
On Balance
Architecture and Vertigo
Davide Deriu(Author)
Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd
Published on 24. February 2023
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-1-84822-621-0 (ISBN)
Description
Since the construction of the first skyscrapers in the 19th century, urban environments have been increasingly marked by verticality. The advent of the modern metropolis transformed the experience of gravity in ways which resonate acutely today. At a time of instability, the rise of tall buildings poses new challenges to our sense of balance, yet the implications of vertigo remain unacknowledged. This book reflects on the precarious equilibrium at the heart of contemporary cities, where the drive to conquer ever greater heights has reconfigured our notion of abyss. Exploring the spatial thrills as well as anxieties associated with vertigo, it traces how different subjects experience, represent and transgress buildings and the spaces in between.
On Balance tackles this complex subject through an interdisciplinary approach informed by social and medical sciences. After providing a historical overview of how the discourse on vertigo has permeated Western culture, it explores the work of modern and contemporary artists who have engaged with architecture as a field of dizzy visions. It then shifts focus to spatial practices predicated on the mastery of vertigo, such as climbing and funambulism, which have found in cities new stages for gravity-defying performances. Moving into the realm of architectural culture, the book offers a critical analysis of design projects and spaces that challenge the user's stability, revealing architecture to be central to our perception of balance at multiple sensory, spatial and social levels.
On Balance tackles this complex subject through an interdisciplinary approach informed by social and medical sciences. After providing a historical overview of how the discourse on vertigo has permeated Western culture, it explores the work of modern and contemporary artists who have engaged with architecture as a field of dizzy visions. It then shifts focus to spatial practices predicated on the mastery of vertigo, such as climbing and funambulism, which have found in cities new stages for gravity-defying performances. Moving into the realm of architectural culture, the book offers a critical analysis of design projects and spaces that challenge the user's stability, revealing architecture to be central to our perception of balance at multiple sensory, spatial and social levels.
Reviews / Votes
'It is the complex and relational qualities of vertigo which are detailed so thoroughly in On Balance as it addresses both the architectural forms which prompt vertiginous experiences, and the social, political and poetic implications of giddiness, lightness, and the denial of gravity.' - Amy Butt, Planning PerspectivesMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
Illustrations; 40 Illustrations, color; 25 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 180 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
1005 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84822-621-0 (9781848226210)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
02/2023
Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd
€39.49
Available for download
Person
Davide Deriu is a Reader in Architectural History and Theory at the University of Westminster, UK.
Content
Introduction; PICTURING VERTIGO: Sensing the Abyss; Dizzy Visions. TAMING VERTIGO: Wire Walking in the City; Urban Ascents. STAGING VERTIGO: Thrills of Gravity; Losing the Ground; Architectures of Vertigo. Epilogue. Notes. Bibliography. Index.