This document summarizes a project exploring cultural differences in practices through observations of everyday life in public spaces. It focuses on the practice of "loitering" or spending idle time socializing. Key points discussed include: - Loitering provides a way to socialize, relax and spend free time through activities like eating, drinking, smoking and playing games. - Urban spaces have become common places for loitering with modernization, though it originally occurred in more intimate settings like homes and stores. - The document proposes design concepts like creating dedicated loitering areas, ways to make existing spaces feel more intimate for small groups, and utilizing objects commonly associated with loitering. The overall aim

2. 2011-2012 Spring Semester
Faculty of Architecture ID 501 Advanced Project
Department Of Industrial Design Development In Industrial Design
Erasmus IP Project Partnership with TU/Eindhoven & Hogeschool Sint-Lukas
Brussel:
Cultural Differences in Practice
Inst. Figen IŞIK, Part-Time Inst. Burcu DERER OMAY, Res. Asst. Yekta BAKIRLIOĞLU
Hande IŞIK
Selma KADİROĞLU
Ceren KÖKTÜRK
Hande ÖZTAŞ
Zeliha UYURCA
Nur YILDIRIM

3. Our Approach to culture is inspired by…
Culture is simply what gives meaning to
actions, which it does by providing a sense
of coherence or patterning and
predictability. It provides the lens through
which one interprets events, scenes, and
actions.
Robert Gordon

4. What to look and observe?
An underlying shared system of
information and knowledge that is
manifested through patterns of norms,
behaviors and signifiers.

5. Main Argument
By observing the change in notion of
culture, we aim to explore dynamics of
culture via inspecting the everyday life
practices, which are shaped by
modernization, performed in public spaces
through urban equipment.

6. Loitering
• to stand about without any aim or purpose;
• to stand about idly;
• to linger;
• to hang around…
• Historical meaning related to great depression,
economics, modernization and urbanization

8. Loitering
To spend time Not Being Monitored
To see Safety
To socialize Intimacy
To subvert Lack of Appropriation

9. Loitering
Loitering, as a free time activity to spend time, chat with friends,
socializing and resting, is a repetitive action that almost
everybody does. From housewives to business people and
children, we tend to take our time by doing nothing specific, just
relaxing, thinking and talking.

11. There are various contexts for different age and sexes,
however loitering usually takes places as a group activity.

12. People from different social and economical backgrounds
practice this activity in their habitus. Urban space is the
place where habitus overlap.

13. In Turkish culture, loitering originated in town centers, bazaars,
storefronts and house thresholds were the commonplaces due
to their comfort and convenience. However, with modernization
and urbanization, urban centers have become the place that
loitering activity occurs.

15. Loitering
Why do we loiter?
Socializing/Talking/Gossiping/Communicating
Monitoring
Release Tension/Resting/Relaxing (Work, Stress)
Bored (Boredom)
Not Enough Activity Spaces (Lack of Urban Equipment and Space)
Enjoyable (Leisure Time spent with friends)

16. Practices that takes place while loitering:
Eating, Drinking & Smoking (Seeds, Tea,
Coffee, Cigarettes, Pipe)
Reading (Newspaper)
Playing (Card games, backgammon)

18. Design Proposals
1- Loitering Area
2- Intimate Loitering
3- Loitering Objects

19. Loitering Area
Argument: A practice that is acted in certain spaces, Loitering
reflects the space and habitus which is caused by the lack of
urban space for socializing and the need of existence in social
space.
Can we create a space that represents our way of loitering, while
it allows people to loiter as well?

20. A space that is created on the concept of ‘loitering’ and our way of practicing it
Audio visual material is used to reflect the way we loiter
Images or videos from several loitering areas and practicioners
Sound records from loitering activity and/or talks on why we are loitering (e.g data survey)

21.
Spaces in which loitering is common are observed and loitering ways, gestures and
silhouettes are studied to create a pattern that represents our practice.
Pattern can be used in several ways;

22. Loitering silhouettes can be used as shadows that are activated by visitors.
Silhouttes can be still images or moving shapes and people will observe them loiter.

23. Inspired by silhouettes, sittting units can be created
Shadows of the original silhouettes can be reflected upon the surface of sitting unit
Sensors can be used to activate silhouttes
They can interact with their shadows

24. Silhouettes move with observer

25. Culture shapes practices, and patterns that reflect culture are shaped by practices
Culture (pattern) is dynamic. Tactics can be read through practices

26. Intimate Loitering
Argument: The space we loiter was more appropriated and
intimate such as house and storefronts, village center,
coffeehouses etc. Places that everybody knows each other and
the space is accepted as a shared, common area. However, urban
spaces does not offer enough intimacy in terms of loitering for a
longer time and people are easily disturbed by strange looks,
close encounters and crowd.
Can we create a medium that makes loitering areas more intimate
for close groups?

28. Loitering Objects
Argument: As an everyday practice, spaces that loitering takes
place are equipped with some material in certain groups, such as
carpets, mats, cushions, stools etc. Also in urban spaces, trashes,
empty bottles, cigarette butts and scratches on urban equipment
are some of the traces that are left behind. Loitering concept can
be related with consumption.
Can we trace the objects of loitering in order to read more about
the practices? Can we utilize these objects to create and
manipulate an area that does not used for loitering, and change
behavior by attracting attention.

30. Q&A
Thank you