Do you see us when I pass?

This project investigates the window as a complex and often overlooked architectural element that actively shapes Swedish domesticity through its spatial, material, cultural, social, and political dimensions. Positioned as a tectonic mediator between the private and public realms, windows not only frame views but also curate the relationship between interior lives and the outside world. Inspired by Irene Cieraad’s insights on windows as silent social statements, this research examines how windows function as performative agents, simultaneously revealing and concealing fragments of domestic life. Drawing from an archive of 88 photographic images from Umeå, spanning from 1873 to 2022, this study explores how Swedish windows have historically served as sites of personal expression, shaped by embedded traditions and gendered roles. By contextualising these dynamics within the Swedish legislation, where windows are framed primarily as gateways to daylight and seasonal awareness, this project reveals a dissonance between technical regulations and the lived, performative experience ofdomestic windows. Several references inform my reflection. My point of departure was Rachel Cusk’s Parade, a literary “window” that reveals fragments of anonymous lives. Drawing upon the descriptions of her characters, the prototype explores two domestic typologies that reflect vertical and horizontal modes of inhabitation while integrating mechanisms that permit varying degrees of openness and intimacy. Roy Andersson’s and Bêka & Lemoine’s visual storytelling techniques, Do you see us when I pass? along with Philip Steadman’s spatial analysis methods, were also inspirational. The result is a project centred on how windows contribute to a carefully curated domestic scenery, negotiating exposure and privacy within Swedish homes. The resulting prototype, capable of 5,184 living scenario variations, demonstrates how these windows can actively construct diverse domestic experiences, challenging normative interactions and expanding the social possibilities of the home. The prototype was located between Storgatan 83 and 87 in Umeå, selected for three reasons: a) its intimate domestic urban character, b) its visibility to passersby from the side walk, c) the existing window composition. The site served as a laboratory for constructing interactive mechanisms to explore ideas of exterior versus interior, showcasing versus concealment, movement versus stillness, and spontaneity versus performance. Ultimately, by instrumentalising architectural technology, this study positions the window as a crucial agent embodying the ongoing negotiation between individual identity, social norms, and cultural expression in Sweden’s domestic environments. However, it also subverts these elements to raise awareness and encourage reflection upon them.