The readings from Michel De Certeau left me many questions in my mind. The most apparent message that he wants to convey is the idea of narrating walkers in the urban landscape. Quote “Stories thus carry out a labor that constantly transforms places into spaces or spaces into places.” He points out that as the creator of “stories”, which means the interactions between people with urban spaces hence forming collective memories, humanity is an active creator in space. Through their actions and existence, it allows places to interchange with spaces, making something objective to subjective. It is also the reason why frontiers and maps are formed, why there are places that are visually avoided in everyday life, why there are urban taboos and invisible borders that we as everyday walkers are ignorant. Perhaps it is the past experiences and explorations that molded our urban paths. Though Certeau’s language is quite hard to decipher, the message that he brings is quite fresh at its time.
Wesley Wong Ting Fai 3035664740
Appreciate your reflections especially your observations on urban taboos and invisible borders. What are some examples that you can think of in your everyday encounters? And from your notes, it sounds like you feel that de Certeau’s theory of the urban walker is still relevant today?