JP Photo Elicitation
1 2017-10-17T04:30:45-07:00 Karli Brittz 26501e3c34311bed727f8938a040fb83cf19c4c7 23020 1 plain 2017-10-17T04:30:46-07:00 Audio 12 Karli Brittz 26501e3c34311bed727f8938a040fb83cf19c4c7This page has tags:
- 1 2017-10-12T05:01:28-07:00 Karli Brittz 26501e3c34311bed727f8938a040fb83cf19c4c7 QUESTION 9: Photo elicitation discussions Karli Brittz 6 structured_gallery 2017-11-02T04:33:33-07:00 Karli Brittz 26501e3c34311bed727f8938a040fb83cf19c4c7
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media/Ophelia Q8.1.jpg
2017-09-18T04:42:59-07:00
Molly
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Interactive Reflection Essay
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2018-03-16T09:46:32-07:00
The following essay is a reflection on the data gathered from the participatory archive. The data collected is based on a group of honours students and their sensory experience of the Piazza at the University of Pretoria. The students were asked questions pertaining to this space and gathered their research by responding through voice recordings and photographs which they then uploaded onto the online academic platform, Scalar. The essay not only explores the visual aesthetic of the space but primarily the sounds, the smells, the touch and even tastes that emerged in the data analysis. The way in which the students walked in and around the Piazza and their bodily mobility is analysed because walking is a way in which one establishes new meanings and experiences of a space (Borer 2013:977). According to Degen and Rose (2012:6) sensory experiences are intertwined with memories which mediates certain experiences in different ways. Therefore, a section of this reflection will investigate the senses that evoked particular memories for the students.
The Piazza officially opened in 1995 as a student oriented space which provides various activities such as the ones mentioned by Molly (2017). Louise (2017) stated that before the Piazza was built, she recalls that there was a busy road that divided the campus. This was her own memory of the space where Degen and Rose (2012:18) state that many people often rely on their memories in order to make sense of a specific space where they either compare it to a different space, how that space has changed or it looked like previously. Both Poppy and JP (2017) describe the space as an “oasis” supported by images of palm trees, jacaranda trees and green grass. The jacaranda buds on the ground in the Piazza evoke a memory of getting stung by a bee for Savanna (2017). Memories influence ones perception of a space, this was a bad memory for Savanna (2017) therefore her experience of the space could result in a negative one (Degen & Rose 2012). One could assume that this evoked a tactile sense, and automatically reflected back to a bad memory.
There was very negative feedback regarding the student’s sensorial experience of the Piazza that is conveyed through the voice recordings, the imagery and the photo elicitation discussions. Multiple students, such as Chloe (2012) and Jane (2017), state that the Piazza was dirty and several students presented images of litter and rubbish.
The participants senses were evoked predominantly inside the Piazza and when entering the food court. Both JP (2017) and Adeline (2017) state that they felt claustrophobic in the food court and that the smells of all the different foods were overwhelming. Calliope (2017) even describes the smell of tomato sauce that seemed to bother her sense of smell. A few of the students mention the smell of smoke especially by the benches which influenced a negative perception and experience of the space. The smell of the cigarette and hubbly smoke contributes to the idea of dirtiness and “griminess” (Adeline 2017) in the space. Predominantly, the odour and sense of smell influenced the way in which the space utilized and experienced by the students. According to Borer (2013:972) odours are constructed by cultural values "and employed by societies as means" of defining and interacting with the world. Borer (2013:972) refers to Simmel (1997a, 119) who argues that the sense of smell is a "dissociating sense" in order to create a division between classes, races, ethnic groups and genders. He discusses the "stigmatization" (Borer 2013:972) of odours such as smoking and how it too creates division in the space.
The inside of the Piazza was very noisy, according to the students, which disrupted and bothered them. The food court was especially noisy due to the high ceilings and the emptiness upstairs which created an echo contributing to the loud buzz in the space. According to Borer (2013:971), when people label a space as "noisy", the space is usually regulated by authorities which is supported by the photograph of the surveillance camera. "Noise" (Borer 2013:971) is considered a major problem suggesting agitation and annoyance in the space. The empty space above the food court up the stairs was extremely dusty and one literally gets the sensation of feeling dirty themselves.
The body has become a necessary tool for interpretation (Borer 2013:976). Not only is the body a "physical mechanism for engaging"(Borer 2013:976) with the sensuousness of the space, the body also functions as a form of communication for different impressions and interpretations (Borer 2013:976). The texture of the grass was explored in the photo elicitation discussions where Chloe described the grass as “prickly” when she kneeled down to take a photograph. Ophelia also discusses the textures of the stones on the ground all over campus. She describes the texture as “ruggered as well as very smooth”. Due to the time of year, the grass is green and luscious according to Molly and invites students to sit on it instead of the benches which are described as smelling like smoke.
