Articoli taggati con ‘place identity’
Does movie poetics dream of territories?
A concept we can not avoid in our days talking about culture and the direction we’re heading towards is globalization. It stretches itself out like an umbrella surrounding cultural phenome-na in a way not experienced before, and its creations make us wonder about our cinema lan-guages. In the global movie market certain national movie industries like the US one are more dominant than others. One might question if there is a kind of ‘cultural homogenization pro-cess’ behind? Still, there is a language emphasizing the local, there are movies that give us tales and stories about the site-specific grounded into their own cities. This article focuses upon these movies, relying on some basic theories within Cultural Semiotics by Jurij Lotman. Per-haps it is possible to see some kind of interaction and connection between these different kinds of movies, or perhaps they are two separate languages living in their own spheres?
Where is Berlin? Too many (virtual) walls shape the town and its communities
Whenever approaching a city for the first time there are different ways, patterns, walls, and stories to unearth its hidden string. I moved to Berlin in Ma, 2014 and suddenly, even before my arrival, I was already playing the most popular sport of the city: speaking about Berlin. This sport has been played with abandon by both recent newcomers to the city and long time Berliners. Such a crowded curiosity makes almost impossible to craft a suitable answer to the main question: where is Berlin? If we want to interpret and understand the city as the backbone for fertile arts field we need to start from the development and diversification of its cultural spaces.
Festivals and place. Isola delle Storie book festival and genius loci
The research investigates the relationship between festivals and place, looking at their genius loci and economic, social and cultural benefits produced. The issues were applied to Isola delle Storie, a book festival strongly rooted in its land and characters. The research looked at both roots and impacts, through questionnaires, interviews and press review analysis. It was found that its strong social basis brings several advantages, contributing in drawing some conclusions on festivals and their role for the local organising communities.
Curiosity and contemplation: a geography of culture
Culture is certainly rooted in specific sites. Such a simple feature has been used, often overused or even abused in the attempt at drawing borderlines or highlighting local pride, emphasizing a sense of belonging based upon the refusal of strangers and – symmetrically – the exploitation of foreigners. Despite its evident failure territorial marketing, more a label than a tool, is still adopted as a sort of Troy horse aimed at attracting blockbuster visitors rather than curious and non-prejudicial travellers. A geography of culture can be drafted. Its ancestor is the inevitably euro-centric view that convinced Napoleon to bring an army of archaeologists in Egypt: the aim was the enormous collection of ancient manufacts to be hosted in the new cultural hub, Paris. In such a way the newly born institution of nation state could show a powerful endorsement; while kings were there by grace of God and will of the nation, the bourgeois democracies devoted at keeping the manufacturing economy alive could only rely upon the past, even a stolen past. The golden age needed the sacred authority of grandfathers.
A practitioner’s viewpoint in integrated Place Branding: four principles and some thoughts
This article tries to bridge the gap between place branding theory and practice. It takes the viewpoint of the practitioner and juxtaposes recent literature with work experience. It focuses on four basic principles underpinning a consultant’s work in place branding: 1) Consultant and client should take time to agree on their understanding of place branding and on what they can expect from it; 2) the motivation behind place branding needs to be as transparent as possible; 3) consultant and client need to find a compromise between the need for fast visible results and a robust analysis that pays tribute to the complex and political nature of place; and 4) a place branding strategy needs the involvement of a broad range of stakeholders and the formation of strong partnerships.
Place Branding and Place Identity. An integrated approach
Place Branding is based on a very elusive concept of place identity that needs to be re-examined. An understanding of place as simultaneously absolute, relative and relational on the one hand and as the “coexistence of difference” on the other, opens up new perspectives for this concept. Looking at the ways that place is constituted and considering its individual constitutive elements, can lead to a more dynamic understanding of place identity that would integrate mental images, materiality, institutions, practices and representations. This has deep consequences on the conceptualization and practicability of Place Branding that then needs to be reconsidered in an integrated way.
