It has been brought into focus much more for me this past week how I see the world through rose-colored glasses, metaphorically most of the time. There have been several examples brought to my attention wherein I didn’t realize there was an underlying struggle in the scenario or situation because I generally only see the “good” (albeit good is a very subjective term). It has been the case in the past at places I work at that I never noticed if there was a tear in the social fabric or an ongoing feud. In light of our discussion of contextualizing all of the space we are studying, I’ve aimed to delve deeper into the politics this week through social media usage, our readings and a time lapse of the breakdown of the market.
In Suzanne Collins Hunger Games, I can’t help but contrast the situation of the protagonists (especially Katniss) and their homeland with the workings of the market and one word in particular comes to mind: Choice. There is a rigid structure in place that keeps their outer district poor in certain respects. They are in the old mining district where food and money are in short supply. In fact, Katniss finds a way around this structure and utilizes her will to choose through illegal poaching of animals from a forest and then black market trading. At the Farmer’s Market there is a structure in place (it is indeed run by a larger organization that puts on several markets in the area) but it is all about choice. In a way, however, the selection is still controlled by several factors: A waiting list, approval and, finally, the amount of physical space available.
Power to the people...social media has been engaged to promote the farmer's market. This implies a certain democratization of the business of the market. There is agency available for those involved as consumers, vendors, community organizers, managers, musicians etc. You can "like" the market both virtually and literally now. This speaks to an interesting transformation of the usage of space from both a physical manifestation on Sundays and a virtual one that is omnipresent. Also, I've noticed their Facebook page includes profiles on many of the vendors allowing a constant medium for their commercial enterprise. An interesting nod to the success of the market, I noticed on their Facebook page that they recently won an award for "best large-scale market" at the Washington State Farmer's Market Conference.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ballard-Farmers-Market/158850007054
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/BallardFMKT
The virtual world is expounded upon by Paul Virllio in his article “The Overexposed City”. He brings together the panopticism idea of Foucault with an updated version of La Tour’s concept wherein our life is controlled by virtual instead of physical boundaries. His idea is an update of the structure of the modern community (and the control implicit there) for the information age. His idea is a heightened awareness of the temporal as an architect for our routine; it’s all about time now. I especially like the JFK quote he uses in reference to my own self-reflexive use of media, “The camera has become our best inspector.” (P. 386)
Not everyone has felt empowered by the structure of the market however, I've found an example of the politics of space within my virtual search of the internet. There was a vendor dispute between one of the "permanent" businesses and a temporary vendor, Veraci pizza, that was publicized as a call to action for consumers on their website. I have previously posted about the mutually beneficial relationship of the concrete businesses and the farmer's markets' nomadic ones but there does appear to be an occasional underlying struggle for space that I was not aware of before.
Politics and the Market –
http://www.veracipizza.com/ballard.html
Daniel Kerr’s piece “We Know What the Problem Is”, is an amazing example of what he called “reciprocal ethnography”. I am very impressed and inspired by his research and methods. The successes of the movement he started were especially thrilling to hear about…I wonder where Cleveland has gone from there? I’ve seen so many connections between my courses this quarter and this brings up another one. For my Narrative Journalism class, I wrote an article on the Union Gospel Mission and my research included a tour of the facility. There is a special process by which people staying there become residents by entering a program in which they take control of their destinies. It has made me think a lot about the idea of agency and the issue of homelessness. The whole concept of democratically organizing and utilizing shared authority as a successful recipe. At the farmer’s market there is an interesting mix of democracy and authority -- it is run by the Seattle Farmer’s Market Association with applicants subject to a fee and review process and I’ve heard that there is a waiting list. Non-profits or community groups can come in day of on a space available basis though.
The idea of “ownership” of space and space as the heart of the community comes to life through the local 23rd and Union Project. First of all, I’m excited to see that this is a project to study space through media from right here in Seattle. It brings to light the diversity and different experiences of various groups in the same urban environment. Many different people share their experience through their audio clips – I wonder what the farmer’s market would bring up with a similar project? I have a feeling it would be less diverse and more focused on this transformative environment for commerce and leisure. I was surprised last week to hear several different languages spoken at the market because that was the first time I was clued in to the possibility for diversity in the space. I think the comparison between 23rd and Union and Ballard Ave during the market would show very different ownership and usage of space. They both however deal in a certain type of activism – social justice vs. locavore food movement. They both ultimately encapsulate an offshoot of the community’s needs too. I’ve really enjoyed the photo gallery with music that they set up showing a kind of time lapse with different people use the specific space at 23rd and Union so I’ve set up my time lapse showing the market coming down.
MY THOUGHTS and OBSERVATIONS…Today I've decided to observe the deconstruction of the market in conjunction with my observation of the underlying structure and politics. I've arrived right as the markets close at 3pm.
Soundtrack: It's both somehow quieter, more subdued and louder at the same time. No musicians are around but there is an overarching din -- voices, vans, equipment moving
There are last minute deals being made and the vans have taken up their loading spots on the right hand side of the street. As you see in my video collage, there is an ongoing ballet of movement as vans and trucks slide in and out of frame -- packing, loading, organizing supplies. There are two patterns of human motion that coincide as the space begins to change: The fast zipping of the workers versus the strolling of the last browsing shoppers. It's like a circular flow from pre-market to set-up to during the market to take down and finally back to pre-market. I imagine a flow chart: Empty street -- chaos -- order -- chaos -- empty street. Sunday to Sunday, repeat ad infinitum. The beautifully organized displays (like the tulip stand in my video) begin to come down and it's like watching a puzzle "unmake" itself -- a film strip played backwards. I've decided to observe just off to the side with my camera but I'm compelled to ask several people if they need help at times when I see them struggling with their supplies. I can't help but insert myself into the community. As I watch melting ice water stream down the pavement, I think about our concept of editing. The time lapse video I have created shows the deconstruction of the market but ultimately it is from a specific spot of images I have chosen to take -- it's through my own personal lens.
“Babylon of filmic de-formation, industrial zone of pretence, Hollywood was built neighbourhood by neighbourhood, block by block, on the twilight of appearances, the success of magicians’ tricks, the rise of epic productions like those of D.W. Griffith, all the while waiting for the megalomaniacal urbanizations of Disneyland, Disney World and Epcot Center”. (P. 390)
I’m kind of getting misty-eyed for LA already…
No comments:
Post a Comment