ChoreoSensing Toronto's Residential Neighbourhood Public Spaces by Mushtari Afroz

Whether it’s urban or suburban areas in cities, public spaces in residential areas are fundamental to everyday life experiences(1) which have been linked to well-being and quality of life of residents. Consciously or unconsciously, we connect with them through multi-sensory interactions (2) that create overall impressions of our neighbourhood public spaces(3,4), and help establish meaningful connections with the neighbourhood community. However, the drive for creating ‘functional cities’ (5) in the West through ‘disembodied’ practices (6) has detached public spaces from our bodies(7) , instituting the stage of mutual ‘disengagement’ as a retreat from everyday public spaces (8) and deteriorating the sense of belonging to the residential neighbourhood environment. As a result, residents either tend to avoid connecting with public spaces altogether or resemble an ‘auto-pilot’ state (9) manifested through their lack of sensory attention to public spaces– they see the surroundings but do not look, they hear the surroundings but do not listen. In this research, my aim is to devise a sensory engagement practice, which I call ‘ChoreoSensing’ (10), to (re)’engage’ residents with socio-physical dimensions of their neighbourhood public spaces. Focusing on two most dominant senses – visual and auditory - the practice attempts to establish deeper sensory and embodied engagement of residents with physical/material and social aspects of their neighbourhood public spaces. The research is conducted through interdisciplinary methods including sensory walks/movements, choreographic thinking toward pedestrian movements for sensory engagement score development, pop-up interventions (11), participatory experiments with residents and conversational form feedback (12). The purpose of my research is to empower residents to awaken their sensory engagement with neighbourhood public spaces and subsequently, enhance their sense of belonging to the neighbourhood (13,14), through a series of performative and grassroots initiatives. Works Cited: 1. Certeau, M. D. (1980.). The Practice of Everyday Life (L'invention du quotidien. Vol. 1, Arts de faire'). Paris.: Folio Essais. 2. Dong, Y. (2022.). Designing with Senses: Creating Interactive Multisensory Experiences in Public Space. Pittsburgh. Carnegie Mellon University. 3. Pallasmaa, J. (2016.). The Sixth Sense: The Meaning of Atmosphere and Mood. Archit. Des., 86 (6): 126-133. 4. Hasse, J. (2016.). Traffic architecture- hidden affections. Elements of Architecture: Assembling Archaeology, Atmosphere and the Performance of Building Spaces. Oxon: Routledge. 5. Holston, J. (1989.). The Modernist City - An Anthropological Critique of Brasilia. Chicago.: The University of Chicago Press. 6. The term "disembodied" refers to practices or experiences that are disconnected from the physical body or embodied experience. In the context of public space and city design, disembodied practices refer to approaches that prioritize abstract concepts or ideas over the lived experiences of the people who use those spaces. 7. Pallasmaa, J. (2012.). The Eyes of the Skin -Architecture and the Senses. New York.: John Wiley & Sons. 8. Wacquant, L. a. (2014.). Territorial stigmatization in action. Environment and Planning A., 46: 1270–1280. 9. Middleton, J. (2010.). Sense and the city: exploring the embodied geographies of urban walking. Social and Cultural Geography., 11(6): 575-596. 10. The method and set of tools are inspired by the various past work (see citations) but artistic representation was developed by myself to align with my research objectives. 11. Lydon, M. a. (2015.). Tactical Urbanism: Short-term Action for Long-term Change. Washington, D.C. Island Press. 12. Lerman, L. a. (2022.). Critique Is Creative - The Critical Response Process in Theory and Action. Middletown. Wesleyan University Press. 13. Costanza, R., Fisher, B., & Ali, S. (2007). Quality of life: an approach integrating opportunities, human needs, and subjective well-being. Ecological Economics, 61(2–3), 267–276 14. Di Masso, A., Dixon, J., & Durrheim, K. (2014). Place attachment as discursive practice. In L. C. Manzo, & P. Devine-Wright (Eds.), Place attachment: Advances in theory, methods and applications (pp. 75–86). Routledge.

2.0. ChoreoSensing Visual & Auditory Score Booklet - Resident's Copy

Currently in its proofreading stage, the editing and design of the booklet began in 2nd week of July, 2023. A graphic designer friend of mine is helping me with editing and designing digital and print versions. With editing, going back and forth with the design ideas it took us more than 4 weeks to reach its first proofreading stage.

The booklets will be finalized, printed and shared with friends, dance colleagues, participants of my experiments and residents in my neighbourhood in September this year.

3.0. ChoreoSensing Visual & Auditory Score Booklet - Facilitator's Copy

This booklet contains the visual and auditory scores developed between September 2022 and July 2023 as part of my public space research project at Fontys University, The Netherlands. The scores are designed for residents and to be used in group activities facilitated by community facilitators. The intentions of the scores are not different from those in the 'Resident's Copy' but the instructions have been edited to support activities in group participation settings as opposed to in solo participations.

Currently, Facilitator's version of the booklet is in its first editing phase. The visual scores have had their first edits. The auditory scores are next in line for the edits.

This version of the booklet will be designed in September 2023. Digital copies of it will be shared with art organizations and potential community organizations upon request.

1.0. Digital Blog on ChoreoSensing Practice Written as a Creative-in-Residence of Ontario Culture Days Festival

Ontario Culture Days Festival is a province-wide art festival organized annually in Fall. The festival runs for a month between September and October and features artworks, workshops, performances, book launches, art talks by artists from the province of Ontario. Since 2021, the festival has started a creative-in-residence program for which it selects 6-8 artists through an Open Call to create exciting new works for the season. For its 2022-2023 season, I am one of these 6 creatives and have been commissioned to create a public space-focused choreographic work.

Festival Dates: September 22 - October 15, 2023 https://onculturedays.ca/2023-creatives-in-residence/mushtari-afroz/

As part of my residency, I have been asked to write a blog on my current artistic practice.

Blog Publication on Digital Platform: Week of August 21st, 2023.

https://onculturedays.ca/mushtari-afroz-feature

Program Producer: Ontario Culture Days

Program Partner: City of Pickering

The blog provides
- a summary of my current artistic practice in public spaces

and

- a set of 4 sensory scores - two visual and two auditory - for residents' use.

Alongside publishing the blog, I am creating a two-day choreographic intervention in public spaces commissioned by ONCD in partnership with the City of Pickering.

What's in Here?

1.0. Digital Blog on ChoreoSensing Practice Written as a Creative-in-Residence of Ontario Culture Days Festival

2.0. Visual and Auditory Engagement Score Booklet - For Residents

3.0. Visual & Auditory Engagement Score Booklet - For Community Facilitators

Currently in Editing Phase 1

Visual Scores - Community Facilitator's Copy

Period 3: Research Sharing with the Public

Currently Proofreading for Publication