User:Loumuuse
THIS IS MY
BORDER,
THIS IS MY
SPACE
Contents
Intro
Affluence, authors Liza Koch and Lou Muuse
Think by yourself, how many doors do you have to pass from the street till you get to your bedroom? Every door is an opening to a different space; it’s one step closer to your privacy. In the minor, Cultural Diversity, we have visualized the territorial behaviour from the front yard till the bunk bed.
Research
Most of the time the size of your privacy is associated with affluence. The less financial resources you have, the less space you have. Even with little or no room your own territory is demarcated. In the end everyone needs privacy. The space you have is divided into different zones leading to the ultimate private spot: the bed. This is the place everyone has, the most intimate place of the house. We researched six different income categories with the focus on defining their private border. After all, it tells a lot about wealth, culture and identity.
It’s very important to have a place for yourself, a place where you can retreat yourself. It doesn’t have to be a fixed place and the size can be varied. In some cases, the border is not directly visible. The need for privacy is individual diverse. If somebody considered something private, somebody else can feel quite oppressive. It’s what you are used to. If there is more private space, there is more distance to local resident. If there is less private space, people rather come to the front with their private life. The private border will be more transparent. When people by circumstances are forced to live closer together, there may be still a distance. This by means of invisible lines in the space, people themselves define. Think about unknowingly respecting someone’s space.
Over the years much has changed in how people interact with space. Today, in the western culture, the bathroom and toilet are an intimate place, but this wasn’t always the case. Also in other cultures this space can be experienced as less intimate. In contradiction to the toilet and bathroom; the sleeping area has never changed in terms of intimacy. The sexual meaning has always been the same and therefore this space is always shielded, visible or invisible
The most effective way to create some kind of privacy is to obscure the view. As long as people can see each other, there usually is no privacy, unless you talk about family members or partners among each other. Visibility can deprive with very primitive means, for example pulling a blanket over your head or hang a cloth, curtain. But visibility also can be depriving with major boundaries, such as a wall around you or when you plant a hedge.
Entering someone’s home is something special. In that moment you take a look into the life of another person, which is very personal. The boundaries and the private border can say much about the person behind it. Therefore we find it important to show the individual behind the border. That’s way we photographed them in the most intimate place of their residence, the bed.
So, privacy can be expressed in many different ways, sometimes it is more visible than others. The space can play a big or a small role, but for all privacy is essential in order to function well in life and therefore we consider it as an important necessity of life.
The categories
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www.lizakoch.nl www.loumuuse.com