Maryam Behzadmehr

An Uncanny Encounter: Homely vs Unhomely

The thesis project takes on an exploration of perception and experience in architecture surrounding senses and human emotion. The theory of the unhomely and the unfamiliar, also known as the uncanny, is what englobes this study. The act of a familiar space or element turning unfamiliar is investigated in the architectural uncanny. What characteristics evoke the feeling of the uncanny? How does a situation change and become a whole new occurrence? What elements are added or modified to evoke the uncanny? 

The uncanny can be described as the unhomely. The feeling of homeliness or unhomeliness are defined by many circumstances. Research on how different groups of people experience the uncanny led to a specific aspect of this theory which is the sense of displacement. Movement and constant change in a person’s living environment may create disorientation, illusion and by result create a sense of unhomeliness. Therefore, the thesis will embark on a more specific aspect of the uncanny, surrounding the notion of displacement in relation to the homely and the unhomely. 

The thesis aims to propose a program that explores the uncanny through creating space dedicated but not limited to the displaced community, mainly immigrants and refugees. The intent is to explore how a place that could appear homely and familiar to one community, will be unhomely and unfamiliar to another, thus creating the uncanny in midst of what should otherwise not be uncanny. Delving into the world of perception, disorientation, and senses, with an important focus on social realities, the thesis embarks on a study surrounding our understanding of the uncanny and displacement in architecture. Through various analysis, theoretical research, and physical explorations the project studies the relationship between the physical space and the human mind.

1. Vidler, Anthony. The Architectural Uncanny: Essays in the modern unhomely. MIT Press, 1999. Clifford, James. Diasporas, 1994