MODERN PANOPTICON

 

key words:
Panopticon
(the invisible prison guard / prisoner always being watched)
KAIT workshop
(borderless /  monitor each other)
privacy in semi-public spaces
open working space / offices
efficiency and subjective initiative      
prisoners dilemma 
Foucault - Space and power
space level reflect political power
privacy in public own space
early American factory
- open working space
humanistic meaning
KAIT blur the boundary between inside and outside
-optimistic opinion
Transparency

Ishigami's kait workshop is a extreme test of blurring the boundary between inside and outside, according to his own words, he build this super crystal space to create a dream like scenery that people can enjoy the environment while working in this workshop.

A group of GSAPP students went there.The super clean space and open space give them a deep impression, they were there during weekends, so there isn't anyone working inside, but the space is open to public, so they can touch the thin columns and observe the space from inside and outside.This nearly 100% transparent glasses make the enclosing surface almost invisible.

It's not the first building that use glass walls to make space become lighter and open. Mills van der rohe's Farnsworth house begins this trend and have been declared a masterpiece of modern architecture.The building design also received accolades in the architectural press, resulting in swarms of uninvited visitors trespassing on the property to glimpse this latest Mies building. Which shows the serious problem of this design. Transparent glass can't make you away from other people's sight. Psychologically people can't feel safe without enclosing wall. Some people can not even sleep in transparent boxes.

Foucault's panopticon has been regarded as one of the most inhuman design in history. He established this relationship between prison guards and prisoners, which guards can not be seen, prisoners always under monitoring.They are even monitoring each other. By simply manipulate this "seen and be seen"

authorities have been built.For me, I have seen the same thing in KAIT workshop.

It's a open space, you can see outside in, also inside out, The permanent structure inside the building are white thin columns. All the efforts minimized the obstacles in sight. People inside can see each other working, People outside can always see what's going on inside.Which is terrifying.Some people might say it's a working space, privacy is not the first priority to consider. Is it true? 

Let's look back on the early American factories.It's has similar design typologies to WAIT workshop. A large open space right in the middle, all the workers have to work on long tables, everyone can see each other.Such design conducted a monitoring mechanism that you always be pushed everybody can be your monitor.

For some time, this has been proved inefficient. New economic theories proved that people is working slowly when under pressure and monitoring.This gives architects new ideas of designing working areas.They separated the large open space into small separations, and offices.Which become the prototype of the modern working spaces and have been duplicated and adapted everywhere.

This small separations and offices reflects the political status, obviously the people who own power can own more privacy.On this point having more privacy in semi-public places is having more humanistic meaning.