Reflection on Sacred Place Assignment 3

Group work is often heavily lamented amongst students. Conversations I have with others regarding their tertiary careers commonly touch on the nightmares of navigating the different motivations and work ethics in a group dynamic. I am not shy in admitting that I have had some unfortunately negative experiences in a group dynamic.

However, if I’m completely honest, I always thought this assignment was going to be one I’d enjoy doing. I knew I really wanted to work with both Tim and Georgia simply off the back of the way they were both thinking about things in assignment 2 – the quality of their works were impressively strong. The blessing of working with these two however was the seamless wavelength we were all on in focusing on this project.

From the very beginning we drew heavily from the Cresswell reading that Robbie provided us. We really wanted to look at the physical space as a “rich and complicated interplay of people and the environment”; as deeper than a physical element and a view “about place as a thing in the world” (Cresswell, 2015). This was extremely important to us as it implies the understanding of place as a means of understanding human identity, and, if by going down that rabbit hole, a window into the meaning of life for specific people. We were asking questions of ourselves such as the significance of the favourite places in our own lives and how, in some cases, that significance carries over to other people who also find themselves sharing these spaces.

It was important as such that by exploring these questions we focused on the communal aspect of place – that we looked into places where we could find congregations of people that have a similar sense purpose and dedication to a specific space. This is the “locality” of the place – the familiarity created by a scene or subculture. Of this, Glass (2012) states that:

 

            With this local focus, an advantage of the idea of a “scene” is that it locates activities in ne works of people who are in actual times and places… Studies of scenes consider how members connect with each other, and how those connections generate new identities, spaces, and forms of art and culture.

 

This was essential in choosing The Tote for us as given its history of punk and heavy metal roots, it had formed its own artistic space and tastes for communities of people to congregate around. This was evident to us in exploring the space and the collective warmth we felt in being there. The communality drips off the walls like the posters of every gig that has ever been played there.

In beginning the assignment, I was quite apprehensive and unsure as to how we’d represent a thriving community without capturing those that participate in it. However in reflection, I’m really proud of the way we manage to create a sense of understanding, particularly for ourselves, as to how the physical space conveys where it stands.

 

References:

Cresswell, T., 2015. “Place as a Way of Understanding”. Place: An Introduction. 2nd ed. p. 18

Glass, P., 2012. “Doing Scene: Identity, Space, and the Interactional Accomplishment of Youth Culture”. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography. Vol 41, Issue 6, p. 695 – 706

Conceptualisation:

Place: Physical or Conceptual?

What is Our Sacred Place?

Battle for the Tote

TTT (The Tote Today)

In the name of collaboration

The Sound of The Tote

Assignment 3: Place, Placeness, Placelessness: Final Media

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