In the Mi(d)st Of

It's in the air. The first thing that the term atmosphere evokes is in the air, the intangibility of air. A gaseous layer enveloping the planet, a zone where clouds move about, atmosphere is the invisible shroud around each object emanating (such is the meaning that the word has taken on over time) a sort of fragrance or warmth. Atmosphere is created by the particular subject matter or place – it is given off from it – and corresponds to it like a sort of spirit that floats around, revealing, betraying a certain essence of the place or subject matter, but remaining ever visible. Michel Orsoni, ‘Point of view: A question of atmosphere’, 19981. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.