Melancholy and architecture

‘Burgooney’ by Jane Tangney 2017

Melancholy is greatly misrepresented. It is not simple sadness. It is certainly not depression, which is an illness. It is a complex human emotion, one inextricably linked to the passage of time. This subtle emotion is crucial in understanding many works of art, and the capability to feel it enriches human life. It piques in us a subtle sense of longing and is a generator for mature reflection on matters we find meaningful in both our past and our future.  We experience it when we interact with something mysterious and not fully knowable. It is a reminder that our lives are part of something we will never fully understand. It closely resembles sublimity.

When fused with architecture, melancholy gives a building deep connection to this passage of time through concentrated engagement with its natural and built context. Natures changing seasons and daily cycles, a cities rhythm of people and events, these things surround us and are a constant, if slightly monotonous (unnoticed) companion in our lives, providing an ongoing backdrop to our everyday realities.

Imagination, an essential artistic ingredient to arouse and process melancholy, is used to position ourselves consciously within this enigma. So, architecture like other artforms, becomes a manifestation of our wonder and the opportunity to create meaningful buildings related to the passage of time that give our sketchy psyches both reassurance and independence in a world we cannot control.