David Karmon: The Varieties of Architectural Experience

The Varieties of Architectural Experience

How do we perceive buildings through our senses, and how do sensory hierarchies shape our interpretations? How did people living at other times interpret their sensory experience of architecture and urban settings in different ways?

David's new book, Architecture and the Senses in the Italian Renaissance: The Varieties of Architectural Experience (Cambridge University Press, 2021), explores early modern evidence in the effort to answer some of these questions. By exploring the complex, multisensory stimuli produced by these buildings and spaces—including not just sight and sound but other kinds of experiences, including touch, movement, and smell—we can begin to rethink our approach to the history of architecture and the built environment.

About David

David Karmon is professor and head of the Architectural Studies program at Holy Cross, and the chief editor of the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. His writings include Architecture and the Senses in the Italian Renaissance (Cambridge University Press, 2021) and The Ruin of the Eternal City (Oxford University Press, 2011), as well as numerous articles and essays in journals, anthologies, and exhibition catalogues.

LTU CoAD's Design x Technology lecture series is currently free and open to all.