A Sense of Place
Pauline Shin
People, places, and things are simple subjects that are of great significance to the action of communication. Whether people are entering a space, using particular things or objects, or running into people, they are engaged with the present moment of a particular scene of their lives. This project is focused on the idea of engaging with people to understand the meaning of what a “sense of place” really is. How can one experience, and more so reveal, a particular scene of a particular day to study the relationships that people have with each other and their spaces? Through a practice of documenting the scenes of the everyday in Bushwick, Brooklyn an understanding of the culture and people of the neighborhood develops. The purpose is to reveal the everyday scenes of Bushwick, not a biased view of the neighborhood. Discoveries were made about the nature of human behavior: walking on the streets, entering a particular space, having a conversation, eating a meal. In the end the question comes to: What defines our sense of place? Is it simply a location? A spot on the ground? Sense of place is partly determined by location, but also by one’s personal experi- ence and the experiences we have as a group — it fosters authentic human attachment and belonging. It is people and their relationships to others, their engagements, that create a true sense of place. The purpose of the project was to produce objects that have an impression of a place, and in the process of making them to become more than an observer, to participate.The books range from small to big according to the level of intimacy I have with the surrounding space and people. Engagement stirs the relationships between people, places, and things depending whether they are entering, exiting, resting, or just stopping by for a chat.