Borer (2013:974) explores the experience of taste in the experience of a urban space. He states that food and drink is an “important characteristics of urban cultures because taste” is used in order to identify “particular urban locales” and that taste has the ability to make personal and private connections to the material world. Therefore ones impression of the food sold in the Piazza contributes to our experience and perception of it. During the photo elicitations a student mentioned that their coffee was revolting and because it was one of the first senses that was evoked during this experience, the rest of her experience in the space was disappointing and negative. Savanna and Loretta Brown compare the food sold at the Piazza to the food sold at Tribecca and Aloha, stating that the quality of food at the piazza is worse than the food sold at Aloha or Tribecca. I have had my own personal experience of the food sold in the Piazza which resulted in a very negative perception of the space and never wanting to purchase food from there ever again.
The basic bodily movement of the participants walk through the piazza is also striking when analyzing the data. A few of the students felt like they were constantly being looked at which changed the way they presented themselves. Students such as Jane and Loretta Brown described how they would prefer to walk around the Piazza instead of straight through it. A few students mentioned how they walk through the Piazza to get to class either at a fast pace if they are late for a class or a normal to slow pace. Degen and Rose (2012:14) explore the practice of walking through and around a space and how all "the senses are integrated by the way the living body moves (Degen & Rose 2012:14).
The nature of this project is valuable because it allows one to experience a space as an embodied one, instead of just analysing it with regards to the physical appearance and design of the space. This project introduces a completely new and interesting way of researching. All of our sensorial experiences contribute to our perception of a space and forms the idea of whether we like the environment or not. I have come to realise that people would do anything to avoid certain odours and a noisy environment even if it means that they have to walk an extra few metres or even drive around to avoid it. Through the analysis of the data, it is evident that the students of the University of Pretoria, experience the Piazza as an embodied and sensual one, namely through walking practices, their multisensorial engagement with the space and the senses that evoke particular memories.
Borer, M.I. 2013. Being in the City: The Sociology of Urban Experiences. Sociology Compass, 7(11):965-983.
Degen, M.M. & Rose, G. 2012. The sensory experiencing of urban design: the role of walking and perceptual memory. Urban Studies, 49(15):3271-3287.
Simmel, G. 1997a. Sociology of the Senses: Selected Writings. Sage Publications: London. -
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2017-10-31T08:01:02-07:00
JP
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2018-03-16T09:29:00-07:00
Multisensory experiences of Spaces
The experience people perceive of the spaces they inhabit is highly mediated by the design and interaction of these spaces. Degen and Rose in The sensory experience of urban design: the role of walking and perceptual memory (2012: 1) offers a justification of this avowal by stating that “experience is conceptualised in both academic and policy circles as a more-or-less direct effect of the design of the built environment”. The multisensory experience of spaces by individuals were clearly observed in the manner in which a group experienced the Piazza of the University of Pretoria. The interaction resulting from the experience hinted at the manners in which individuals mediate the space in mention and clearly ties to shared experiences (especially in participants that closely relate in milieu and background) through the considerations of the patterns that was perceived from the conversations. It also deserves mentioning that although there were reoccurring patterns, the individual experiences were not exactly alike and many of the participants experienced the space, again mediated through individual interactions.
The most perceivable patterns that were visible in this engagement was first and foremost filth. There were many discussions on how dirty certain parts of the Piazza was, specific reference was made to an area of benches where smokers gathered. The group was in agreement that this space heavily mediated their opinion of the space in a very negative fashion. In Chloe’s recording a contributor is quoted in saying “There is a disgusting smell of cigarette smoke mixed with food that will prevent me from eating there”. Another contributor in this recording mentions that the smell makes the whole place “feel dirty and disgusting”. In Jane’s recording the rhetoric is furthered regarding the corner when contributors to the discussion comments on the people occupying this space saying “the people there seems unwelcoming and engaged in their own groups” and “to me this seems like the slackers corner”. Although the comments in Jane’s recording are visually based there is an argument to be made that the contributors made use of multisensory modalities to draw these conclusions. The specific mention of the smell of smoke and food links to one of the three features neglected in most accounts of sensory urban experiences as outlined by Degen and Rose (2012: 4-5).
The specific area referred to here, being the multi-sensory modalities individuals make use of when experiencing urban spaces (the second feature (Degen and Rose 2012:5)).The contributors in this recording uses their multi-sensory experience of the dirty visual as well as bad smell to draw conclusions regarding the individuals that utilised the space, thus a mediation of contributors opinion of other individuals through the use and design of the space. There are many more of these occurrences that can be picked up from the patterns referring to the feeling of surveillance (as mentioned in the recordings of Calliope, Adaline and JP). In the discussion on surveillance a contributors states “I don’t walk through the middle of the Piazza because I feel that people are looking at me” another contributor stated that “people are looking by trying not to look” in the explanation of people sitting in the Piazza. The conversation of surveillance engages the topic of “the Importance of Walking” (Degen and Rose 2012: 12, 29) where the authors makes mention of the influence that the way of walking has on the experience of the areas, as well as the effect the experience of the areas had on the manner in which people walk. Another pattern was the reference to the movement in the piazza that featured in the recordings of JP and the images of Savanna, Poppy and Diversity.
