Sarah Maria Schroeter
Falling Silent. RWTH Aachen (Germany)
I live in a busy, bustling city that constantly demands one’s attention; at the same time, I have a distinct longing for silence. So, whenever I get the chance, I visit a nearby church and enjoy sitting there on the pew for a couple of minutes; taking in the space in peace. I came to realize that, seemingly regardless of magnitude or year of construction, several of these buildings clearly tempt you to speak in a whisper or even to fall silent altogether, while others do not.
Could we identify a set of architectural characteristics of such a space?
To get closer to an answer, I compiled a personal glossary of stillness and silence in architecture. It is a collection of fragments: phenomena, references, terms and personal experiences. They are intended to collect, visualize, organize and relate. Some are interviews, some contemplations of artwork or literature, some examine specific architectural terms, practices or places, some are linguistic reflections.
In addition to these intellectual exercises, I wanted to put my insights into action:
The island La Certosa in the Venetian lagoon is a place steeped in history, its southern shore having formerly been home to the silent Carthusians and their monastery.
The task, fittingly, is a house for the spiritual exercises according to Ignatius of Loyola - instructions for contemplation and prayer, which are mostly carried out in silence.
Falling silent is quite a personal matter. Several architectural qualities seem however to be momentous: To fall silent, one needs a space of contemplation that is sheltered: “Silent” architecture understands distance, concentration, and scale. Being a guest, or quite generally being challenged by the unknown, departing from familiarity, is beneficial. Architecture that contains an element of unavailability, something unpredictable, which eludes one ‘s own control and insight, can inspire resonance and stillness.
SCHUNCK cannot guarantee the correctness of content and expression. The participants themselves are responsible for their entries. The copyright of the projects underlies to the authors, any reproduction or use of the shown material is strictly forbidden.