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VKK 757: Archiving UP's Piazza

Calliope Question 5 Image: Dustbins

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Savanna “As place is sensed, senses are placed; as places make sense, sense make place” (Steven Feld in Borer 2013:966). The senses are part of people’s everyday experiences, including that of the city and other built environments (Degen & Rose 2012:3). In saying that, the actual experience of being in these environments, such as bodily and sensuous, are very often presumed, and thus are never critically analysed and interpreted. In light of this, there has been an increase in the study of the experiential dimension of urban and built environments as “lived and felt through the body’s five senses” (Boerer 2011:965). Furthermore the aim of this interactive reflective essay is to discuss and analyse people’s sensory and embodied experience of the University of Pretoria’s Piazza through the use and evaluation of various images, voice recordings and photo elicitation conversations obtained during the data collection process. Additionally, people’s sensory experience of the Piazza is discussed in relation to their walking practices as well as experiencing the Piazza as a smellscape, soundscape and touchscape (Borer 2013:965). Finally a reflection of this project is given in which perceptual memory is discusses and how it effects participants sensory and embodied experiences.

The Piazza, most commonly known as the Student Centre, is situated approximately in the middle of the Hatfield Campus. It can be seen as a hub for the students to “socialise” (Louise 2017), “interact” (Chloe 2017), relax and grab a bite to eat between lectures. Calliope describes it as having a “laid back atmosphere” whereas Adeline sees the Piazza as being “grimy” and Ophelia characterises this area as “ambivalent” . From these descriptions, one is able to see the variety of opinions and feelings surrounding this space. Moreover the Piazza can be understood as a “sensory constellation” (Degen & Rose 2012:17) and as a result, individuals will experience it different through their individual sensorium.

Degen and Rose (2012:1) suggest that experiencing a place can be mediated in various ways such as bodily mobility, more specifically, walking practices. These walking practices can be influenced by the design of the buildings and the spaces between them, which in turn, influences people’s experiences of a particular environment. Other words used to describe the Piazza are “watched” (Molly 2017) and “observe” (Lousise 2017). In saying this, many of the people involved in this study feel as if they are being “surveyed” (Molly 2017) while in the Piazza. Molly’s image of the camera sign suggests that not only are the students watching and observing one another but that the university is laying a watchful eye in this space. This feeling of being looked at influences the way in which individuals walk and move within this space. Adeline states that she “mainly walks around the circle and not directly in the center – no one walks directly in the center”. Majority of the participants tend to agree with this, however JP states that he “walks straight through” and Savanna “[does] it sometimes”. Ophelia and Loretta do not interact with the Piazza as they see it as a “fly through” (Loretta 2017) and only a space where they “pass through” (Ophelia 2017) in between lectures to get from one side of campus to the other. The design of the space can also be seen as a way to influence how people walk in the space. There is a covered area towards the back of the Piazza that people can use to cross through it and thus they do not have to walk directly through the middle.

The walking practices described above can also be explained in terms of Borer’s (2013:976) understanding of the built environment as a “touchscape” or feeling the city. The body and environment come together through the act of walking, in which individuals are able to touch and feel the environment while moving on foot through the space (Borer 2012:977). In this way, individuals inevitably touch things that come into contact with the body. The participants in this research may possibly feel the wet or dry grass on their legs and hands when sitting outside the Piazza or may even feel, through the soles of their shoes, the hot bricks that have been in direct sunlight, sunken into the concrete floor which forms a beautiful pattern of petals surrounding the center circle of the Piazza.

Another way in which Borer (2013:972) describes experiencing an environment is by smelling the space, thus the Piazza can be described as a “smellscape”. According to Borer (2013:972) different smells can have various associations as well as negative and positive connotations, which may alter an individual’s experience of a space. Several participants commented on the variety of smells in the Piazza, which were described as being “a bit overwhelming” (Calliope 2017). These smells included that of “tomato sauce” (Calliope 2017), “various foods cooking” (Chloe 2017), “cigarettes [as well as] hubbly” (Chloe 2017). The participants did not like these smells, which in fact, made the Piazza quite unappealing to them and made the area appear to be “dirty” (Chloe 2017). The litter in the area, such as the overflowing dustbins, contributed to the feeling of dirtiness and created an unhygienic space, which illustrates “a disregard of the self, others and the environment” (Lousie 2017). Some participants commented on the smell of the grass and the jacaranda flowers, however the smells of food and smoke, as described above, engulfed the organic smells of nature.

