There are two illusions that help support the concealing of (social) space's (social) production. These two illusions allow dominating powers (those that construct space?) to continue to hold sway.

1. The illusion of transparency ... goes hand in hand with a view of space as innocent, as free of traps or secret places.... Comprehension is thus supposed, without meeting any insurmountable obstacles, to conduct what is perceived ... from the shadows into the light.... The presumption is that an encrypted reality becomes readily decipherable thanks to the intervention first of speech then of writing. (Lefebvre 28)

While the illusion of transparency has oft been criticized in literature and writing (Derrida, Barthes, and others), design has not. Lefebvre's articulation of space as designed becomes very important for hypertext.

   

Copyright © Brendan Riley 2002