Interior Scholarship | Blog 01 | Christopher Hansen

Spaces and rituals | Research for my Master's project

During my summer I have dedicated most of my time to reading and doing research in preparation for my Master's project that will be delivered this year. This might of course change again.

I have found one specific text by Foucalt, on what he calls heterotopias, quite interesting. Liminal spaces, heterotopias and the ritualistic activities of humans that tie into these spaces have provoked further investigation into certain typologies like cemeteries, prisons and what we consider sacred spaces. You might say that my interests have taken a slight turn into the anthropological aspects of space and society. Marc Auge's Non-spaces have also been quite thought-provoking, in addition to an interest in the massive amount of digital space in which we live our lives. Some sort of study on the relationship between physical and digital spaces could also be a nice starting point for my Master's project.

The outcome of this research is still quite unknown, but for the time being I am not too worried and am rather focusing my time on reading and writing. My creative process in the beginning of a project usually involves a lot of research that produces a series of texts which I use to get a better understanding of what direction I am going in. This helps me to frame or focus my thoughts towards a specific problem that needs to be solved or a topic to investigate. If this were to be visualised I would like to think of it as a diamond shape. Where in the beginning one gathers as much information as possible until it widens out and then tapers in towards the focused outcome.

About Christopher Hansen

Rooms with their many meanings and interpretations are at the centre of Christopher Hansen's attention. Christopher is studying for Master's degree in "Spatial and Furniture Design" at the Oslo Academy of the Arts. In order to allow him to completely focus on his interior design studies, he will receive the "Interior Scholarship" – the Sto Foundation's AIT scholarship. In the 2016/17 academic year, it is being awarded to four students who stood out through their pronounced attitude and creative way of thinking. Christopher believes that the possibility of publishing his own ideas and his own work on a major platform is of great importance for his future path as a designer. This also applies to financial support. He thinks that initiatives for committed students are very important and is pleased that he was lucky enough to be chosen for one.