The Idea of "Place" - A handy Lecture

How can it be represented?

This particular lecture was perfectly timed, since by now our "place" ideals for our zines were already decided, and gave us a bigger understanding of how place can be represented.

Gavin McDonald gave the lecture, and had some great topics of discussion that we decided to look into and discuss further:

• How we write and idenfity place in work
• Qualities a place holds
• Meanings on a personal level towards a place
• Seeing place as not a fix on a particular location, but a meaning of a particular area and how we identify that
• The place themed works of Tim Crosswell
• Is it a meaningful location?
• Place being distinct from "space" due to the former having a meaningful aspect and the latter being a measurment of volume
• A place being something we "make" by giving a spot meaning
• "A way of looking at the world. something that is essential to human experience"
• A visual resources center
• Turning a space, into place.
• Histories that our bound to our own lives
• Can a place be under threat? i.e. demolishion of that place
• Dan Graham and Christopher Hitchens works
• The ideas of a "utopian fantasy"
• Writing about somewhere you know intimatly
• "Heart of the city"
• Surrendering to place, and responding in a similar way
• The works of Ian Sinclair (his various works into phsycogeography and walking) and similar works by Will Self
• The fantastic work by Oliver East "Trains are ...mint"
• The fictional Manchester (as mentioned in the shrieking violet post)
• Maps, and how they represent place
• A brief talk about "The accidental salad"

From what we discussed, many have tried to illustrate, write, or experience "place" in a great number of ways, and the illustrative side is especially interesting.

If we refer back to Oliver East's work "trains are ...mint" he resembles place by illustrating responses to areas he visits, and conversations he has or overhears, including events that happen:

Oliver East Website Click Here 



 The simplicity of the idea and the art, including the placement of the handwritten sections still manage to give the place a very decent and involving response, that is large or immersive enough (to a smaller degree) for a zine.

I almost want to capture elements of this in my own work, and show that the images don't have to be completely ultra immersive and detailed to get a bigger point across. Normally my own work is rather figurative and literal, aiming to be bigger for that purpose, however maybe a slightly more sketchy, or abstract, or possibly even simpler approach is required for our zine submissions?

Overall, a brilliantly handy lecture and just at the right time!