Does an common space create a sense of community?
What is the importance of looking at a certain space past the basis of what we initially observe it to be?
How do people use a shared space and make it sacred in their own way?
Going into assignment 3, I wanted to use the reflections on my previous work to ensure I really focused on what the project entailed. Collaborating with Isobel and Indri brought out a wider range of ideas and viewpoints on how to approach our site, Edinburgh Gardens, and the questions we chose to examine. I wanted to hone in on the observation side of things, and really focus on that. I found myself observing and annotating our site not just on the day of filming but after watching back our footage and reflecting on what makes sense for the questions we were exploring. It lead me to be more open to various understandings and perspectives that can be experienced when in a place rather than just my initial thoughts.
As I had filmed in the gardens before I thought it would be an ideal site for us as it can be quite busy. We relied on the location being in a busier state in order to reflect our original questions we were asking properly. However, the filming conditions on the day did not exactly match what we desired. Therefore, we changed our questions in order for it to be more cohesive with the footage. Looking back on it now, having the gardens in a quieter state brought out other questions we weren’t originally asking and ultimately opening my eyes to a different approach to the task. During our preparation for filming we ideally wanted more people in our footage, specifically for the elements of community and shared space in our topics. Our original thought was that in order for there to be a sense of community, that there had to be people interacting with each other. However, through further discussion, the idea that people don’t necessarily have to be physically present for there to be a sense community is an unexpected outcome from what we originally thought. Looking through our content the idea of physical imprint (graffiti and drawings) and connection can actually be subtly suggested rather than blatantly obvious. It created a softness and quiet quality to the end result which I believe suited our questions better.
It may sound strange, but walking around the gardens and observing people on their own or in pairs put into perspective how such a large space can be used in so many ways. As the garden is a public, shared space we found there to be an element of privacy. The intimate use of space is a common understanding among the people, which allows each person to create their own meaning in their sacred space, whether it be the playground, sport oval or skatepark. I think that’s a positive of getting an outsider’s perspective or an unexpected outcome. It makes you think about things in a different way compared to when you first started. I myself see the place differently from how I had experienced it in the past and I found that sometimes it’s good to step back and see something for more than what it is and rather what it could be.
Video:
Power Point:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1PeFRBhJ8UvUZvIMGUI_1_gSFbSMTOh-P
Related Posts:
https://www.mediafactory.org.au/nicole-tsolakkis/2018/04/10/our-trio-and-the…t-3-sacred-place/
https://www.mediafactory.org.au/nicole-tsolakkis/2018/04/12/deciding-on-ques…ooking-equipment/
https://www.mediafactory.org.au/nicole-tsolakkis/2018/04/18/edinburgh-gardens-sacred-place/
https://www.mediafactory.org.au/nicole-tsolakkis/2018/04/19/editing-1-sacred-place/
https://www.mediafactory.org.au/nicole-tsolakkis/2018/04/23/editing-2-sacred-place/
https://www.mediafactory.org.au/nicole-tsolakkis/2018/04/26/presentation-and…ack-sacred-place/