Alice Wang

Inquiring into the notions of private and public space through voyeurism

Imperial Lane, dark and unassuming — is situated between the sea and the Commercial center of Downtown Tamaki Makaurau, Auckland. Through the Glass is a bathhouse, an intimate space that contrasts the existing atmosphere and, through voyeurism, investigates the notions of private and public space. Voyeurism exists in the relationship between a film and its audience; we peek into the private lives of characters, watching them without interfering as the action unfolds. The design is a modern interpretation of Queen Street’s historical fabric, drawing inspiration from historical structures like the Dilworth building (1925–1927) and the Dingwall building (1936) by Gummer and Ford.

Water plays an important role and is a sensual element in the design, connecting us to the earth and paying homage to the original foreshore of Commercial Bay. The design enhances the public life of Fort Lane and Tamaki Makaurau by alluding to the history of water in the site through an imaginary aqueous body.

A large glass screen wall wraps around a body of water within the building. The screen separates the inside and outside, public and private — and functions as a viewing mechanism, framing the occupants and producing the subject: the bathers in the water. The screen becomes a moving image.

“Tension between outside and inside resides in the wall that divides them.”  — Beatriz Colomina in Sexuality and Space (1992)