Interiority -- Taylor's Mistake Beach

‘Interiority’ is an in-depth word to lead people to define that what an interior space is. We can define this word as a physical architectural space which people see, but it can also be invisible imaginary spaces. That means the five senses of sight, smell, hearing, feeling and taste are essential human perceptions to help people to understand how the natural space creates an interior enclosure.

‘Taylor’s Mistake beach’ is a famous beach in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located down below a mountain which is beside Sumner beach. It is a non-architectural interior space because of the effect it has on the individual who visits. The experience of being at the beach has a profound effect on one’s senses, therefore creating a very personal interiority. Also, the natural features of the environment there create an interiority that could nearly be described as architectural.

The beach is nestled between precipitous headlands of black volcanic rock, which form boundaries that create the beach’s interiority and separate it from the exteriority of that environment.

To understand how Taylor’s Mistake beach is a non-architectural interior, one must walk the ‘architectural’ boundaries to experience what forms its interiority. This gives one a feel for the space, which is an important mechanism of interiority. The walk to the beach climbs in zigzags, and steps onto a cliff, and then leads to a large flat space where there are lots of houses on the hill. The walk continues past these houses to a junction where a track climbs to Nicholson Park. From the junction, one goes down the hill in a zigzagging motion. Turning into the bay of Taylor’s Mistake, the path takes you right down to sea level. Finally, an impressive expanse of beach view appears. Walking this, the aspect that is most striking is the sheltered and hidden nature of the landform. Also, the scale of perspective one has over the sea out to the horizon gives a strong sense of space.

The coast is the part of the land that adjoins the ocean, and feels like boundaries that form an ‘architectural’ enclosure. Beaches are deposition landforms, and are the result of wave action by which waves or currents move sand or other loose sediments of which the beach is made as these particles are held in suspension. This natural action constantly changes the boundaries of the beach’s interiority.

When you stand in the middle of the beach, you can see there are mountains which surround you and you are sheltered by them. Also your visual perception is enclosed by the boundaries between the sea and the sky at the same time. Therefore, the coast is a hidden non-architectural interior that stands aloof from the outside of the city. There is no signal for mobile phones. You are not able to keep in touch with the outside, because you are enclosed.

Sight describes the ability to detect electromagnetic waves within the visible range (light) by the eye and the brain to interpret the image as "sight."[1] If our eye is a camera, we can take any pictures from the front of our vision. That is how the eye sees the environmental spatial envelope; that is how the brain comprehends them. In the picture, everything we have seen is created with shapes, contours, lines and 3 dimensions, which come from objects in the natural space such as mountains, slope, cliffs, the sea, and sky and so on. If people are walking along the beach, their perception of urban space will become an imaginary spatial interior within their vision. The different point of view within the natural space is being created. Therefore, the natural space is being enclosed in configurations of bounded space. For example, if one walks to the middle of the beach, lies down and watches the seascape in their front on vision, it feels like the same experience as being seated in a cinema. The wide blue sea seems like a screen that is showing a fantastic movie, and people are seated in the cinema to enjoy the movie of ‘Ocean Wave’. Therefore, the natural space of the beach becomes an imaginary environment and a public non-architectural interior, yet still a private and personal experience.

The most important sense that forms the interiority of the beach is hearing. The beach is enclosed by natural sounds. The limitations of these sounds are natural varied sounds which come from the ocean waves, sea-gulls, people and pets. The sound is being conducted and affected by the natural objects and they are interacting with. The essence of sound is literally a chain-reaction of vibrations. Sound vibrations are conducted by any elastic material, such as wood, sand, water or air. Virtually all materials are somewhat elastic; that is they tend to return to their original shape after being deflected by an outside force. The tendency is stronger in some than others; for example sand, having little elasticity, is a poor conductor of sound. That is why people can hear the different types of sound in different environments. Beaches are natural spaces which are created by varied natural objects. This kind of natural interior is completely different from an architectural interior. [2]When a sound source (such as sea-gulls) vibrates in a conductor (such as air), it creates a high-pressure layer in the conductor. The entire acoustic phenomenon in beaches explains how encloses are created by these interacting natural sounds. All the sounds at the beach are reflected everywhere by these natural objects. But people can only hear these sounds in the Taylor’s Mistake beach and nothing from outside the enclosure of the beach. The beach is enclosed by the special landform and all sounds are enclosed in this natural space. For example, when sea-gulls fly in the sky around the beach, sounds from these sea-gulls reverberate around the beach. When these sounds impact on sands, it is absorbed and therefore does not leave the limitation of the beach’s boundaries. All these vibrations on the beach are so minute they are not visible, yet contribute to an experience that forms a personal interiority. These sounds limit people’s perception of hearing, thus creating an enclosure.

