Choreographies of Inhabitation: an investigation into visual, auditory and spatial relationships

This paper investigates the notion of occupation as dynamic physical and multisensory relationships within architectural environments. Our study specifically focuses on the construction of myriad relationships between physical, visual and auditory articulations of space, and how these shape human activities and interactions. By drawing on literature from the areas of visual and acoustic ecology (Gibson, Truax, Schafer) we seek to frame the notion of human occupation as temporal interrelations between acoustic arenas, soundmarks, and sonic events, as well as their visual equivalents. Additionally, we use Brian Massumi's discussion of synaesthetic fusion, movement and sensation as a philosophical tool for interrogating these interrelations. For the design project we have nominated a site within RMIT University's city campus in Melbourne, Australia. The applied research methods include the auditory and visual capture of environmental data via video, still photography and stereo recording techniques. We subsequently produce a series of sound and video compositions, constructing new spatiotemporal and sensory relations from the material captured within Bowen Street. This approach serves as a technique for initiating a qualitative design proposition for the site that shifts modes of occupation through visual and auditory interventions. The paper concludes with speculations about the significance of interrelations between visual and auditory spaces in designing environments for human occupation