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mate sphere. The limitation of the gaze through narrow wings
of the opening, drapery and > filters may stimulate fantasy
allowing us to imagine what is taking place behind frames
and curtains. The view towards the inside becomes a stealthy
penetration by the covert gaze into a hidden inner scene that
is framed by the window like an > image.
For occupants, privacy generally means enjoying views
towards the outside without being visible themselves. An
aperture in a room represents an ambivalent form of con-
nection. To freely admit views from the outside either pre-
supposes unconcerned openness, as in Dutch culture, or an
attitude somewhere between self-display and shamelessness.
Sometimes large openings tend to expose the interior almost
to exhibit it behind the expansive windowpane. As in a dis-
play window, something is shown openly to the gaze, albeit
without any possibility of a real connection or access. The
view inside, however, can also serve to announce (> intima-
tion) the interior prior to entrance, either presenting it openly
through a frame that guides the gaze, or in the form of a small
sample that peeps out through a narrow opening. A view into
spaces that are public in character is a mode of participa-
tion in internal activities, and connects zones having various
degrees of publicness.
For both views into and out of buildings, contrasting il-
lumination plays a role. In broad daylight, a view from the
outside into even a relatively well-lit interior causes it to re-
semble a dark chamber; at night-time, conversely, an illumi-
nated interior viewed from the outside seems to concentrate
> light. For a gaze from inside a room, the outdoor space,
illuminated by daylight, expands, while views towards the
outside into the dark, compact and dense space of the night
make the bright interior seem to expand by comparison.
Extreme forms of the views towards the outside are the
demonstrative appearance, and observation from a hiding
place. The spectrum of situations extends from the gesture
of opening towards the world, i.e. a new day in the morning,