Degen and Rose (2012: 7-9, 20) describes the opposing experiences that individuals reported when making mention of the same spaces. The same occurrence took place in the Piazza experience where individuals with less or no past interactions with this space like Calliope and Louise had experiences mediated with what they perceived from their visit, where the experience of individuals like Chloe was mediated more with their past experiences of the Piazza. Chloe shares an experience of her interaction when she stated “we sat on the grass to relax on study breaks or between classes in first year”. A notable element here is the memories that had an influence on the experience. Degen and Rose (2012: 19-22) substantiates the influence of memories on the experience of Bedford and Milton Keynes. This principle is observed within the Piazza experience where Chloe, through her positive memories of the space can be perceived to have a more neutral, even positive experience of the Piazza (this is clear when listening to the engagement where Chloe takes part as well as the images shared by her in many of the questions) compared to the more negative inclinations of Jane and specifically Calliope throughout the discussions.
The multi-sensory experience of a space is clearly apparent to thus far. The distinct engagement of the space with specific senses however still deserves mentioning. Although the space was engaged with a combination of senses, the discussions in particular through question 9’s photo elicitation discussions clearly brought forth that the group engaging with the Piazza experienced the space more with certain senses than others. Above clear notes the effect of vision through the consideration of “people looking at you” and mention is made of smell, from the cigarette smell to the “smell of tomato sauces” as described by one of the contributors of the photo elicitation discussions mediated the experience of the Piazza. Other senses than seeing was also significantly involved.
The sense of taste was engaged in describing the environment. In Poppy’s recording mention is made of the “smell of the Piazza effecting the taste of food” consumed there, this is furthered in a contributor stating that “I can’t stand the taste of food when someone smokes around me”. A more explicit consideration of the influence of taste in experiencing the environment comes from Louise’s image and the discussion of the taste of the coffee that was incited when discussing the initial experience of the Piazza by some of the contributors. From Molly’s image and the discussion the most notable discussion of taste is made. This discussion was based in the taste of the doughnuts in the image and how it is mediated by the visual display and surrounding smells. The discussion however cantered around the manner in which the presentation “made even chocolate not look good” and was furthered in to how the perception of display differs in consideration of the space in which something was presented.
The above mentioned discussion on taste led to the perceived health effects of food that comes from the a specific environment and finally led to a comparison of the taste of food and the perception formed by the environment when the Piazza was compared with other restaurants on campus in a different (better perceived) area. Degen and Rose (2012: 24) makes mention of this comparison in the influence expectation has on the individual’s experience. This is further strengthened with Borer’s statement in Being in the city: The sociology of Urban experiences that “the nuances of urban experienced has significantly been altered by the understanding of sensory scholarship” (2013: 965).
In conclusion the embodies mediation of individuals through a multi-sensory experience has an absolute impact on the experience of an environment. Individuals will consider many aspects other than the visual in the engagement of their world, thus significantly empowering the effect designer can have on a population through the spaces they engage with. This Piazza experience will therefore stand to prove the statement by Degen and Rose (2012: 1) “experience is conceptualised in both academic and policy circles as a more-or-less direct effect of the design of the built environment”.
Reflection:
In a world that is so heavily concerned with perception and mediated with persona it stands to reason that it is exceptionally difficult to navigate the visual overload that we experience on a daily basis to make sense of the world we live in. Through understanding the effect that the design of the environment can have on us, it positions the individual in a better space to understand him/herself in connection with the world they live in. Acknowledging the multisensory perception of our world in a very practical manner considering a space that is so integral to my direct environment I am provided with a diverse array of tools to make sense of my world. I have thus strengthened the understanding that it is easier to make sense of the world and to verbalise my understanding of such if I maintain an understanding that it is not only what I see that creates the effect of the environment on me, but also what I smell, hear taste and feel. This provides significant value to me as this allows a more encompassing way of articulating experiences, strengthening my ability to assist others and myself in considering the world we live in.
Sources consulted:
Borer, Michael Ian (2013). Being in the city: The Sociology of Urban Experiences. Social Compass, 7(11) pp. 965-983.
Degen, Monica Montserrat and Rose, Gillian (2012). The sensory experience of urban design: the role of walking and perceptual memory. Urban studies, 49(15) pp.3271-3287.