Aleksandra Kasuba

Utility for the Soul

A Retreat House

Didymus Press San Francisco 1975

Introduction

(Text revised)

A corporation is to build a Retreat House to provide its employees with relief from the stresses and pressures of the workplace. It houses seven Spectrum Spaces, eleven Galleries, relaxation facilities, sleeping units, and food areas scattered throughout, and is to be used on a rotational basis year round, on the corporation's time and at its expense, by 24 visitors for a stay of 48 hours.

The Retreat House is designed for reflection and contemplation. Upon arrival all visitors check in their personal belongings and receive at the reception desk identical garments and sandals. No one is to talk to anyone during the entire stay, and after registration will not be spoken to. There will be no set hours, no clocks or watches, no reading materials, no communication facilities, no radio, TV, computers or cameras, and no group activities or gym, and no smoking or intoxicants on the premises.

The day of arrival is spent for physical relaxation, though the steam rooms, turkish baths, massage, and lounging areas with sounds of water, birds, and mammal chatter are open at all hours. All sleeping units are for single occupancy, fur nished with the barest necessities and without private bathrooms. One retires and gets up at will, or remains in seclusion for the entire stay. There is no room service.

Next morning the visitor walks through the seven Spectral Spaces--translucent red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet units vibrant with monotone sounds--leading to an intensely white room where breakfast cereals and fruits are displayed for self-service. Most of the time is spent in the Galleries, designed to be seemingly without walls and, for optimal sensory impression, resonate like echo chambers. Here the visitor encounters the four elements, Earth, Fire, Water, and Air, each presentation responding to human presence and familiar occurrences start behaving in unfamiliar ways. In the shadows within each gallery one may take a seat and observe the goings on, and while watching the responses of others, contemplate one's own.

Food areas, following each group of elemental presentations, are located out of sight from the central Gallery Walk. Earth foods, such as green and root vege tables, grains, nuts, cheeses, yogurts, and coffees and teas are served after the Earth displays; foods steaming, flaming, baked, broiled or prepared on open fires follow the Fire displays; seafood, watergreens, and juices come after the Water displays; and leavened breads, foaming shakes, whipped foods and carbonated drinks after the Air displays.

A visitor, given time unregimented in a setting that heightens the experience of self, has a chance to shed layers of mental clutter and re-experience the simple sensations of being alive.

Aleksandra

New York 1968

Presentations of the Four Elements

Throughout the Galleries the floors are pressure sensitive, the sensors laid along the walks or in circular patterns. Each area is programmed to introduce a change in the state of a presentation, and depending on the visitor's distance from it will trigger a mechanism that either intensifies a movement or changes its nature, amplifies or introduces a sound, or brightens and dims the lights, as long as a visitor moves about. Benches lining the peripheries of each gallery are deep in the shadows, invisible to those walking by. All mechanical devices are out of sight and range of hearing.

Footprints erase themselves

A stretch of a flexible sheet covered with a layer of sand forms a path. After walking a certain distance, vibrators underneath the sheet level the sand and erase the footsteps.

Sounds of sand crunching underfoot, amplified

Earth blocks the passage

At the end of a pathway earth-grains falling from above roll down the sides of two sloping mounds. As you approach them, the grains start falling faster, filling the gap between the slopes and blocking the passage.

Sounds: the hiss of grains falling

Earth parts to let you slip by

You walk on and slits in the floor open up and grains fall under, clearing a narrow passageway.

Sounds of earth moving

The ground melts underfoot

A flexible membrane covers a shallow concave cavity in the floor filled with silica. Hot air at ankle level gets hotter in the center.

Sounds of mud bubbling

Flames run to meet you

A pilot light recessed in the floor is seen from afar. You walk on and a flame flares up and runs toward you in widening concentric circles, and when close enough the ring of flames opens, and running along the sides of the walk leaps to the wall in front of you.

Sounds of flames crackling louder and louder

Water drips, a beam of light falls after

At the end of a small invisible tube hangs a radiant drop of water. As you approach it, the drop falls and a laser beam follows; drops forming and light falling after in a rhythm that grows faster when you come closer.

Sounds of a steady heart-beat getting louder

Rain plays around you

You enter a gallery and it starts raining in front of you; you proceed, and a rain curtain encircles you, and as you move inside it, the curtain parts and rain now falls beside you.

Sounds of water splashing on stone

Water chases you

You walk in and on a slab, balanced on a one inch lever, water spills beside you, and as you walk on water runs ahead, spilling over the slab and under. At the end a small fountain springs up in greeting.

Sounds of water rushing over stones

Rays of light pierce the mist

You step into a dim layer of mist and it illuminates from below, and as you walk on, light behind you cuts your moving shadow thin.

Sounds of children whispering

Head in a cloud

As soon as you enter a cloud it illumines with light to bursting. You move on and the cloud splits open and rays of light fall in changing patterns to the ground.

Sounds of children giggling

Clouds, birds, light underfoot

Sky, birds in flight, and passing clouds are projected onto the floor, the blue underfoot getting deeper and brighter as you approach it. A sudden burst of light blinds you for a moment, and then everything looks dim.

Sounds of seagulls overhead, then fading