When I think of public space, the first thing that comes to mind is the phrase, "Not in public!". In this sense, public is not so much a defined set of spaces but an environment that potentially contains other unknown people. The nature of this environment and the potential that anyone could be there give the public space a meaning based on acceptable behaviors to maintain "in public". For example, there's the idea that a person can do whatever they want at home, but while in public the range of acceptable behaviors is limited to certain social norms. In this way, the public is a space for social policing of norms because people fear judgement by their peers for stepping outside norms. On the other hand, doing something socially unacceptable in public is also one of the most effective ways to subvert norms. For example, when an interracial couple holds hands in public, not only does it make the statement that they are not afraid to be seen by others, it also brings interracial couples into public discourse and has the potential to normalize their behavior. In a way, we perceive public spaces as an environment in which we sense that we are somehow being judged and measured by an undefined collective other. When a person says, "I can't go out like this in public," it expresses their fear of judgement by an unclear audience. I think in many cases, at least in our cultural climate, public space tends to mean anywhere that isn't a home environment where an individual does not fear judgement by this unidentified other. For example, though an elite country club is not a public space in the sense that not anyone is allowed in, it is public in that people's actions are affected by their idea of how they should be acting "in public". Of course, while in an elite country club the rules of behavior are different than they are in a public park because the audience is more limited and the social climate is more defined. However, I believe that people's presentation of self outside the home, even in an elite or limited environment, is tied to an underlying sense of public judgment.
Sharon Hayes responds to public space: "New York-based artist Sharon Hayes works in performance, video, and installation, creating situations that expose dramatic frictions between collective activities and personal actions. With interventions that are inspired by the language of politics and the dramaturgy of theater, Hayes has staged protests, delivered speeches, and organized demonstrations in which crowds and individuals are invited to rethink their roles in the construction of public opinion" checkout her website too: http://www.shaze.info/
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When I think of public space, the first thing that comes to mind is the phrase, "Not in public!". In this sense, public is not so much a defined set of spaces but an environment that potentially contains other unknown people. The nature of this environment and the potential that anyone could be there give the public space a meaning based on acceptable behaviors to maintain "in public". For example, there's the idea that a person can do whatever they want at home, but while in public the range of acceptable behaviors is limited to certain social norms. In this way, the public is a space for social policing of norms because people fear judgement by their peers for stepping outside norms. On the other hand, doing something socially unacceptable in public is also one of the most effective ways to subvert norms. For example, when an interracial couple holds hands in public, not only does it make the statement that they are not afraid to be seen by others, it also brings interracial couples into public discourse and has the potential to normalize their behavior. In a way, we perceive public spaces as an environment in which we sense that we are somehow being judged and measured by an undefined collective other. When a person says, "I can't go out like this in public," it expresses their fear of judgement by an unclear audience. I think in many cases, at least in our cultural climate, public space tends to mean anywhere that isn't a home environment where an individual does not fear judgement by this unidentified other. For example, though an elite country club is not a public space in the sense that not anyone is allowed in, it is public in that people's actions are affected by their idea of how they should be acting "in public". Of course, while in an elite country club the rules of behavior are different than they are in a public park because the audience is more limited and the social climate is more defined. However, I believe that people's presentation of self outside the home, even in an elite or limited environment, is tied to an underlying sense of public judgment.
Sharon Hayes responds to public space:
"New York-based artist Sharon Hayes works in performance, video, and installation, creating situations that expose dramatic frictions between collective activities and personal actions. With interventions that are inspired by the language of politics and the dramaturgy of theater, Hayes has staged protests, delivered speeches, and organized demonstrations in which crowds and individuals are invited to rethink their roles in the construction of public opinion"
checkout her website too:
http://www.shaze.info/
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