Atmospheres of Abuse

2022

Atmospheres of abuse linger within our sentient thoughts and interact with our terrestrial surroundings.

The generic conception of home in New Zealand indulges notions such as happiness, family, wealth, and, a roof and four walls. In fact, this is a vast misconception.

Atmospheres of abuse are rife within New Zealand homes. Half of all homicides in New Zealand are committed by a family member, (Family Violence Death Review Committee, 2014) and, New Zealand also has the highest rate of family violence in the developed world. (Te Rito Wellington, 2016)

This attitude is reflected throughout design research titled, ‘a (very) one sided conversation’. Such research identifies and describes the characteristics of abuse within the home and then reflects on the articulated ideas embodied within the generated artifacts. Throughout this research process, evaluations were made considering the development of artefact and spatial strategies. Abstracted subjective and spatial qualities were sought after, including; plentiful material and textural contrast, traces of occupation, variety of form, proportion, composition, transparency, focal field and history. This process of defining and redefining spatial values and compositions has led to the development of the idea becoming embodied within the artefact, and therefore, the process itself.

It has become apparent through research that the defined, reflected and curated atmospheres are generated by perspective of the speculated occupant. This occupancy is viewed through surveilled memories, portraying scenes of an abusive history without a direct reference to human inhabitance. Objects, or rather abstracted traces of objects, are strewn throughout the linear translucent sheets. It has become the experience that defines the atmospheres of abuse rather than the object, yet, the object helps to define a tableau that the atmosphere has generated. Atmospheres of abuse linger within our sentient thoughts and interact with our terrestrial surroundings, obscuring our perspective of what is in fact real.