Another important aspect when experiencing a place through the senses is seeing the space as a “tastescape” (Borer 2013:974). Borer (2013:974) suggests that the consumption of food and drinks are important in an individuals experience of a space. Inside the Piazza there are many small food stalls that provide students with fast take away food options that are affordable. Situated next to this is Coffee Buzz, the local spot where students usually grab a coffee with their friends. From the data collected it is evident that if students did not like the food and coffee available they already had a negative impression about the Piazza. It can be suggested that by eating and drinking they experienced the Piazza in a visceral way, which either satisfied their stomachs pain for hunger or may have made their stomachs contract, possibly a sensation of turning, if they did not enjoy the food available.

From the above discussion it is evident that urban spaces, in this case the Piazza, are experienced by the participants with feeling and a rich range of sensory engagements (Degen & Rose 2012:28). Sight was inevitably engaged in their experience, however for the purpose of this analysis the other senses were discussed. Each participants encounters were multisensory in which they experienced the space as a smellscape, tastescape and touchscape which influenced their walking practices. From observations made on this digital archive and through the use of the visualisation tools on scalar, is it interesting to note that in Question 4 most participants answered the question based on what they felt, while Question 6 most participants acknowledged odour - so it is interesting to note that when commenting on what they don't like participants are sensitive to smell but when commenting on what they enjoy in a space participants are more sensitive to how they feel in that area. And this deduction would not have been possible without a digital archive.

It is evident that specific forms of the sensory environment elicited different forms of sensory experiences. It is important to note that perceptual memory plays a vital role in people’s experiences. This is because the sensory and embodied experiences elicited in the Piazza are related to each participants “own remembered sensory biography’s” (Degen & Rose 2012:30). This means that each individual will experience the Piazza differently and that there is no right or wrong way to experience a specific place. These sensory and embodied experiences are socially and culturally determined. Another important aspect to consider when analyzing people’s embodied and sensory experiences is that describing how others feel is a difficult task and is often “ephemeral” and “ineffable” (Borer 2013:979) and thus representing this sensory data in words has proven to be a challenging task.

In summation it is evident that exploring the multisensory experience of the Piazza has been extremely valuable in coming to understand the sensorium in greater detail. Creating the visual archive was quite confusing at first as I found Scalar is not user-friendly, however once I discovered the correct way of uploading media this process became much smoother. The manner of collecting the data and the photo elicitation discussion was extremely informative as it is an area of the research process that I am not familiar with. This will prove to be extremely useful if I decide to pursue my masters in Visual Culture Studies.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Borer, M. 2013. Being in the City: The sociology of urban experiences. Sociology Compass 7(11)
:965-983.

Degen, M & Rose, G. 2012. The sensory experiencing of urban design: the role of walking and perceptual memory.
Urban Studies 49(15):3271-3287.
Laura Miller This interactive and reflective essay aims to unpack and explore the ways in which various students experienced the Piazza space at The University of Pretoria. This essay focuses on people’s sensory engagements and bodily modes whilst experiencing the space and involves a combination of text, image and voice recordings done by the participants. Walking practices, touch scape, smell scape and the role of memory are discussed in terms of the piazza space and with reference to the theorists Degen and Rose (2012) and Borer (2013), these aspects will be enhanced. Furthermore, a short reflection on the value and nature of the project is provided so to reveal what has been learnt from the process of using photo elicitation and documentation within a visual archive surrounding the sensory experiencing of urban spaces.

Degen and Rose (2012:3) state in their article titled “The Sensory Experiencing of Urban Design: The Role of Walking and Perceptual Memory” that “senses are part of people’s everyday experiencing and these sensory experiences are central to the design of urban built environments.” Therefore, it is important for town planners and architects to acknowledge that when buildings and urban spaces are being constructed and designed, one’s sensory experience needs to be considered. Thus, Degen and Rose (2012:5) stress the significance of how urban spaces are experienced through multiple sensory modalities and not solely through the visual or through sight. Similarly, Borer (2013:966) recognizes the importance of the senses for making connections between individuals and their environments by referring to places as “sensescapes.”

The piazza has a variety of walking practices owing to the different types of walk-ways within the area. The inner section contains several corridors that channel students to walk in a hurriedly manner and to follow a certain path. Degen and Rose (2012:13) stipulate that it is through such "habitual practices and routine engagements that one is able to attach particular experiences and memories to places." Ophelia's (2017) image below for displays her experience of walking through the corridors and reveals the dark, dinginess of the avenues while Savanna comments on walking through this area and her feeling of "claustrophobia" (Savanna 2017). Degen and Rose (2012:14) mention that this type of space creates a tendency for it to be like a two way street and forms streams of traffic whereby people walking in this confined space are almost on "autopilot." Additionally, Savanna (2017) mentions that she frequently attended the piazza in her first two years of study but no longer visits this space; thereby linking to the concept of memory and how students have fond memories of their younger days whilst sitting or socializing under the trees. Therefore, this space is viewed differently to that of someone whom may be experiencing the piazza for the first time as "there are no perceptions without recollections" (Degen & Rose 2012:18).

