237other hand, makes standing difficult or even impossible. The
dynamic effect of a slanted ground plane comes about because
it endangers the statics of the upright posture. We experience
the erection and upright position of a building as a gesture
that corresponds to the placement and standing posture of
our upright bodies. Walls and > columns, supports, pillars and
towers stand on the ground, rising vertically, thereby func-
tioning as direct counterparts to the standing human figure.
At times, this correspondence is clarified by anthropomorphic
forms (caryatids, atlantes) or by an analogous articulation
(foot, rump, head).
In many cases, the > gestures of entire spatial forms sug-
gest an erect, standing posture, for example a tall space such
as a cupola above the transept of a church, or a high, pointed-
arch vault, while in contrast, broad, low, squat spatial forms
seem to counteract an erect posture. While the scale of the
standing and walking human figure determines the format of
the door, the window must – if it is to provide us with views
to the outside – be oriented simultaneously towards the eye
level of a standing individual as well as a seated one.
Since a standing posture – in contrast to a seated one
- may change to movement at any moment, such a posture
facilitates an active relation to space and objects. A stand-
ing posture also makes it possible to imagine being present at
remote places despite spatial distance. The standing posture,
then, represents a form of ‘rest in movement’ (Valena 1994),
one that continually seeks out a stable future standpoint on
the basis of an anticipatory gaze.
- To be seated is to take up an enduring and fixed posi-
tion within a space. Just as a standing posture also involves
movement in space, being seated in a room requires a deci-
sion concerning the preferred location. This requires the po-
sition facing a wall, window or light source, an overview of
the room, and the connection between seat and table to be
optimized, often after various positions have been tested in
order to establish the ideal one. Restricted in movement, yet