The hidden interior: an investigative approach

We create interiors everyday, either speculative when we work with our students or real, in practice. We observe, decode the existing, anticipate what might be possible and then construct new layers of meaning. Yet far from being just a material translation of our living needs, interiors are guardians of stories, memories and relationships. More often than not interiors, if not the architecture that frames them are altered, hidden, closed off – they become invisible, subtracted from our vision and perception. In this paper we are interested in these hidden and erased spaces, and the processes of disentanglement that can assert the agency of the interior within an investigative practice. Firstly we will establish the contexts for this discussion, setting out our theoretical position, and introducing the metaphor of the palimpsest and the concept of the gaze to underpin our approach. Further we will look at existing practices for documenting and interpreting hidden and concealed spaces and events. Then we will address the opportunities offered by digital technologies that can make visible the complexity of interior environments, and enable us to imagine and explore new configurations and future possibilities for these ‘lost’ spaces.