People can not see what sound looks like, it is an invisible phenomenon. People can feel the speed of sound. Echoing is a normal natural acoustic phenomenon that can is intensified at beaches. An echo is a reflection of sound, arriving at the listener some time after the direct sound. In a natural environment, typical examples are the echo produced by the sea, or by a slope. On the other hand, in a physical architectural space, an echo is produced by a wall, by floors or by any artificial hard objects. They have a similar property, but just different ways to create and present it. Therefore, an echo can happen in a natural environment; this is a typical example that can be compared to physical architectural environments. These are both defined by echoes that are a result of their structure.

Because an echo is carried by the sea at a beach, the limitations of this boundary are pushed and constantly changing, just the same way they are when the tides changes. This is again an invisible phenomenon of sound, further creating the beach’s enclosure.

The interiority of the beach changes continuously during the course of the day. The environment is affected and controlled by the moving of the sun, by temperature, and by sound. People’s emotions change along with this. In the morning, the sun is rising and the temperature becomes warmer. The soft sunshine radiates on the sleeping and quiet sea. A warm colored space is controlled and enclosed by the calm ambience. In the afternoon the sun’s light is at its brightest and illuminates the entire beach, the sleeping sea awakens. The scenery is most fantastic at night. The soft moonlight encloses and controls the calm beach and the bright stars appear in the dark sky. The soft moonlight shines in the quiet and dark environment, which is like a lit lamp on the ceiling in a dark room. Wherever we are, on the beach or in an architectural interior that is dark, we do not see anything. In the dark we are enclosed by lights we see, such as the moon, or lights from houses. Therefore, we are enclosed by the darkness that creates interiority. When we are surrounded by darkness we use our sense of touch to move through the environment. For example, we only can hear the sound from the sea. We are only controlled by the sound of the waves. Our hearing becomes more sensitive and focused on our environment. Our mind is concentrating on one event, it is easy to hear when the sea is affected by the wind. Therefore, our sense of hearing is an important sense that enables us to really understand how the beach is an enclosed non-architectural interior.

Walking along the beach is a nice way to feel the natural environment. It is customary for people to walk the beach in bare feet because of the pleasant feeling of sand on your soles and between the toes. It is typically done near the shore line, where the sand is wet and therefore more convenient to walk on. If you are walking at night at the beach, your emotions become more relaxed and comfortable. The freezing seawater stimulates your skin. All these experiences heighten your senses enclosing you within the beach’s interiority. Because you are in this enclosure you are able to think back to past events that you may not be able to remember when in a noisier environment. You are enclosed by this special peaceful non-architectural interior.

Taylor’s Mistake beach is my favorite beach to go to when I am in a somber mood. It is not just a beach where you can relax, but also it is a special non-architectural interior that attracts me to stay because of these interesting phenomenons that occur there. However, these natural phenomenons (landform, acoustics or darkness at night) are typical elements that make the beach a non-architectural interior. People can experience how Taylor’s Mistake beach is an enclosure, through their senses of sight, smell, touch and sound. In addition to this, the dramatic landscape feels like an architectural interior, further enclosing you within the environment. In conclusion, the word ‘interiority’ is not only defined by an enclosed physical architectural space, but also can be formed through experience of an environment. Furthermore, there is an emotional element created by our senses that creates a personal interiority.

[2] Robert B, Newman Sound control construction. PP9