A Sense of Place

A SENSE OF PLACE F A L L

C O L L E C T I V E

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A SENSE OF PLACE

â€ŤďşˇďťŒďťŽŘą ďş‘ďşŽďłŒďťœďşŽŮ†â€Ź

By Dr. Ziad Suidan

In J.D. Adam’s 2013 essay “Theorizing a Sense of Place in Transnational Community,� a “sense of place is the lens through which people experience and make meaning of their experiences in and with place.� In Artspace Hamra’s 2018 exhibition that is affected by this concept, 24 artists from the Middle East region explore the relation between being and the world through the lens of landscapes, interiors, and dreamscapes. As such, a sense of place is manifested through its knowledge of history, geography, and geology of an area, its ecosystems, its legends, and a sensed living and growing engagement on the land and its history. These counter-positional lenses that give onto a sense of place conjure contradicting emotions—luscious verdant play, a warmth of community and home, sometimes even fantasias, juxtaposed

‍أن اﳊﺴﺎﺳﺔ ﲥﺎه Ř§ďłŒďťœďşŽŮ†  اďť&#x;ďťŒďşŞďşłďş” اďť&#x;ďş˜ďť˛ ďť‹ ﺎ ďťłďş˜ďť ďť˜ďť’ اďť&#x;ﺒﺸﺎ ﲥﺎعﺑ  Ř§ďłŒďťœďşŽŮ† Ůˆďťłďş¨ďş˜ ŮˆŘ§  ﺧďť&#x;ﺎ‏ ‍"ďť‹ďťźďť—ďş˜ďťŹďť˘  ďş§ďşźďťŽďşťďť´ďş˜ďťŞâ€Ź. ‍  ďťŁďş˜ďť¨ďťŽďť‹ďşŽ ďť&#x;ﺎﲔ ‏٢٤ ‘ ‍ﺏه اﳊﺴﺎﺳﺔ ﲥﺎه ďťŁďťŒďť¨ďť° Ř§ďłŒďťœďşŽŮ† ŮˆŘŁďş‘ďťŒďşŽŘŻŮ‡ ‘ اďť&#x;ﺲ ďş—ďť ďť˜ďť° أﺝﺪاﺋﺎ‏ ٢٠٥٨ ‍ ﺣﺎا" ﺪ ﺑﺪاﺔ Ř§ďłŒďťŽďşłďť˘ اďť&#x; ďť&#x;ﺴﺔ‏-â€ŤďťŁďť¨ďť„ďť˜ďş” اďť&#x;ﺸﺎق Ř§ÂĄŮˆďşłďť‚ ‘ ﺝﺎďť&#x;ďş” "آعت ﺳﺒﺲ‏. ‍اďť&#x;ﺎن Ř§ďłŒďş¸ďşŽŘąďť›ďťŽŮ† ‘ ﺏا Ř§ďłŒďťŒďşŽŘś ďťłďş˜ďş´ďşŽďş‹ďť ďťŽŮ† ďť‹ أﺎďť&#x; اďť&#x;ďť ďş˜ďť˛ ďş—ďş˜ďť¨ďťŽŘš ﺎ ﺑﲔ Ř§ďłŒďş¸ďşŽďťŤďşŞ اďť&#x;ďť„ďş’ďť´ďťŒďť´ďş”â€Ź Â§â€ŤŮˆŘŻŮˆŘ§ďş§ďťž ا¥ﺎ Ř§ďłŒďť?ďť ďť˜ďş” Ůˆďş‘ďşŽďşŁďşŽŘŞ ا¥ﺣم ŮˆŘ§ďł‹ďť´ďşŽďťťŘŞ اďť&#x;ďş¸ďşŽďşłďťŒďş” ﺣل ﺧﺟﺎﺋﺺ اďť&#x;ďťŒďťźďť—ďş” ﺎ ﺑﲔ اďť&#x;ﺎد ŮˆŘ§ďť&#x;ďťŒďşŽâ€Ź â€ŤŘ§ďłŒŮ? ﺤ ﺑ‏. ²‍ ﺏه اﳊﺴﺎﺳﺔ ﲥﺎه Ř§ďłŒďťœďşŽŮ† ŘŁŮˆ ﺎ ďł?ďťœďťŚ ďş—ďş´ďť¤ďť´ďş˜ďťŞ ﺑﺎﳊﺴﺎﺳﺔ Ř§ďłŒďťœŮŽ ﺎﺔ ďş—ďş˜ďť¤ďťˆďťŹďşŽ ďş‘ďť¨ďşŽŘĄâ€ŹŘŒâ€ŤÂ‘ ﺏا اďť&#x;ﺴﺎق‏ â€ŤŮˆďť‹ďť´ďťŹďşŽ Ř§ďłŒŮ? ďş˜ďťŒďşŽďťƒďť’  ﺗﺎعﺌ Ůˆďş&#x;ďť?ﺎاﺎ ŮˆŘŁďşłďşŽďťƒÂź Ůˆďť‡ďşŽŮˆŮ Ř§ďť&#x;ďş’ďť´ďşŒďť´ďş” اďť&#x;ďť„ďş’ďť´ďťŒďť´ďş” Ř§ďłŒďşŽďş—ďş’ďť„ďş” ďş‘ďş˜ďť ďťš ا¥ﺎ‏.

