Annotated Bibliography on Space and Place

Jared Mimm

12/7/07

Annotated Bibliography on Space and Place

Space is something we are both surrounded by and are part of, but which we are not always conscious of how it affects us in its various ways every minute of our lives. The sources are comprised of works that look at how space affects us visually, psychologically, and how we classify space into places and even non-places. This bibliography is meant familiarize the reader with a variety of sources on space that will broaden their perspective on how to deal with space and how space deals with them. In bringing all these sources on theories of space together, I have created my own conceptual proximity of space out of the interrelatedness among all the sources.

Bibliography

Andrews, Malcolm. “The View From the Road and the Picturesque.” The Aesthetics of Human Environments. Berleant, Arnold, Carlson Allen, eds. Broadview Press: New York, 2007 p 272- 288

In this essay Andrews analyzes a trip on a road from old aesthetic views of nature and landscape to show modernity and all its conveniences have created non-places. For Andrews, tourist road signs are devices used to enhance the sense of “lost myth” associated with the picturesque. He cites Baudrillard's notions of objects with functions as opposed to objects like antiques that have historical character and signify something rather than are used for something.

Auge, Marc. Non-Places - Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity. Verso: London, 1995.

Auge describes the non-place as being a place that is not significant or meaningful. These places usually take the shape of transient places such as airports, highways, supermarkets, etc which only acquire identity from their being on the way to other places. Places are defined as having historical and social contexts and are where “normal social interaction” occurs. His theory gets a little tenuous as he tries to give gravity to distinguishing “normal social interaction” in normal places to more contractual interaction that is directly related to specific non-places.

Dewey, John. Art as Experience. G.P. Putnam's Sons: New York, 1934. pg 3-19

As expressed in the title Dewey presents an extensive theory that shifts the focus of the work of art to the experience inherit in the world and specifically exemplified in works of art. His theories expand the territory of aesthetic appreciation and give a framework for a sort of moral standard of what is most valuable for society and ultimately civilization. As such the artist, viewer and society all take on roles that contribute to the betterment of each other.

Evenden, Helen. Driving Forward. V&A Publications: London, 2007

This is a very current book on new concepts in transportation from vehicles to airports and other points of interchange. Some of the designs look like the weird stereo-typical concept cars that never seems to get mass produced, but these extravagant or over-accentuated features bring up a commentary on human needs and desires that never get incorporated due to political or marketing limitations.

Gallagher, Winifred. The Power of Place. Poseidon Press: London, 1993. p 145-159

This book examines the affects of environment on human behavior and psychology. The author touches on a great number of different places on a mission to get to the real meat of place and its affects on the inhabitants. She sites many scientific studies but in general works at trying to clear up a misconception that she says academia has produced about their being a big distinction about what affects a person feels because of biology as separate from what they feel because of environment. She believes that the two are inseparable.

Gartman, David. Auto Opium. Routledge: London, 1994.

Gartman presents an extensive survey of the aesthetics of the automobile during different time periods in the United States. He focuses on the social conditions and how they affected the style of cars and their psychological affect on the people of the time, such as the streamline style during the Depression that was supposed to capture the popular hopes and divert the frustration of the faltering capitalist system.

Indow, Tarow. The Global Structure of Visual Space. World Scientific Publishing Co: London, 2004

Indow presents a thorough explanation for the premise that we do not just see visual space as a physical process through our eyes, but that the perception of space also includes other physiological and cognitive steps along the way. Through a series of models he shows that though the space we inhabit is Euclidean, we do not always perceive it as so.

Lawson, Bryan. The Language of Space. Architectural Press: Oxford, 2001. pg 135-144

Lawson examines a lot of everyday spaces and the psychological and social affects they have on us, such as how different places position seats depending on the kind of social interaction that may occur. Cafes and lounges have intimate spaces made for close interaction through proximity by having seating face to face or seating that positions people on the same couch close together, as opposed to a doctor's reception area where all the chairs face straight. Lawson is very interested in how space accommodates, separates, structures, facilitates, etc., human spatial behavior.

Lewis, C.S. The Four Loves. Harcourt Brace & Company: New York, 1960.

Lewis breaks down love into for different types that can and do overlap. The first is Affection which is a fondness through familiarity. Next is Friendship which is described as the relationship between two or more people who are seeking the same truth. He posits friends side by side contrasting them with lovers who look face to face. Eros is romantic love, and while it can be enriched through sexuality, he terms base sexual activity, or lust as Venus. The last of the four loves is Charity which is a characteristically Christian virtue. This love is the unconditional love we share with our neighbor and God, as he does for mankind.

Light, Andrew. “Wim Wender's Everyday Aesthetics.” The Aesthetics of Everyday Life. Light, Andrew, Smith, Jonathan, eds.Columbia University Press: New York, 2005. pg. 109-131.

Light uses Wim Wender's film, Alice in the Cities, to illustrate Albert Bormann's ideas on the difference between devices and “focal objects.” Devices being used for some purpose and focal objects being things that go beyond that and creates social relations. Light then extends Borgmann's ideas to apply to spaces and coins them, thick or thin spaces. Light's thick and thin spaces pretty much relate directly to Marc Auge's idea of place and non-place.

Luecking, Stephen. Principles of Three-Dimensional Desgin- Objects, Space, and Meaning. Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, 2002. pg. 129-141.

This book is a basic survey on different theories and principle of three-dimensional design. In regards to the treatment of space Luecking says that space just like the object, whose meaning is derived from the space holding it, derives its meaning from its larger context. Furthermore he talks about the importance of realizing the relationship of objects and form, neither of which are meaningful without one another.

Mehrabian, Albert. Public Places and Private Space. Basic Books Inc New York, 1976. pg. 48-61

This book presents a pretty straightforward way of evaluating different environments. Mehrabian's three dimensions of evaluation are arousal – non-arousal, pleasure – displeasure, and dominance – submission. Arousal is defined as the amount of stimulus the person is feeling, pleasure has to do with whether the person is happy in the situation or not, and dominance is whether the person feels they are in control or not. After explaining how he evaluates different places he spends the next 20 chapters writings about all different kinds of places from health spas which are moderate in arousal, high in pleasure, and low in dominance to retirement communities which are relatively low in all three aspects compared to a sports arena.

Plumert Jodie M., Hund, Alycia M., Recker, Kara M. “Oganism-Environment Interaction in Spatial Development” The Emerging Spatial Mind. Oxford University Press: New York, 2007.

The authors of the article take the simple and widely accepted structure of how when a person's perception is affected by various properties of the environment the actions the person may take vary in accordance, and applies it to cognition and spatial development. In following spatial development it is necessary to analyze the person and organism together as a dynamic system. Changes in organism-environment interaction through experience is the basis for analyzing spatial development.

Rodriguez, Amardo. Communication, Space, & Design. Hamilton Books: Lanham, 2005. pg. 13-25

According to Rodriguez, space and design are highly influential to how we understand culture and politics. His idea on the role of space is rather new for his field of Communications, but is seen in geography and anthropology. The overall theme of the book is that modern spaces and organization of space is focused on separation and privacy. This exclusion embodied in gated- communities and exclusionary suburbs is limiting our sense of obligation to the outside world and hindering communication and development.

Shinar, David. Psychology on the Road. John Wiley and Sons: New York, 1978. pg 76-97

Shinar is trained as a psychologist and an engineer and brings these two perspectives together in a book that covers everything from interior car design, perception on the road, to highway design, traffic safety, and pedestrians, all the while explaining the psychology behind the question “Why” in the various areas. Shinar presents many scientific studies that have been done and then reviews the psychology of the outcomes, which gives the reader perspective on how they think while in a car and what could be improved or changed.