This anthology examines the psychological dimensions of space and the emotional responses it provokes, including agoraphobia, vertigo, and claustrophobia.

It investigates how spatial experience generates affect in contemporary art and architecture, tracing its extremes as well as its nuanced variations.

The volume includes essays by Anthony Vidler on the relationship between psychoanalysis and spatial perception; Mark Wigley on insecurity and design; Philippe Rahm on the emotional conditioning of constructed environments; and Stephen Willats on living conditions in social housing.

Featuring works by Monica Bonvicini, Christoph Büchel, Jan Dibbets, Urs Fischer, H. R. Giger, Katarzyna Józefowicz, Anish Kapoor, Daniel Libeskind, Jane and Louise Wilson, Paul Noble, Gordon Matta-Clark, Paul Thek, Monika Sosnowska, and Decosterd & Rahm, the publication also offers a visual survey of these concerns within contemporary art.

Designed by Norm, the book was awarded in the “Most Beautiful Swiss Books” competition in 2003. It was published on the occasion of the exhibition organized by the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich, and the Łaźnia Centre for Contemporary Art, Gdańsk.