In this research anthropologist Charlotte Reeves explores the modern airport environment. The actions and rituals that are expected of us. The break in space and time that we experience when we’re there. And the different ways designers either try to mask or enable our passing through.
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Charlotte Reeves
By expanding the notion that air travel is a break in a person's sense of ‘real space and time’ and by applying the theoretical framework of rituals,This research was conducted under my supervision on behalf of Mirabeau, a Cognizant Digital Business. With a team of young talented master and PhD students in the human sciences, we have conducted foundational research into consumer behavior in the focus industries of Finance and Travel, and into the role that new technologies play in people's daily lives. Great research is the precondition for great design. this research took the perspective that the airport experience is not only about a physical transition but a psychological process too. To dig deeper into what experience occurs between the passing of one boundary and the next I used the notion of ‘liminality’ which focuses on the conditions of being between two places.
The theory, supported by my data, found that this period is characterised by a heightened expectation of certain behaviours and processes to pass through smoothly.
Additionally, Marc Auge’s ‘non-places’ uncovered that the process is individual, in the sense it is largely dependent on the interaction of individuals with communication systems that come in the form of signs and increasingly personal digital devices, rather than through interaction with people or using the physical space. Through reconceptualising the airport through these liminal principles, an emphasis is given to an experience which entails momentum and the ability to pass through smoothly.
The liminal perspective on the airport experience appears to clash with the vision of the Aerotropolis.
Airports have a culture all their own. Their own sense of time and space. Their own concept of distance. Certainly their own code of conduct and rules for behavior. But as air travel becomes increasingly prolific and inexpensive, designers may be losing sight of the primary function of an airport.
The modern airport is an ‘Aerotropolis’ - a city-like ecosystem full of engaging activities, attractive shopping and a thousand distractions. But does an environment that aims to distract visitors have its place in a culture where time is of the essence and security is a long and time-consuming process?
In Air Travel as the Crossing of Boundaries, anthropologist Charlotte Reeves explores the modern airport environment. The actions and rituals that are expected of us. The break in space and time that we experience when we’re there. And the different ways designers either try to mask or enable our passing through.
This article is an abstract of the research report. Interested in reading the full report? Please contact me, info@henkhaaima.com.
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In this research anthropologist Charlotte Reeves explores the modern airport environment. The actions and rituals that are expected of us. The break in space and time that we experience when we’re there. And the different ways designers either try to mask or enable our passing through.
Author: Charlotte Reeves
B
By expanding the notion that air travel is a break in a person's sense of ‘real space and time’ and by applying the theoretical framework of rituals, this research took the perspective that the airport experience is not only about a physical transition but a psychological process too. To dig deeper into what experience occurs between the passing of one boundary and the next I used the notion of ‘liminality’ which focuses on the conditions of being between two places.
The theory, supported by my data, found that this period is characterised by a heightened expectation of certain behaviours and processes to pass through smoothly.
Additionally, Marc Auge’s ‘non-places’ uncovered that the process is individual, in the sense it is largely dependent on the interaction of individuals with communication systems that come in the form of signs and increasingly personal digital devices, rather than through interaction with people or using the physical space. Through reconceptualising the airport through these liminal principles, an emphasis is given to an experience which entails momentum and the ability to pass through smoothly.
The liminal perspective on the airport experience appears to clash with the vision of the Aerotropolis.
Airports have a culture all their own. Their own sense of time and space. Their own concept of distance. Certainly their own code of conduct and rules for behavior. But as air travel becomes increasingly prolific and inexpensive, designers may be losing sight of the primary function of an airport.
The modern airport is an ‘Aerotropolis’ - a city-like ecosystem full of engaging activities, attractive shopping and a thousand distractions. But does an environment that aims to distract visitors have its place in a culture where time is of the essence and security is a long and time-consuming process?
In Air Travel as the Crossing of Boundaries, anthropologist Charlotte Reeves explores the modern airport environment. The actions and rituals that are expected of us. The break in space and time that we experience when we’re there. And the different ways designers either try to mask or enable our passing through.
This article is an abstract of the research report. Interested in reading the full report? Please contact me, info@henkhaaima.com.
Read other articles
Read other articles
