Feb 25th 2015

Joseph Clarke in the journal Log

Athanasius Kircher, Section through a house from Musurgia Universalis (1650)

Assistant Professor Joseph Clarke's article,  “For a History of Liveness,” is included in the 2015 winter issue of the journal Log. Clarke’s essay investigates how the study of building acoustics has contributed in surprising ways to modern ideas of architectural space. In particular, the effect of reverberation—a central consideration in modern acoustical engineering and audio production as well as an important concept in phenomenological theory—was first studied systematically when 19th-century architects sought to fill their buildings with innovative sonic ambiences. As Clarke argues, these developments offer important opportunities for contemporary architects to engage with the production and mediation of sound in the physical environment.