Thesis
Light as word: Exploring the linguistic roles of light in interior space
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2006
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/518
Abstract
Shaping the interaction between light and space is significant to the act of composing interior environments. Within the discipline of interior design, light is often appreciated only for its functional value as opposed to being understood as a compositional tool to be explored and manipulated in the design process. The current state of ambiguity regarding light's role in designed space calls for the development of a framework for understanding light from a compositional perspective. This study proposes that language may serve as a conceptual model for exploring light and thus examines light's potential to behave linguistically in spatial compositions. Findings are presented from an exploratory study in which subjects were asked to respond to a series of photographs of compositions of light. Two instruments were designed for this purpose, one which asked subjects to scale their level of agreement with 4 different linguistic conditions (noun, verb, adjective, and adverb) and one which asked subjects to "describe the role of light" in each photograph. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses revealed that some images elicited significant differences in the way they were perceived and those differences indicate light to be categorizable by linguistic roles; in some images light was perceived to be noun-like, while in others, adjective-like, etc. These results begin to suggest that light is perceived to have language-like traits and that the language model may be useful for exploring light's role as a compositional element in interior space. In addition, this study initiates a line of questioning that, if pursued, could begin to increase our understanding of light from a compositional/aesthetic perspective.
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Details
- Title
- Light as word
- Creators
- Meaghan K. Beever
- Contributors
- Nancy H. Blossom (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Interdisciplinary Design Institute
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; Pullman, Wash. :
- Identifiers
- 99900525148401842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis