Media, especially in the broader definition utilized by McLuhan, similarly shapes our identity and perception. It can be used to showcase our point of view of the world (like in "Life in a Day") or it can be used by the hegemonic corporate culture to play upon our desire for an enviable position in the social ladder (like in John Berger's Chapter 7). Also, the meaning of media can work on multiple levels of interpretation. Hall discusses this idea in relation to our idea of defining difference. An advertisement utilizing a black athlete can have both a denotation, connotation and a meta-message all at the same time, dependent upon the viewer and sometimes dependent upon its relation to multiple images (inter-textuality). Furthermore, in his Chapter 5 discussion, he puts forth several ways for minorities to have agency in reversing stereotypes. This illustrates the power of media and how those who have been disenfranchised can control it. My use and interpretation of media has been critical not only to my understanding of the space of the market, it has also worked on several levels encompassing everything from my own subjectivity to the social relations of the attendees to the commerce of the community. I've utilized photos showing the transformation of the space and my own viewpoint. I've gathered photos from other market goers to get a better look through their personal lens and I've videotaped my neighbor Wendy who is a chef and frequent attendee. It has been eye opening to see the context in which others view the market. There does seem to be a consensus on the community value of the space and the social aspect it provides. I believe my neighbor Wendy said it best when I asked her what word(s) she would use to describe the market -- community and connections were her answers. Which brings us to this week...
OBSERVATIONS and MY THOUGHTS: The market has been transformed even more than when I last visited and it's all due to one little difference...sunshine! It's a beautiful day and this has drawn the community like a beacon promising a little piece of nostalgia for past summer times. Soundtrack -- An ever changing patois of speaking, laughing, music, chatting, advertising...
This time I've let the market speak for itself. It is an interesting exercise to just listen and construct a picture of the visual. I found myself picturing what I had observed as I replayed the video but I wonder what the reader will imagine not having been there with me? I've also varied my time of attendance a bit and arrived during the middle of the market which could account for the additional activity. The weather and the crowds has shifted the flow pattern of people. There is more chaos and less order. Attendees walk, stand, sit and use every available surface for eating, talking, buying, walking pets, spending time with family or, simply, enjoying the space. Everyone has staked out their little corner of the space but it's fluid and ever changing. They transform the space and it transforms their experience of it. Although boundaries are observed to a certain extent, the public vs. private divide seems to be blurred.
The mood is buoyant, jubilant and familial. They are using the space to create their own pleasurable experience and it is rooted in the senses (visual, oral, tactile etc.). Numerous attendees have self-created subjective experiences pursuing a certain goal. Not only do vendors seek to sell but we have more musicians today (an americana/clogging duo called the Squirrel Butters, the two guitarists I've briefly interviewed in a previous post and even a guitar player wearing large headphones and playing with a man who had an instrument I couldn't quite identify -- I'm thinking xylophone or marimba), a young juggler and, finally, a guy reading a kindle and advertising "Psychotherapist in, 5 cents" a la Peanuts. The community dynamic is strong and it reminds me of how the market shapes the identity of those who congregate in the space -- they are defined as someone who uses the market, as a part of the community in Ballard, as a locavore, a vendor, an entertainer etc. Likewise, the democracy of choice is all around us in the market goods. If your choices help define you, you have lots of options at the market; i.e. are you a hot beef tamale and hard cider person or a kale and kombucha devotee?
The subjectivity of perspective and how the market defines us got me thinking about point of view. I decided to undertake a look at the market that went beyond denotation to its underlying structural elements. Here is my visual representation:
The built environment boundary of the market
The physical product (apple) plus system of compartmentalization (boxes)
A reverse interpretation of focus showing the medium (crate) as more important than the content (potatoes) a la McLuhan
And finally your relevant moment of zen (to quote Jon Stewart) I was lucky enough to find this glass, no doubt leftover from a raucous Saturday night, it is the epitome of one last trace of how the space has been used and transformed -- It kind of makes me wonder how the glass holder's experience and transformation is holding up today, hopefully not too much worse for the wear!
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