Simone Bossi: How Spaces Make Us Feel

Renowned architectural photographer Simone Bossi gave a lecture to our Interior Design students, thanks to Studio Wok and Associate Studio. Bossi, known for his emotional and artistic approach to photography, shared his thoughts on how people connect with spaces on a personal level.

Simone Bossi

The Personal Experience of Space

Bossi explained that every person experiences a space differently. Our cultural background, imagination, and past experiences shape how we feel in a place. This means that space is not just about walls and shapes—it becomes something personal, reflecting our emotions and thoughts.

Project Insights

During his lecture, Bossi delved into several core concepts that define his work and approach to architectural photography:

  • Mother Space – The idea of a space that offers restoration and a break from external contexts in order to a break from the outside context.
  • Warmth and Light – The emotional power of light as an attraction or seduction, shaping one’s perception of space and triggering subconscious responses.
  • Space for Distance – How our experience of a space changes as we move closer or further from an object, redefining our perception of its presence.
  • Reaction View – The interplay between experiencing a space in person versus through photography, exploring whether an architectural photographer also becomes an architect through their visual narrative.
  • Exotic vs. Familiar – The natural human tendency to seek the familiar in extraordinary settings and vice versa, highlighting the emotional balance we maintain when engaging with spaces.

Simone Bossi

Simone Bossi

Simone Bossi

Simone Bossi

Simone Bossi

A Slow Approach to Understanding Space

Bossi encouraged students to slow down and truly feel a space rather than just looking at it. He believes that spaces can be more than functional they can touch our emotions and become meaningful experiences.

Through his projects: Mother Space, Warmth, Light, Space for Distance, Reaction View, and Exotic/Familiar. Simone Bossi continues to explore how spaces shape our emotions. His lecture gave students a fresh way to think about architecture, not just as buildings but as places that can deeply connect with people.

He also mentions that the more you do what you are aligned too, the more you work in a pleasant emotional condition.

“We do see (only) what we do know” Simone Bossi