VISION NOTE

THE HORIZON PROJECT

A RESEARCH PRACTICE

How far we can see draws the edges of our world. We live inside that.

RESEARCH PREMISE

The extent of visible distance structures how individuals orient themselves in space.

The Horizon Project is a long-term, writing-led research practice investigating how varying conditions of visible distance influence human perception, orientation, and emotional well-being. This project examines the horizon not as an image or skyline, but as a continuous spatial condition of distance, one that enables vision to extend, allows the eye to stabilise, and situates the body in relation to its surroundings. When this condition is obstructed, fragmented, or displaced, perceptual continuity is altered, affecting movement, attention, and emotional experience.

RESEARCH QUESTION
How does the presence, absence, or displacement of a horizon shape human spatial experience?

When the horizon is obstructed, fragmented, or displaced, our perceptual continuity is altered. This research asks: How does the presence or absence of a horizon shape the fundamental human spatial experience? By contrasting the "restless" line of sight in hyper-dense urban fabrics like London with the "stabilising" flatlines of Goa, the project seeks to define a new architectural vocabulary for visual breath.

SITES OF INQUIRY AND TYPOLOGIES

The practice is grounded in a comparative analysis of specific geographical and architectural "Horizon Conditions":

  • The Stabilising Constant (Goa/Panaji): A study of low-rise urbanism and uninterrupted horizons as anchors for stillness.

  • The Fragmented Horizon (London): Documenting the "perceptual stimuli loop" caused by unnatural framing and vertical density.

  • The Sub-Eye-Level Horizon (Assisi): Investigating the "reversed" horizon and its unique effect on bodily orientation.

  • The Engulfed Horizon (Montserrat/El Bruc): Exploring the paradox of the "closed" horizon, where a looming vertical mass provides a sense of containment rather than restriction.

  • The (Dangerously) Calm (Lofoten/Norway): Analysis of the fjord landscape and the scale of "larger than life" horizons.

METHODOLOGIES

The core of this practice is a series of iterative fieldbooks that bridge the gap between architectural notation and phenomenological reflection. The scope of these fieldbooks includes:

  • Sensory Mapping: Documenting the relationship between distance, light haze, and sound transmission.

  • Spatial Notation: Sketches that prioritise the "void" and the "distance" over built form.

  • Qualitative Research: Interviews with those whose daily lives are situated at the horizon (e.g., rooftop workers) to understand the "horizon-as-workplace."

PROJECT VERTICALS

Investigative

Horizon Fieldworks
Site-based observation combining writing, image-making, and mapping.

Artist’s Book series
Comparative publications examining how different horizon conditions alter perception.

Horizon Mappings
A research tool identifying where distant visibility is accessible or obstructed within urban environments.

Horizon Correspondence
An editorial platform situating the horizon within spatial and cultural discourse.

Horizon Notes
An ongoing record of field observations and research development.

Operative

Horizon Interventions
Site-specific spatial actions introducing or restoring conditions of distance.

Encounters & Experiences
Structured formats translating perceptual research into guided spatial engagement.

Exhibitions
Exhibitions where writing operates as an organising spatial structure.

Field Artefacts
Printed matter extending fragments of the research into circulation.

LONG-TERM VISION

A Definitive Comparative Study
A series of artist’s books examining horizon conditions across global sites, held in serious collections and referenced across architecture, geography, and art discourse.

Spatial Interventions in Cities
Temporary works commissioned by cultural institutions or civic bodies that reorganise how residents experience distance and orientation in their own city.

Civic & Institutional Commissions
Architecture schools, urban research institutes, and city authorities commissioning Horizon Mappings as genuine research tools for understanding how spatial conditions affect their cities.

Exhibitions
Inclusion in a significant biennial or triennial as part of a curated argument where Horizon is one of the essential voices.

VISION FOR COLLABORATION

The Horizon Project is currently seeking collaborators, mentors, and peers within the fields of Environmental Psychology, Urban Design, and Phenomenology. As the project moves from field research into a formalised body of work, I am looking to engage with those interested in challenging the current architectural obsession with verticality. The goal is to translate these findings into spatial interventions or design principles that advocate for the psychological necessity of the horizon in our increasingly dense world.