On the contrary, the walking practices in the open space of the piazza are more free flow and in a "spidery-like movement" as the area is bigger and allows for many pathways and directions to 'stroll' through (Degen & Rose 2012:16). There is a lack of uniformity in this environment except for the flow of students walking directly through the piazza from one entrance to another, following the straight path. Loretta (2017) describes walking through the piazza as her "fly through" of which Molly (2017) agrees with this as these students prefer to quickly pass through the area owing to the feeling of being watched or judged by onlookers or even viewed by surveillance. Other students, however, do not merely "fly through" this area to get to another destination but optionally choose to spend time in the piazza so to interact with friends or work on group projects together. JP's (2017) image reveals how this space produces a multiplicity of patterns of walk which, in turn, results in individuals reacting differently to forms of sensory stimulation (Degen & Rose 2012:16). It is the body and the space that come together through the process of walking.

The piazza can be considered in terms of a "touchscape" and a "smellscape" in which the space can be assessed through the sensuous experiences and the accompanying meanings embedded (Borer 2013:969). One of the positive experiences students had with the piazza, in terms of a touchscape, is the various grass areas and the feeling of the lush grass under one's feet or hands whilst being able to sit and enjoy the tranquility under the trees (Molly 2017). Molly (2017) further infers that while the grass areas are clean and relaxing, students refrain from touching any other aspects of the space as it appears "grubby."

These sensory engagements with the grass areas are also mediated by memories of other places that contain grass in which comparisons were made between the piazza grass area and the Engineering grass patch. Borer (2013:977) infers that "touch is more than the action of the fingers feeling the texture of surfaces, in this case the grass, as it involves the entire body reaching out to certain items and those items in the environment coming into contact with the body." This is evident in the circular podium that protrudes out and causes the body to come into contact with this environment and connects individuals to the larger spatial whole (Borer 2013:977). Jane (2017) states that this is one of her favourite features in the piazza as she finds the design and symmetry of the bricks aesthetically pleasing; linking to Degen and Rose's thoughts of how the "design of a certain area should enrich people's experiences." The circular podium is thus synonymous with the piazza space.

The "smellscape" can be considered the most prominent sensuous experience of the piazza as every student commented on how the smell deters them away from the area. According to Borer (2013:972), smell is a "dissociating sense that creates divisions and distinctions between classes, cultural groups, races and even practices like smoking." Memory plays a key role within smellscape as many students remembered and recalled the space according to the overwhelming stench of hubbly bubbly and cigarette smoke as seen in Loretta's image.
Not only is there an overpowering smell of smoke but also the various smells of food cooking and being prepared. Linking to the above quote, smell evidently creates divisions as one is able to divide the space according to the smokers and various cultural groups that are sitting and eating, or waiting in the ques to purchase food (Borer 2013:972). Thus, smells are connected to certain places and particular types of people. This is evident in the cafeteria space as it has an extremely distinctive smell. Additionally, owing to so many people residing in this area, the bins are often overflowing which causes a stench of garbage and creates a lot of litter, ultimately resulting in a "disregard for others and the environment" (Louise 2017) . Thus, the smells associated with the piazza are almost entirely negative and will result in an odorous identity. It is apparent that students predominantly experience the piazza in terms of a smell, sensory engagement.

This project is extremely relevant as it places emphasis on the importance of analyzing urban spaces according to walking practices, memory, touch and smell: the sensory experiences. I found the nature and value of the project meaningful as it enabled and encouraged me to experience the space through a multi-sensory process and not primarily through sight which, in turn, created an awareness of my surroundings and how I interact with the environment. By fully immersing myself into the multi-sensory process I found new insights, likes and dislikes, and aspects of the space that enlightened my overall view of the piazza as well as building on my previous memories or perceptions that mediated my experience. I became aware of the process of walking, my awareness of presence and touch, as well as the odorous impressions. I found the photo documentation and elicitation effective as both methods capture the essence of what one aims to convey: the atmosphere and sensorial qualities. I enjoyed using these methodologies and implementing them into a group, visual archiving project on a new platform: Scalar.

Therefore, from the above essay it is clear that students at The University of Pretoria do indeed experience the piazza space in terms of their senses: namely walking practices, the role of memory, touch and smell. It is furthermore clear from the inputs of the theorists Degen and Rose (2012) and Borer (2013) that urban spaces do allow for multisensorial experiences which ultimately enhance one's encounter with the space, its environment and its design features. Thus, the UP piazza contains an experiential dimension.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Borer, M. 2013. Being in the City: The sociology of urban experiences. Sociology Compass 7(11)
:965-983.

Degen, M & Rose, G. 2012. The sensory experiencing of urban design: the role of walking and
perceptual memory.Urban Studies 49(15):3271-3287.