[iDC] Architecture and Situated Technologies
Tripta B Chandola
tripta at gmail.com
Mon Aug 7 05:47:38 EDT 2006
Though I have been on the list for the past month, I haven't
progressed beyond being a lurker. I will begin with a brief
introduction: I am tripta and currently pursing my Phd from
Queensland University of technology, Brisbane. My areas of interests
are the city, urban spatiality, textured narratives, technological
cultures in the city broadly. For my phd, I am working on sounds in
the city (city in the sounds) and the manner in which specific
soundscapes influence spatial interactions between the mainstream and
marginal in the city. In doing so, I am trying to bring out the
politics of 'production' and 'hearing' (listening) of sounds in
specific contexts. The last few postings on the list in regards to
sound and urban spaces were much helpful.
After reading, Mitchell Moss' and Anthony Townsend's article on
transforming affect of telecommunications on urban spaces, I was
inclined to add to it by the way of example from the Indian context.
Of the people who have been to Delhi, India, and have undertaken
domestic air travel would be acquainted with the persistent problem
of parking, traffic jams, and delays. There are two parking lot for
the domestic airport. One is the VIP parking lot for which the
charges are RS. 100 for an hour. The another one is the general
parking lot for which one has to shell out RS 60 for four hours. For
most of the people, the latter is much more economically feasible.
However, entering the general parking lot and finding a suitable spot
is no less than trying to figure out one's way through an extensive
labyrinth of multiple puzzles with no clues whatsoever. In that
sense, this is a rather time consuming endeavor and aggrieves the
patient sensibilities of those who have just travelled across the
Indian Skies.
In the last few years, however, significant changes have come about
in the way people navigate through this specific 'spatial' situation.
With the mobiles becoming ubiquitous, the navigations through this
space have become much more 'fluid'. The importance of this 'space'
as the authorized site for parking lot is diminishing. It is a common
sight, now days, to see rows of cars parked along the road reaching
to the airport. As and when the passenger from respective flights
arrive, they call up the person who is come to receive them on their
mobiles and at that very moment they drive towards the airport,
around five minutes drive, and drive away without having to shell out
either the cash or going through the agony of the labyrinth the
parking lot is.
It is just one of the instances and there are many more. The issue
is also far more complex and complicated than what the aforementioned
instance conveys in terms of not only how the mobile technologies are
transforming urban space but vice versa as well and what it does to
the experience of both the 'space' and the 'technology'. However, for
the moment, I will leave it at this.
Thanks, Trebor, for the chapter!
cheers.
tripta
(This is a much delayed response to the specific thread. Apologies)
http://the-summer-afternoon-stillness.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/summer-afternoon-stillness/
http://listcultures.org/mailman/listinfo/multiplicity_listcultures.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.thing.net/pipermail/idc/attachments/20060807/46604f0f/attachment-0002.htm
More information about the iDC
mailing list