The essay will examine the psychological impacts and power of affect experienced within two institutional bodies encountered within Australia, the immigration detention centres and bunkers. This particular choice is made as these entities relate to my major project and will further enable me to understand the affect they communicate.
In the case of the bunkers, the essay will address the dominance and historic memory that these structures embody. The manner in which they reveal their function through their structure and also the psychological state imposed by the architecture upon the occupants. Information on the bunkers affect will be sourced through Paul Virilio’s Bunker Archaeology, were he describes his personal experience with the bunkers remaining along the Atlantic front, in the north of France and also from my personal experience on my site visit at Point Nepean, where these structures survive.
In a similar tone, the architecture of the detention centres will be discussed. The architecture of manipulation and its impacts upon the detainees, the way they are/were processed and how specific architectural elements produce certain impacts upon them, further raising their level of frustration and deteriorating their psychological state. Information will be sourced by documentaries and related readings and also my personal experience of the Quarantine station located at Point Nepean, where immigrants were processed in order to disinfect all of their belongings.
ANDREAS SIVITOS
archandphil 
September 5, 2011 at 9:17 pm
Andreas, perhaps specify which bunkers? I think also you can leave out ‘psychological impact’ as this will be difficult to ascertain, and our focus in on affect. Specify earlier in the essay that the bunkers are to do with coastal defence specifically at Point Nepean. And state that a study of these bunkers will be assisted by a reading of Paul Virilio, who does not give you information, so much as a means of interpreting the Victorian bunkers in question. You will also have to draw a more explicit relation between bunkers and detention centres. Perhaps what is central in both is this desire to defend the shore, our island home! against unwanted intrusion? Offer a critique of the inherent violence of affect at work here?