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November 12, 2005
The Shape of Space
I really liked Minsky's ideas about mapping the outside world and our bodies, and how we work with models we've created in our heads. It reminded me of my grandmother who was blind. When I visited her as a child, she'd often give me a bath in the attic bathroom and then hold me up to the window that overlooked the city of Waterford, Ireland, and I'd describe the view to her. The whole process involved sharing each other's sensory experiences in order that we both could have whole experiences. I would point out each stair on the way to the attic since she couldn't see them, then she would run the water because I was too young to determine the right temperature. Then she'd wash my hair, but I'd tell her when the shampoo suds were getting too close to my eyes. Through this she was mapping out my body and the space around her in her mind. After the baths she'd wrap me in towels and hold me up to the attic window so I could describe the view over the rooftops of the grey, joined buildings. Because I was too young to know better, I always thought that describing the view to her in my words would allow her to see the view exactly as it was. But I remember later when she 'described' the view to my grandad over dinner, she'd always add embellishments based on her interpretation of my description, or how her imagination had expanded the view in her mind.
Posted by Fiona Carswell at November 12, 2005 02:30 PM