bodyhouses

Bodyhouses is a term used in several disciplinary contexts to describe spaces or structures that contain the body or bodily processes, either literally as a dwelling for a person or metaphorically as the repository of identity, memory, or consciousness. It is not a standard term with a single definition, and its meaning varies by field.

In philosophy and cognitive science, the term is often used in a metaphorical sense to illustrate embodiment: the body as a living container that shapes perception, action, and mental life. In this usage, a bodyhouse is not a building but a conceptual space where experience occurs and where physiological states influence cognition.

In architecture and design, bodyhouses appear in speculative or experimental discourse as ideas for personal shelters or modular environments that connect to the body. These proposals frequently explore the boundary between interior living space and the body's surface, or imagine devices that extend shelter around the wearer in extreme environments.

In cultural and fictional contexts, bodyhouses frequently function as imaginative devices in science fiction or cyberpunk narratives, where humans may carry or integrate living spaces with their bodies, or where bodies house autonomous agents, avatars, or prosthetic habitats.

Because bodyhouses are not widely standardized, references to the term typically require clarification about the intended meaning in a given text. The concept aligns with broader discussions of embodiment, personal space, and the relationship between body and environment.