The Split Wall: Domestic Voyeurism Beatriz ColomSexsalty and Space “Touives ro LEAVE TRACES," sites Walter Benjamin, nds: cussing the birth of the interior. “In te interior chese are empha- Sized. An abundance of covers and protectors, liners and cases is Alevsed, on which the traces of object of everyday ute are imprinted. The traces ofthe occupant also leave their impression ‘onthe interior, The detective story that fllows these traces comes ino being... The eriminals ofthe Fst deceive novelsate neither gentlemen nor apache, but private members ofthe bourgeois.” “There is an interior in the detective novel. But can there be a Aetective story ofthe interior itself, ofthe hidden mechanisms by which space is constructed a interioe? Which may be to sy, 3 Aexectve story of detection itself, ofthe contalling look, the look ‘of contrl, che contalled look. But were would the traces of the look be imprinted? What do we have ro go on? Wh cle? There is an unknown passage ofa well-known book, Le Cor- Ibosers Urine (1929), which reads: "Loos told me one day:'A clivated man docs not look out ofthe winds his window isa ‘ground glass is there only to let the light in, not to let the eaze pss through." It points to conspiouous yee conspicuously ‘ignored feature of Loos houses: not only are the windows either ‘opaque or covered with sheer curtains, but the organization ofthe spacrs and the disposition ofthe builcin furniture (dhe émmeubl) seems tohinder access to them, A saison placed atthe footof| 1 Wier Benjamin, "Paris, Capita of te Nizcenth Century in eins, tra Edin Jp (New Yr: Seok Hooks, 186, pesse 2 on mafiemscun jou: "Us bomme civ ne rare pa para fener fnere et en vere pa cle not Igoe pour der de Tamir on pour ister pascr regard” Le Carbs, iin (Pari 13s) p74. When the Book epi in Engh ner the ide ‘The iyo Tere Panay, tens Frederick Echl(New York von) ee wentence ead re ened wo me: No nelige man ‘er bots ou of his widow his window i male of ground lasts aly Fein wo ein ight aa to lookout (op 1-186, In this treat, Lod name at Been placed by a em” Wa Loot “obo” Fr Etchells, ce th jet anater example of he id of miguoderstanding that ed othe tasrasaon of he le ofthe book? Perhaps it as Le Corus timslf wo decided terse Lot me. OF 2 feet order, bu oles symptomatic, the misranlation of Taser pase erga (ete gat steph) at" oak oat of" ft eso the es tha the gae might ake na were eo ow independent of the beholder, This could only happes ia France! 2 Fat for Hans Brarmeel, Pen, 929 edrooc with soe eet the window 3 Maller Howe, Prag, 130 window s0 8 to postion the occupants with their back ti c= ing the room (Suse 2). Thisever happens with the windows that Took into other interior spaces-as in the sting area ofthe ld lounge ofthe Maller house (Prague, 1930) (igure 3). Moreover, ‘upon entering 3 Loos interior one's body is continually earned around 0 face the space one just moved dhrough, eather than the "upcoming space or the space outside, With each turn, each return Took, the body is arrested Looking the photographs, iis easy to imagine oneself in these precise, static positions, usally ini- ‘ated by the unoccupied urnitae, The photographs suggest that itis intended tha these spacis be comprohended by occupation, by using this farniure, by “entering” the photograph, by inhabit- Iprsennizcn hl Sse ba orev ner hiya rang, ptogephs or Srp tosSesualty and Space Inthe Meller house (Vienna, 1928) there i arise siting area ‘off she ving room with a sof act against the window: Although fone cnt sce out the window ts presence is strongly fle. The bookshelves surrounding the sofi and the light coming from behind e sigges a comfortable nook for reading (figure 4). Bat comfort in this space is more than just sensual, for there aso a psychological dimension. A sense of security is produced by the position of the couch, the placement ofits occupants, against the Tight. Anyone who, ascending the stars from the entrance (sea rather dark passage, enters the living room, would take a few moments to recognize a person siting inthe couch. Conversely, any intusion would soon be detected by a person cecupying his aa, just as an actor entering the stage is immediately seen by a spectator ina theater bo (gute , 5) Loos refers to the ide ofthe theater box in noting that “the smallness of a theater box would be unbearable fone cold not Took out into the large space beyond."* While Kull, and later ‘Mina, read this comment in terms ofthe economy of space pro= vided by the Raunplay, they overlook ie prychological dim son. For Loos, the theater box exists 3 he intersection between claustrophobin and agoraphobia.s This. spail-psychologieal device could alo be read in tems of power, regimes of control inside the house. The raised sitting area ofthe Moller house pro- vides the occupant with a vantage poine overlooking the interior ‘Comtfor in this space is related to both intimacy al control This areas the most inmate ofthe sequence of living spaces, yet, paradoxically, rather than being at dhe heart ofthe house tis 16 Lindwig Mand Gast Kath, Der Ack A Las (Viena om Ardea (Lon, 1966.8: "We may clo mind an ‘lerraton by Adal ace unde down cou by Heise Kalla, shat tus bev ings spre boy eace poe wesec ope er ‘he design of smal boss, y inking 3 hgh main 0m with Toe ‘beeen cascrophobi and agoraphobia. This dct already found in Rae" Teysog, “The Discs ofthe Domi,” Asem 6 (98895 4 Moller Howe, Vienna, 1938 The used iting aso the ving rom, ‘Moller Hou.