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RP03_Carlos Espinoza

Peter Sloterdjik and Silvia Beneditto address complementary aspects regarding the relevance of
atmospheres within landscapes design. Moreover, whereas Silvias Landscape and Atmosphere revolves
around how the manipulation of atmospheric components shape our senses and behavior in terms of
bioclimatic comfort and delight, Sloterdjiks work focuses on how those sensorial appropriation redounds in
the construction of different semantics and cultural valuation that opens path to allow a space for
democracy. Thus, since the overarching topic of the latter involves the former, I will start analyzing
Sloterdjiks Atmospheric politics.

For the author, the conditions that make democracy possible do not rely in the power of different social
collectives while exercising their judgement; on contrary, it is a by-product of the ability to wait the
power. In other words, in how people wait and let others manifest their beliefs: Democracy is possible
through the atmospheric design that promotes waiting rooms, promoting a behavior that disarms unilateral
exercise of freedom of speech while fostering its negotiation between multiple perspectives (Sloterdjik,
2005). The author points out that the promotion of the specified behavior will depend in the interaction
between the action and observation of the user and with the semantics of the spaces semiotics. Whereas the
former will be needed to construct meaning and value from the territory, the observing is required to let
others do the same.

Regarding the cultural appropriation of a landscape semantics, the author refers to the Heideggerian concept
of being there as a by-product of a temporal notion of humanity, understanding it as a verb rather than as a
noun. (Heidegger, 1994) Therefore, both landscape and culture are constantly shaping each other. Whereas
the formers symbols and semantics suggest certain behavior over its users; the latters cultural values
appropriate its symbologys semantics and adopt a behavior that ends up reshaping the landscapes lecture
and objects. Thus, the act of being-there is a temporal and cultural construct that can be channelized,
through an atmospheric design, to open a possibility for the spatial dimension of democracy.

Finally, the author makes a parallel between the greenhouse as the artificial atmosphere that accommodates
different plants, within a shared climate, with the house of being as an acclimatization of alien human
collectives to coexist with the rest of societys otherness. (Sloterdjik, 2005) For instance, Sloterdijk points
out the consolidation of the Greek polis through the acceptance of uprooting people who gave up their
isolated modus vivendi for the sake of living collectively under the umbrella of a shared and different way
of being-there. In other words, our civilized world is product of an artificial atmosphere that shelters
mankind from the savage nature and from our own despotic way of being-there.

On the other hand, Silvia Beneditto analyses the tempering environments for human well-being and delight
as a central factor of design practice. Atmospheres then, can be designed to generate an objective climate for
human well being and also generate an aesthetic impact that can be sensed and owned by its users
(subjective). Moreover, she analyzes the Paley Park project in New York as a new an approach to deal with
the deficit of green and comfortable and purified air in consolidated neighborhoods by fostering a network
of small scale parks rather than big scale spaces. Through the manipulation of sound, water, temperature and
visuals of the park recreates an atmospheric refuge for those who seek a place to rest from the noise,
pollution and the speed of urban lifestyle.
I agree with both authors in the sense that atmospheres design is an important tool for the landscapes social
and tangible construction. However, it is not the only one. It is important to emphasize that there are other
factors guiding social behavior, which goes beyond any spatial determinism, like culture or the privatization
of public space, for instance. Lastly, it is critical for the current design praxis to ask themselves what ways
of being-there will be promoted and which will be neglected. Questions that depart from an attempt of
projecting the values of certain ideals of individuals: its aesthetic, ethic,etc. Thus, every design exercise is
always political since its appropriation will be always subject to be assimilated or contested by its user
(observer)

Bibliography

1. Heiddeger, M. 1994. Construir, habitar, pensar. In Conferencias y artculos. Barcelona, Espaa:


Ed. Odos

2. Latour, Bruno. 2005. Making Things Public: Atmospheres of Democracy, edited by Bruno
Latour.

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