The Palace of Dreams
Exploring spatial uncertainty as a form of psychological control
Collaborator
Cheolho Ahn
Focus
Conceptual Architecture
Panopticon — A precedent for spatial surveillance and control.
CONTEXT
Based on Ismail Kadre’s novel The Palace of Dreams, this project began with an exercise in interpreting architecture through literature. The novel depicts a government institution that collects and interprets citizens’ dreams as a means of surveillance. We were tasked with imagining its architecture through the protagonist’s perspective.
INTERPRETATION
Throughout the novel, the protagonist repeatedly encounters corridors, stairs, and rooms, yet never develops a clear understanding of the building as a whole.
We interpreted this fragmented experience as an environment that continuously reconfigures itself, preventing occupants from forming a reliable sense of place.
PARTIAL RECOGNITION
WHOLE RECOGNITION
ARCHITECTURAL TRANSLATION
We developed a system of fixed and moving modules that alter circulation and relationships between room.
The resulting architecture uses spatial disorientation to express that state’s psychological control over its occupants.
