A Lecture by Juhasi Pallasmaa
The Institute of Architecture and the NMK are pleased to invite you to a lecture by Juhani Pallasmaa, one of the most famous Finnish architects and thinkers, the author of books 'The Eyes of the Skin' (2012) and 'The Thinking Hand' (2015) – published in the Polish language by the Institute of Architecture Foundation.
JUHANI PALLASMAATHE THINKING HAND – Existential and Embodied Wisdom in Architecture
Our global culture attaches great importance to virtuality and visuality, while the mind and body become more and more distant. And although we put a high value on appearance as a sexual attractor and as an expression of our social identity, the role of our body in comprehensive understanding of the world and the human condition has been greatly neglected. The potential of the body as our cognitive apparatus – with all its senses and bodily functions – has not been properly recognized. Crafts and art work can only be cultivated through the actual union of mind and body. Even such types of human activity as thinking or writing, which are perceived as purely intellectual, in reality depend on the combination of the actions of our arm and brain.
In his book 'The Thinking Hand', Juhani Pallasmaa examines the incredible potential of a human hand. He demonstrates how a pencil in an artist or architect’s hand becomes the bridge between the imagination taking place in a brain, and the image that emerges during the creative process.
Juhani Pallasmaa is one of the most prominent Finnish architects and thinkers. Among his many positions, he has served as the head of the Institute of Industrial Arts in Helsinki, the director of the Museum of Finnish Architecture and as a professor and dean of the faculty of architecture at the Helsinki University of Technology. He has lectured at numerous universities around the world.
The event has been co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage
