DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/RK8X-4Y10
Defense Date
2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Department
Interior Design
First Advisor
Roberto Ventura
Second Advisor
Kristin Carleton
Third Advisor
Sara Reed
Fourth Advisor
Seung-ho Lee
Abstract
This thesis explores how small, site-specific interventions can reframe everyday spaces through acts of observation, walking, and placement. In response to the increasing detachment from physical environments caused by digitized, image-saturated culture, this research asks how gentle gestures might restore presence and embodied perception in overlooked urban sites.
Drawing on the notion of the flâneur and grounded in theories by Peter Zumthor, Rebecca Solnit, and others, walking is employed as a form of spatial inquiry—a way of thinking through movement, of seeing through slowness. Along a recurring route between home and studio, three underappreciated sites were identified and engaged through a series of minimal interventions using soft, humble materials such as wood, yarn, and cable ties.
Inspired by the unexpected discovery of three stones in one site, three objects were fabricated in identical scale using different materials, echoing the original forms while allowing new interpretations to emerge. These objects were placed and re-placed across multiple contexts, prompting subtle shifts in meaning, presence, and interaction. The act of placing becomes a quiet method of engagement—an invitation rather than an instruction—leaving space for others to notice, respond, or simply pass by.
Through this process, the thesis proposes a design sensibility that values slowness, impermanence, and care. It suggests that through close attention to everyday things, designers can create meaningful spatial experiences that reconnect us to our surroundings—one gesture at a time.
Rights
© Se Young Lee
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-6-2025