Heidegger's Thinking

This week we venture our mind into Heidegger's philosophy on architecture.

It does really enlighten me of the other aspect of dwelling apart from just merely define it as a building. Heidegger's Andenken (genuine thought) had implied that the four folds which are, sky, earth, mortal and divinities are ought to be constituted in dwelling. World and thing are interdependent, building as a thing to open up a world meanwhile setting it back on the earth. To achieve the divine, the fourfolds must be brought through the act of building, preserving truth, generates ultimate Gestalt of that context it takes place. That is to dwell poetically. And, language keeps the world, but is used to say a world. Man's access to the world is through listening and responding to language.

Greek temple, a precinct, concealment encloses the figure of God stands in the rock cleft valley, what does it reveal as a precinct, that mortals would feel the presence of God in there? The thinking of Heidegger had remind me that, this building is not merely just constructed without thoughts during the ancient time. It had successfully dwell the God with the classic porticos standing gorgeously at the chapped valley. With its context, the boundary had been defined, what should be presencing is already there, open up a world to the mortals.
"The divinities are the beckoning messengers of the godhead. 0ut of the holy sway of the godhead, the god appears in his presence or withdraws into his concealment. When we speak of the divinities, we are already thinking of the other three along with them, but we give no thought to the simple oneness of the four"

Talking about man made and nature, that is kind of enlightening when reading through the Heidegger's thinking about the bridge gathers the earth as landscape around the stream. It's true. Nature is beautiful but infinite. Existence of man made elements had actually enhance the beauty but yet define a bouandary. The bridge does not just connect the banks that are already there. It makes a place comes into presence! At the same time the element emerges as what they are. To adopt it, i would say that an wooden chalet in the middle of the rainforest will simply capture man's attention and it is telling the man of the beauty of the rainforest with the existence of human being live in it. Rather than a man will see nothing but trees while standing in the rainforest without any man made things in it. Dwelling will be an enhancement of nature.

An inhabited landscape, which is also known landscape, brought close to us by building. Building is also justified as a place where human life takes place. Building are location and the location admits fourfold and installs the fourfold. Space is provided for locations. A location does have boundary yet boundary doesn't mean where it stops, it's the place that the truth presencing. Boundary and threshold are constituent element of place. Therefore, a place and space is to be said that having its own truth manifesting.

Dwelling is not building. Building is a former, dwelling is its goal. Stadium is a building but not dwelling, school is a building but not dwelling. What is the standard measure of dwelling indeed? Others than the essential needs of a mortal, shelter, air, light etc, dwelling does mean a quality of living. The work of architecture is not just an abstract organization of space, it is an embodied Gestalt, brings the inhabited landscape close to man, let him dwell poetically. This is the aim of architecture. Without considering this aspect in architecture, architecture will be just a piece of mute work.

To tell story, to give insight Gestalt, the word opens up the world. Man dwells in language. Poetry speaks in image. Language always give the Gestalt, language beautify Gestalt. In conveying message, language is the only way. With merely images, we would emphasizing the different aspects as humans have different perception. With language, we reiceive what one tells, we see the Gestalt of truth.


To be frankly, i didn't have a chance to pay a visit to any spiritual place around.
Yet, i have a clear memory/ Gestalt of the church i used to go in my hometown. I would share my thoughts here.

It's a christianity church, which dwells Jesus Christ in it. The church is not as much ornamentated as what in ancient time, with rose windows, vault kind of aisles etc, it is just purely a catheral with straight alignment funishing, white and holy. Cross in the middle of the front wall. The overall layout of church is mirrored. A long aisle from the entrance access directly to the cross. It too means that Jesus Christ will forgive repentance who come directly to Him, there are no obstructions when one is willing to believe in Him.

We feel ease in the church, the ceiling is high and the ridge get rid of suppression, we therefore open up ourselves to God, to worship in joy.

The tower of cross is standing there on the earth, to the sky, with a hollow metal bell in top, beckoning people to come towards Christ.

It's the church, which i find myself peacefully dwelling in.