
the potential of playful architectural intervention in preventing mental health
issues within the context of contemporary urban environments.