Atmosphere I

The atmosphere can be reconstructed with its components that accumulate in the same plane and define the atmosphere's irregular contour. [ı] In order to rebuild this concept, it needs to be revealed its correlated concepts that share the different combinations of the components of the atmosphere, such as 'essence,' '-scape,' 'genius loci,' 'ambiance | aura,' 'stimmung | mood,' 'carnival' and 'anchor' which are the other side of the form.  These concepts, in which atmosphere correlates by branching off, have emerged with the condensation of atmosphere components in different parts on the same plane and the creation of various relations in different planes. In this way, the hidden meanings of atmosphere and the zones of this concept have emerged. These correlated concepts shed light on this concept's components, define the relations it establishes, and guide in drawing its contour. The atmosphere's components form its conceptual personae that can be considered a specific characteristic of concepts. The atmosphere as a concept has a history as ‘’there are usually bits or components that come from other concepts''. It has become as it ''branches off toward other concepts that are differently composed but that constitute other regions of the same plane''. It has intensive components as they are ‘’the point of coincidence, condensation, or accumulation of its components''. It is incorporeal as ''it is the act of thought, it is thought operating at infinite (although greater or lesser) speed''; It is both absolute as a whole and relative as being fragmentary; it is not discursive as ‘’it does not link propositions together’’.

‘’Atmosphere, understood in the broad sense of a psychosomatic climate, is the overall perceptual, sensory, and emotive impression of a space or a situation.’’ [ıı] The atmosphere that can be perceived through emotional sensibility is engaged with senses. The atmosphere is the space in which we inhabit. Each place offers sensory experiences, and the atmosphere makes the sensible properties of a place recognizable.  These sensible properties can be considered the immediate experiential qualities of places. The atmosphere made up of the sensory experience shapes the space by manipulating people's emotional responses. This emotional response relates to the perceptual impression of a space. In other words, the space emits sensation, and people perceive it unconsciously or semiconsciously. This perception is a sense-based experience. That is to say, the atmosphere that forms the perceptual, sensory, and emotive impression provides these experiences. That being said, in order to reconsider the concept of atmosphere, it needs to be revealed its correlated concepts that share the different combinations of the components of the atmosphere, such as 'essence,' '-scape,' 'genius loci,' 'ambiance | aura,' 'stimmung | mood,' 'carnival' and 'anchor' which are the other side of the form.

[ı] Component: According to Deleuze & Guattari, each concept has intensive/condensing components that come from other ones. Components become parts of the concept as they specify its aspects on creation; therefore, they are inseparable. ''Every concept has an irregular contour defined by the sum of its components’’. In other words, these components heterogeneously accumulate or condensate in same plane and identify the zone of each concept. ‘’The concept is a whole because it totalizes its components, but it is a fragmentary whole’’. It is because concepts are in a continual state of becoming, and their components continuously create variable links with one another.

A digital analysis process was carried out to reconstruct the atmosphere's concept with its components and to illuminate its branches that extend to other concepts. This process has illuminated the most condensed and inseparable components on the way such as, ‘sense', ‘sensory experience’, ‘perception’, ‘production’, ‘place’, ‘space’ ‘emotion’, ‘body’, ‘mood’, 'interaction', ‘moment’ etc. This process also points out that these components also accumulate in the same plane but have ordinate relations with correlated concepts of the atmosphere. There is an infographic of the result of the digital analysis process that also shows components of the atmosphere. (https://graphcommons.com/graphs/bae787c4-cc50-401d-a657-3d9bf0da3586)

Deleuze G. & Guattari F., What is Philosophy? trans. Hugh Tomlinson and Graham Burchell. New York: Columbia University Press, 1994, p.62

[ıı] Journal of Architectural Education (JAE) is a biennial journal that has been a reference for architectural education research and interpretation since 1947. The March 2019 issue of the magazine is based on the concept of the atmosphere. The articles in issue deal with the atmosphere from different perspectives, while Bressani & Sprecher approached this concept from a phenomenological perspective. They emphasized that the atmosphere is a concept that can be perceived, experienced, and produced, and they associated all of these with sensuality and experience of space.

Bressani, M. & Sprecher, A. (2019). Atmospheres. Journal of Architectural Education. 73:1, p.2

This study prepared within the scope of a graduate course MIM 505, at TOBB ETU, faculty of architecture. The main objective of the study is to rebuild the concept of atmosphere from a broader perspective. In order to create a structure and determine a frame for the study, a digital analysis and re-reading process were carried out within linked three different phases. These three phases involve determining the sources with the database ‘Web of Science’, exposing the relations between these sources via ‘VOSviewer', re-reading through digital scanning over obtained information by the help of ‘Voyant tools’. This process of digital analysis offered an environment for re-reading and re-constructing of the concept of atmosphere. Also, for the study, a comprehensive infographic that shows how the concept of atmosphere was reconstructed was prepared. (Https://graphcommons.com/graphs/bae787c4-cc50-401d-a657-3d9bf0da3586)