De Certeau, poses an interesting comparison to words that are seemingly synonymous. His comparison between the words “space” and “place” provide a unique insight into the many functions that a designed architectural location may have. De Certeau says that a place is the order in accord with which elements are distributed in relationships of co-existence. A place is stability, an instantaneous configuration of positions. A space however, defines a location by the things that happen within it. The definition of a space is builds further upon the definition of a place, because it accounts for the movements, intersections and interactions with it. We do not orient a space through directions like a place, but we do so with the operations that put it in a particular time, orientation and viewpoint. Therefore we can label “The space as a practiced place”. A street is not defined by the street but perhaps it’s walkers. It’s what makes it unique.
Therefore, De Certeau says that telling stories based on a space instead of a place makes it more effective. An effective story, is a story that doesn’t tell us about the place but rather, the exploration of what makes it a space. In order to create a compelling story, we must ask ourselves: “What are the operations, relationships and exchanges that take place here?”
Therefore, I believe that the exploration of space can not only be explored in the public interactions and the publicly agreed labels to what classifies this location into a space not a place, but also how we privately label things as a space. If we follow these private labels, we are able to look into the more private interactions taking place here. Therefore, I would like to take De Certeau’s findings and apply it to relationships (romantic or platonic) and express this in my final project. I hope to contrast two empty locations after the viewers have experienced the interactions there. We are then able to understand how a place can be transformed into a place.
Sophia Young-Rogers (3035601918)