Geography of a Space
Whether intentionally or not, every object
placed in a space has an impact on the
way that space is experienced — even
something as apparently insignificant as a
light switch. Intervention in the geography
of a room is the designated function of a
screen, however. A screen introduces a new
threshold — between what is in front and
behind, between what is visible and what is
concealed. Here the lacquered parchment
screen from the John Pawson Series for
Banlan provides a measure by which to
read the proportions of the surrounding
space, the repetition of its sharp verticals
set in graphic counterpoint to the horizontal
mass of the timber tie beam.
Photography
John Pawson