Sights and sounds

The four respondents, situated at different heights, mainly see buildings, streets, cars and pedestrians, indicative of the urban landscape. From their sixteenth floor with south orientation, Clément and François have a panoramic view towards a high school stadium and the cityscape with its huddled buildings. Aube, from her nineteenth floor with west orientation, has a front view on a building, but she can also see inner pathways of the residence by turning her head to the right. As for Youssef, he sees close enough the main pathway of the residence with its trees, cars and residents from his seventh floor with south orientation.

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Beyond this objective description of what interviewees observe, their emotions soon appear when asked about their preferences and dislikes regarding their current view. For Clément and François, the high school stadium and adjacent kindergarten give vitality to the area when students are around, but François highlights that otherwise ‘there isn’t much to see as the view is a bit sad with these buildings all around’. Both agree that the view is rather static, lacking in variety, dynamism, greenery and colours that could arise their curiosity. While Clément says that ‘in ten years the view will still be the same’, he is rather happy with this large window as it gives ‘the feeling of having western style verandas’, offering abundant brightness and a wide perspective which, based on his experience, is quite unusual in China.

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Aube appreciates the variety of her window’s view, which blends urban and natural elements, including the scenery and hum of the city, but also the moon, sunrises, sunsets, the movement of Venus and, most importantly to her, the presence of the mountains in the morning when the sky is clear. In Aube’s words, ‘at every moment, something will be missing as it’s the time of the day that reveals or hides what we see’. These variations are part of a routine that calms us all unconsciously by confirming that the Earth is still moving around the Sun and that life goes on outside despite one’s good or bad day. Aube compares her monitoring of these daily cycles to that of a concierge who would ensure that everything remains in order. In contrast, Youssef, deprived of these views and what happens beyond the residence, finds enjoyment in a nocturnal habit, counting the windows that, ‘like his’, are still lightened at one or two in the morning, when everyone is sleeping. He certainly appears more neutral compared to Aube and Clément’s evident enthusiasm or François’s discontentment with their respective views.

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As we have seen, a window’s view can evoke both positive and negative experiences. When asked about urban sounds, Aube expresses being ‘relatively deprived from noises’ due to her apartment’s height. While she does perceive the city hum, it does not disrupt her calmness as it makes her feel ‘with other humans’. However, when asked about disliked sounds, Aube explains how she investigated for days to identify the source of recurrent shouting. She recounts being scared as she ‘couldn’t understand why these men were shouting that loud and that early’ and thought they were fighting, only to discover it was military exercise nearby. Aube acknowledges her difficulty in filtering out noises, recalling an afflicted dog bark for weeks as other example that she interprets as signs of distress.

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As these sounds are repeatedly heard every day, they become familiar and one gets used to them, even detecting the times of the day they should be heard; late afternoon for the dog and early morning for the military salute. Aube also notes the sound of cats in heat resonating between buildings, concluding that she ‘would like to hear birds’ but she hears ‘cats, dogs and people shouting’. We could say that she generally perceives a sense of calm from her windows, although a series of sudden and distinct sounds are often felt unpleasant. Similarly, as François and Clément live in the same building, they have also heard these cats in heat. François laments that ‘we rarely hear nice things like music’ while Clément complains about the view of the residence’s landfill and the disruptive noise of dump trucks every week for three or four hours, breaking the ‘monotonous atmosphere’ that they usually have at home, ‘as if suddenly we were moving from one environment to another’.

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Functionality
Apart from the view it offers, a window can hold significant value for its inherent qualities. Youssef highlights several attributes from his double-glazed window as they form a closed balcony that is ‘like a heater’, comfortable but also practical in drying clothes. Additionally, he emphasises on natural lighting as the window helps him waking up earlier, and then, noise isolation, probably due to the double-glazing and for being located inside the residence rather than near the road. Ventilation is another essential aspect for Youssef, as he mentions the importance of a well-ventilated room and, lastly, he notes the overarching benefit of a window in reducing energy consumption. Natural light reduces the need for artificial lighting, and its heating or ventilation functions alleviates the necessity of using air conditioners or heaters. Youssef has truly become expert of his own window through these observations and, especially, when mentioning the occasional noises produced by the glass as it cools down at night after being all day warm, which turned to be true as I could hear a ‘toc’ every two minutes while interviewing him.

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A window can also have the function to change our perceptions of life indoors and outdoors. Initially, the window that Aube discussed with me was not her favourite one as it proved to be too small for her liking during the first months in the apartment, but by finding it every time more interesting, it started to impact her mood positively. In contrast, Aube finds that the window’s emplacement can allow neighbours to see her and her daughter from the facing building, which incites them to draw the curtain when watching films in the living room. Aube reflects on this need for privacy, remarking ‘I do not want to be seen and I know it’s a way for people to see me’, contrasting this with the earlier sensation of the window as a portal to fly away to the outside world. In a final anecdote, Aube reveals that she has overcome her fear for heights with her nineteenth-floor window, whereas it is now her daughter who reminds her to be cautious when leaning out.

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As Youssef earlier, François sees his window as a source of light and ventilation for the living room, also allowing him to wake up more easily in the morning. Interestingly, the window serves the function of distracting his cat, Robin, when opened, while the mosquito net protects him from falling. Clément even adds that Robin has his ‘own little corner to rest and enjoy the sun’ as they installed a cat window perch. Despite these practicalities, François ironically despise his window once more, claiming it has little effect on his own mood. In contrast, Clément insists on the virtues of his large windows, which flood the room with light, and are aesthetically pleasing, seamlessly blending with the apartment’s interior décor. He also notes the skyline’s utility as an indicator of pollution if buildings are covered, and wind intensity if trees are swaying. Further, there is a major divergence between Clément and François regarding the window bars, given that the former appreciates the sense of security they provide while the latter feels they deprive him of his sense of freedom. It is quite fascinating to see how the same window can be perceived differently by two individuals living in the same apartment.

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Feeling in China

Participants bring contrasting perspectives when asked if they feel in China by looking through the window. Aube says that, at least, she knows not being in Paris as ‘it doesn’t smell like Paris’, and Clément confirms that he ‘doesn’t feel in France or Europe’. Interestingly, Aube is the only respondent who does not strongly associate her window view with China. She describes it as ‘a somewhat ugly suburb of Dijon or Brest’ while François suggests it could be mistaken for a Parisian suburb if not for certain details such as the façades, Chinese flags or red stickers on the windows, all characteristic of the Chinese urban landscape. Reflecting on cultural identifiers, François, Clément, and Youssef all have the Fu character adorning their windows, symbol of good fortune, which Youssef notes as emblematic of Chinese windows.

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During the Chinese New Year, Youssef felt in China amidst the display of red lanterns, knots and door couplets, all decorative elements integral to the culture and visible from his window, while Clément and François had that same feeling by seeing fireworks from theirs. Further, Clément identifies huddled buildings and the absence of shutters as key indicators of being in China, wondering how his neighbours manage to sleep without complete darkness. Aube also acknowledges that when looking into people’s apartment, she found ‘people without curtains, who are not hiding, with sad and poorly lit interiors’. At the end, despite being curious to know more about how their Chinese neighbours live, all four participants concur on the importance of privacy, acknowledging the need to disconnect from the outside world, especially at the end of the day.