The Power of Negative Space By Arno de Villiers Architect and Contractor CBC1255481 Ph 239-‐571-‐7585
I was going to call this article, “The Power of Negative Thinking”, but y’all would then know for sure that I was crazy! And so I came up with something more explanatory. My fellow architects all just love the buildings they design, as I do too. They would look at their drawings from all angles and just hope that others would appreciate their genius as much as they did themselves. But alas my fellows, people care less about buildings and more about the quality of the lives they are leading in the towns and villages where they live. Look at this well-‐known image:
You will either see the vase or the twin faces. When the vase is image you see, it becomes the figure and the black area behind is the ground or background, hence the term “figure ground” for
this kind of graphic. You might either see the vase as the positive image and the background as the negative image or vice versa. Negative space is the space that surrounds an object in an image. Just as important as that object itself, negative space helps to define the boundaries of positive space and brings balance to a composition especially when they occupy approximately the same area. Artists have had a field day with this idea. Here are a few examples that will help you learn to mentally invert what seems obvious and discover something else of meaning.
Wikipedia tells us that, “Figure and Ground is a concept drawn from Gestalt psychology by media theorist Marshall McLuhan, which in his work underpins the meaning of his famous phrase, "The medium is the message". He used this concept to explain how a communications technology, the medium or figure, necessarily operates through its context, or ground. McLuhan believed that to fully grasp the impact of a new technology, one must examine figure (medium) and ground (context) together, since neither is completely intelligible without the other. McLuhan argued that we must study media in their historical context, particularly in relation to those technologies that preceded them. The present environment, itself made up of the effects of previous technologies, gives rise to new technologies, which, in their turn, further affect society and individuals.” Now take a look at the image below that is a portion of a well-‐ known 1748 map of Rome by Nolli.
In the positive print on the left, the buildings are in black and the external spaces between the buildings are white. The opposite is
true in the negative image on the right. Notice the balance of positive and negative spaces. This emphasizes the fact that besides beautiful buildings, it is the beauty of the spaces between buildings that make Rome such a pleasant city. What I would like architects, town planners and developers to understand is that they should view the buildings that they create in context or in relation to the other buildings around them. For individuals, the design of their homes and places of work are important, but once they leave and step outside, the town or village they live in becomes their home. Outside they should experience the same sense of comfort, protection, variety, design quality and convenience as they do inside. Now tell me, which of the cities in the town plans below provide the most variety in its outdoor environment?
How much attention is given to the scale, texture and design of the outdoor spaces and nearby amenities is given to our modern neighborhoods? Sadly, the answer is, “Very Little!” We can however remedy the situation in our new developments by learning to invert the images of our buildings and give equal time to applying the principles of design and convenience to the spaces between them.
Thank you Marshall McLuhan!