The theoretical foundation of Synesthetic Weather draws from multiple fields, including atmospheric aesthetics, soundscape studies, affective politics, and theories of embodiment. Engaging with these texts not only provided conceptual tools but also helped situate the work within a more mature and rigorous theoretical framework. The writings of several key thinkers—Böhme, Griffero, Ahmed, Schafer, LaBelle, and Massumi—form the central intellectual pillars of the project.

Böhme’s theory of atmospheres is the first major influence. He proposes that atmospheres are “emotive spaces suspended between subject and object,” not narrated but perceived—encountered directly through one’s bodily presence. This perspective profoundly shaped the structure of the installation: instead of understanding emotion through narrative, visitors experience emotion by physically entering different atmospheric zones.

Griffero extends this line of thinking by asserting that atmospheres possess “affective agency.” They are not passive backgrounds but actively attract, push, or influence bodies. This idea inspired the incorporation of airflow, temperature gradients, and multisensory stimuli into the installation, allowing atmospheres to function as dynamic agents rather than visual scenography.

Sara Ahmed’s The Cultural Politics of Emotion introduces a sociopolitical dimension to the project. Ahmed argues that emotions circulate through social spaces, attaching themselves to objects, bodies, and narratives, shaping collective orientations. This reveals emotion as a spatial structure in itself. Designing emotions as walkable environments is, therefore, a direct response to Ahmed’s theoretical insights.

Schafer’s foundational text The Soundscape provides the basis for the work’s sonic architecture. His distinction between hi-fi (high-fidelity) and lo-fi (low-fidelity) environments guided the density and spatial clarity of each emotional zone. For example, the Anger zone features a compressed, overwhelming lo-fi soundscape, while the Calm zone employs an open, low-frequency hi-fi ambience.

LaBelle’s exploration of the sound–body–space triad further informs the spatial logic of the installation. He emphasises sound’s “leakiness”—its ability to blur boundaries, permeate surfaces, and create fluid spatial fields. This conceptualisation directly shapes the non-partitioned transitions in the installation, where emotional zones bleed into one another rather than existing as isolated rooms.

Massumi’s influence lies in his distinction between “emotion” and “affect.” According to Massumi, emotion is socially named and categorised, whereas affect is the pre-linguistic intensity that moves through the body before it becomes labelled. The installation prioritises these embodied affects—raw intensities—over verbally defined emotional categories.