ABSTRACT
We arrived at the Salk and just walked out into the courtyard without going into the reception office first. Within the first 5 minutes of being in the courtyard and seeing the horizon, I remember having a tremendous rush of joy. I remember coming to a (sudden) realization that I was now involved with something that was connected to something powerful and bigger than I ever imagined possible. I remember a physical feeling in my chest: like my “heart in my throat,” which I do not remember feeling before (but have felt since). I also recall wanting to jerk into motion – I wanted to run; swing my arms; do anything other than just stand in place. It was like I suddenly knew something that I didn’t know before. I also recall thinking about the fact I could not make a direct correspondence between what I was feeling and the architecture, per se. It’s that strangeness that in retrospect points me to the feeling that … I was in touch with something really awesome and bigger than the structure itself. Joy and optimism.
