Evaluation of spatial experience and its representation in the context of multisensoriality

The individual's life comprises the processes of elaboration and information of space where experienced through bodily senses. Holistic perception and comprehension of space are examined by mental creations that are developed in cognitive processes which are triggered by sensorial. Focusing on the representation that reveals the relation between individual's mental creation and space, it is treated as a thinking medium that enables to -new- spatial comprehensions rather than a tool that transfers architectural tectonics. As space is experienced in visual dominance, the representation that enables for evaluating experiential triggered cognitive processes causes to production in the visual format that appeals to the sense of sight. In architectural design practice, the requirement of transferring the quantitative information of space is produced with visual dominance as well as caused to disregarding multisensorial experience of space. While investigating how, what, why representation does represent, in architectural design practice that treats Cartesian understanding which transformed the space to abstract-mathematical systems is highlighted. When it is thought that the representation methods reveal the relation between individual and space; cartesian understanding that serves visual dominance because it enables the production of representation with mathematical symbols in the framework of architectural design must be questioned. As Cartesian understanding conflicts with the dynamic, relational and experiential integrity of individual with space; space can be comprehended with the phenomenological approach that examines the information of cognitive and physical processes of experience rather than Cartesian understanding that separates the individual from space by rational and mathematical notions. Within the scope of this thesis, while researching the relation and triggered cognitive process between individual and space; it is emphasized the experientiality of space rather than quantitative on produced representations. Due to not being anticipating the spatial experience, representation of architectural tectonics of space is criticized. Measurable as a quantitative approach which is the root of Cartesian understanding presents architectural representation methods as visual objects. It is argued that it does not an adequate system in process of evaluating and transferring multisensorial experience and comprehension which is related with individual and space. So, it is aimed to highlight the representation of spatial experience instead of space where is experienced multisensorial. An alternative representation model that emphasizes the experiential senses to contribute the production, information and comprehension of space is presented through deciphering representation methods that includes all layer about the relation between individual and space. The study mainly indicates that spatial experience consists of the whole of all fragments, gathered through motion, sensation and cognition. Within this framework, the thesis is examined in five main chapters. In the first chapter, purpose, scope and research method of the thesis are illustrated. Also, the content and relational network, that effected processes of information about the physical environment are explained. The second chapter includes definitions and interpretations about notions such as individual and space, experience, representation and ocularcentrism that are emerged during the evaluation of the relation between individual and space through the representation. Highlighting the unity of individual and space through bodily experiences and mental creations, ocularcentrism that becomes focus behavior of physical and mental experience processes is criticized. By elaborating related notions, representation conceptualized as thinking and evaluating medium between individual and space, so it can be read some kind of relation type between individual and space. Knowledge of representation and cognitive processes that related to bodily and spatial experiences is elaborated in chapter three. This chapter based on questions which are: "What the effective practices in understanding process his/her existence in the physical environment, and how it works?" and "What/how/why does representation represent?" and then chapter developed with accordingly. For this, information and evaluation are given about cognitive processes and representation methods in architectural design. With intangible processes that are based on spatial experience developed in brain, people gains spatial perception, comprehension and memory and then, these determine the behavior of individual. The holistic spatial perception of individual is explained with comprehension through the mental (intangible) creation that created by the sensory triggered neurophysiological processes. That's why the experience-based thinking and information of the individual is conceptualized as a (mental) intangible representation. And producing with tangible tools is conceptualizes as a (physical) tangible representation which is examined during the thesis. Producing process of representation that is transferred by individual the multisensorial experience and experience-based holistic perception of space through the representation tools and methods in architectural design are examined. Questioning about "why does representation represent?" examined through staging in processes of architectural design and practice. With the question that: "What/how/why does representation represent?" the representations that based on vision dominance and address to sense of sight are deciphered by 2-dimensonal and 3-dimensional tools of traditional representation. Due to representation provides to improve the spatial relation of individual, the necessity of representation that should represent the "how space get experienced?" instead of "what is space?" is emphasized. The product of representation whether tangible or virtual is re-experiential being, hence it emphasized that is enabled to folding the mental creation of relation with space. The fourth chapter of the thesis includes spatial examples that are experienced multisensoriality. Researches that are executed about multisensorial experience in space scale are questioned through used representation methods. These examples were selected due to emphasizing multisensory experience that occurs at various spatial scales. It is anticipated that the tools and methods of representation used in these studies are different from traditional representation because of the comprehension way of spatial experience. At the end of the examination of examples, representation of the memory and comprehension of spatial experience is considered as an environment in which an individual can evaluate the spatial experience and develop his cognitive processes. In this context, multisensorial representation that can be set the representation methods free from Cartesian understanding and ocularcentrism is presented. The concept of multisensorial representation, which is derived from criticism and research on the centrality of traditional representation techniques and developed by inductive analysis, is extended by detailing how the production process should proceed. So, in order to emphasize the subjectivity of experience and its representation, "Dialogue in the Dark Experiential Exhibition" which presents in the exhibition area of Gayrettepe Metro Station is experienced by myself. Also, multisensorial representation of this experience is produced. By transferring the details of the subjective multisensorial representation production process; multisensoriality of spatial experience and effects on the cognitive processes of representation are emphasized. In the last chapter, all concepts in the thesis and individual's spatial comprehension and memory are examined through the effects of multisensorial experience and multisensorial representation process of "Dialogue in the Dark." Production of multisensorial representation of spatial experience allows to gaining new comprehensions by other individuals who experienced it. Also, it allows to folding and deepening the memory of space by the process of production.