Maps, space and body: connecting mental representations of space to the production of space

Anna Kholina

This exposition investigates the relationship between maps, space and body. It looks at mental maps — images of the environment that we hold in our memory. It argues that a map we store in our minds is not merely a functional device for navigation, but a system of signs, values and meanings that allow us to re-imagine the space, appropriate it and develop new social practices. The study places mental images inside Lefebvre's triad of social space (Lefebvre, 1991). It suggests that mental images are a manifestation of the third component of the triad, the lived space, which includes alternative imaginations, symbolic values and appropriations of space. The exposition explores this claim via a dataset of 37 mental maps created by Masters-level students at Aalto University in Finland in November 2018. By qualitatively analysing the contents and the morphology of the hand-drawn maps, it traces how the lived space is both passively perceived and actively re-imagined. The main contribution of the exposition is bringing the imagined space to the attention of urban planning professionals. It suggests that the distorted, inconsistent and idiosyncratic mental images are more than a reduced schema of a physical environment. They support alternative re-imagining and catalyse the process of creative appropriation, enabling bottom-up urban transformation.

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Figure 11. The amphitheatre (part of the Bachelor centre) and the big oak tree in front one of the entrances to the Väre building.

1. INTRODUCTION

5. METHODS

9. REFERENCES

However, there was more to these places than their formal or symbolic value. When designing the amphitheatre, Aalto combined its symbolic form with a functional value by scaling its steps so that it would be comfortable for sitting. He also oriented the structure in such a way that it enables protection from the wind and maximum exposure to the sun. In the case of the oak tree, there is also a functional component, a bench that resembles one that would be found in a Finnish sauna that goes around the tree. Here, however, functional can mean more than just useful. Seats of this kind allow many different embodied practices, from laying down, enjoying the sun, watching others and being together with a group of people.

Instances of these embodied practices can be seen in the data. One of the maps has a note next to the oak tree saying, "I used to spend time here in Summer". Another map has a similar note about the amphitheatre, saying it is a "Spring / Summer spot". The same map refers to the bench around the oak tree as a "Sauna wooden bench" because of its material and shape. Finally, one of the maps contains the following description related to the amphitheatre: "I once sat here in the sun working with my team on a group project: a very pleasant moment in a smooth light". What made these places meaningful was not only their symbolic form, but also the multi-sensory experiences and everyday practices that usually occur in a different context or do not occur at all.

2. COGNITIVE MAPS

6. RESULTS

6.1 OVERVIEW

6.2 BUILDINGS

6.3 OUTDOOR PLACES

6.4 MORPHOLOGY OF THE IMAGES

Among the outdoor places, there were two distinct elements that were repeated on many maps: the amphitheatre, which is a part of the Bachelor centre building (shown on 23 maps), and the big oak tree in front one of the entrances to the Väre building (shown on 15 maps). These elements (Figure 11) were usually exaggerated in size and often had notes attached to them. Both of these elements have a formal significance: the tree stands out from the built landscape, and the amphitheatre has a clear historic reference to classic architecture, uncommon for the rest of the space.

6.4 MORPHOLOGY OF THE IMAGES

3. MENTAL IMAGES

7. DISCUSSION

4. RESEARCH QUESTION

8. CONCLUSION

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