Narie Laure Ryan, Space, Place and Story

1. Narie-Laure Ryan, Space,
Place and Story
Team 1

2. Introduction
● All forms of art require either space, time, or both
● There are three types of space involved in a semiotic object
Space that is represented Space of the medium itself The space surrounding the object
Vincent Van Gogh Michal Trpak Tom Otterness

3. Space versus place
● Space: a mathematical concept constituting of a network of points separated
by distance; infinite
● Place: a social concept that constitutes a concrete environment; has
boundaries
● Genius loci: the spirit which inhabits a place

4. Space versus place
● Narrative helps to create a sense of place and also mourn the loss of place
● Globalization makes all places look similar
● A common topos (associating ideas with places) in literature are large spaces
where a person feels isolated
● In response, there is a movement to create public spaces that conjure a sense of
community

5. Referential connection between story and space
● By referring to a real-world location you can connect narrative and actual
space
● “Reference to real-world entities is the distinctive feature of a genre that
presents an ambiguous status with respect to the dichotomy between
fiction and nonfiction”
● Legend: not historically documented, but references real-world settings
○ Example: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
■ Ichabod Crane encounters the Headless Horseman in Sleepy
Hollow, NY

6. ● A website memory maps allows
people to tell their own stories
through places rather than
chronological order, while
others can add to the collective
body of stories for each place
● The map shows how spaces
change, “the ephemeral
(fleeting) nature of place,
compared to the enduring
(lasting) nature of space”

7. Physical connection between story and space
● Connection between narrative and real
space (performed only in the location
where the events actually happened)
○ Ex: Son et Lumière (sound and light) spectacles
that became popular in the early fifties, especially
in the Chateaux of the Loire Valley
● Museum Exhibits
○ Events being commemorated did not take place in
the actual space of the exhibit; contains only
representations of what happened elsewhere
● This means that space is not used to represent space but to represent time

8. Locative Technologies
● Digital graffiti: Digital messages attach to
particular geographic locations
● murmur: the users walk equipped with a
paper map that identifies spots with stories,
a green sign tells them that a message is
available
● “Murmur seamlessly combines the newest
technologies with the world's oldest
technology-- storytelling-- to powerfully
engage diverse communities.”

9. The second story
1. It represents the perspective of the intelligentsia that haunts Grange Park.
2. Narrator draws a lot of attention to himself
3. Very heavy on evaluative devices
Characteristics
Self-referential
Rare experience in today’s world
The story that fulfills this commemorative function

10. Temporal and spatial proximity
•Temporal proximity combined with spatial distance by synchronous technologies:
telephone, internet chat
•Temporal distance is great: book
•Temporal distance is short: E-mail, Television

11. Relations between narrative and a sense of place.
•Place gives the pleasure of feeling at home. Narrative gives aesthetic
pleasure.
•Place is a sense of community. Narrative creates bonds between people

12. Locative narratives

13. Alternate reality games
• An interactive networked narrative that uses the real world as a platform and
employs transmedia storytelling to deliver a story that may be altered by players'
ideas or actions.
•ARGs is much more dynamic than in standard computer games.
Some plots can be constructed in the real time.
Designer could adjust the plot.

14. Questions
● Is the interweb considered a space or a place and why?
● How can we use locative technologies to redesign and enhance traditional
exhibits to engage the public?
● Can alternate reality games replace traditional games in the future?

15. Image Sources
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79802
https://www.michaltrpak.com/en/portfolio/escape-into-reality-what-does-a-painting-think/
https://mymodernmet.com/tom-otterness-bronze-sculptures/
https://crossdisciplinarystudiospring2020school.files.wordpress.com/2020/01/space-place-and-story.pdf

16. Clinton Hill

17. Lefferts-Laidlaw
Mansion
Graham House
for Old Ladies
Found objects

18. Large puddles of rain

19. Content
Sad
Happy

24. Clinton Hill
Danger mapping

25. Clinton Hill

26. Clinton Hill

27. Clinton Hill

28. Clinton Hill