SICKNESS OF SPACE

At the beginning of their reading tour through Germany and the Netherlands, Gemma Koppen and Tanja C. Vollmer present their book ‘Sickness of Space’ (Die Erkrankung des Raumes) in Rotterdam: “Suffering is a spatial designer with a professional ban; space-anthropodysmorphy the keyword of modern times. What do scars, crusts, double membranes have to do with architecture? What does the call for strength, utility and beauty of our built environment have to do with psychology? And what if tomorrow the safest space you thought you had, is no longer able to protect you? Thousands of books have been written about the relationship between body and space, but none dared to ask these questions.” In Sickness of Space the authors examine one of the most important and at the same time untouched relationships of our time: the relationship to our spaces in case of the loss of our physical health. In this case, do we have shelters in which to slip? Houses that give us a new home including our body and soul, hospitals that also psychologically support our recovery? In answering these questions, the authors take an unusual journey through architecture, psychology, medicine, philosophy, and art.