with the stress of dense urban living and even the distance and almost, at times complete disappearance of a sense of place. A sense of place that by which place is perceived on its streets, communities, cities or eco-regions—influences how artistic invention and public engagement interacts with a place, what is of value in a place, respect for ecosystems and other species, and how an affordance of place is perceived, especially in our ever neoliberalized global economy.

‍ďť?Âź أن اďť&#x;ďş˜ďť¨ďşŽďť‡ďşŽ اďť&#x; ŮˆŘ§ďť&#x;ďť”ďťœďşŽŮŠ ﺎ ﺑﲔ Ř§ďłŒďťŽŘ§ďť—ďť’ Ř§ďłŒŮ? ďş˜ďť¨ďşŽďť—ďť€ďş” ﲥﺎه "Ř§ďłŒďťœďşŽŮ†" ďş‘ďş¨ďşźďťŽďşťďť´ďş˜ďťŞ ŮˆŘŁďş›ďşŽŮ‡ ďş—ďş˜ďťŽďť&#x;ﺪ  ﺸﺎﺎ‏ â€Ťďş˜ďť ďť„ďş” ﺑﺎďť&#x;ďť?ďťŽďťƒďşŽŘŞ Ř§ďłŒďşŞďťłďť¨ďť´ďş” Ř§ďłŒďťŒďşŽďşťďşŽŘŠâ€ŹĂ† ‍Ů?ďťŁďş¤ďş˜ďşŞďťŁďş” ﺡﺪﺪ؊ اďť&#x;ďş˜ďťŒďť˜ďť´ďşŞ ¥ن اďť&#x;ﺰﺎت اďť&#x;ďť”ďşŽďť§ďş˜ďşŽŘ˛ďťłďş” ŮˆŘ§ďť&#x;ﺎďş&#x;ﺎإ ŮˆŘ§ďłŠďť¨ď˛”â€Ź â€Ťďť§ďş˜ďť¤ďşŽŘĄ Ůˆďş‘ďşŽďşłďş˜ďť˜ďşŽďťŁďş” ﺣﺎďť&#x;ďş” اďť&#x;ﺟﺎم اďť&#x;ďş˜ďť˛ ďťłďťŒďť´ďş¸ďťŹďşŽ ďťŁďťŒďťˆďť˘ ďşłďťœďşŽŮ† ﺏا‏É‍ﺣﺴﺎس ďş‘ďşŽâ€ŹĂ‰â€ŤŮˆďş‘ďş¤ďşŽďť&#x;ďş” اďť&#x;ďť”ďť˜ďşŞ ŮˆŘ§ďť§ďťŒďşŞŘ§Ů… ا‏ Â§â€ŤŘ§ďłŒďť¨ďť„ďť˜ďş”  اďť&#x;ďťŒďşŽâ€Ź. ‍أﺔ ﺏه اﳊﺴﺎﺳﺔ اﳋﺎﺝﺔ ďş‘ďşŽďłŒďťœďşŽŮ† ďť&#x;ďť´ďş´ďş– ďť“ďť˜ďť‚ ﺔ ďť&#x;ﺎﺣﺔ ﺗﺄﺛﺎﺎ ďť‹ďť ďť° ﺔ عؤﺔ اďť&#x;ﺎن ŮˆďşłďşŽďť›ďť¨ďť˛â€Ź ‍ﺑﺪاﺎت‏É‍ ďş‘ďťž ďť&#x;ﺎﺣﺔ ŘŻŮˆŘąďťŤďşŽ ‘ ﺗﺄﺳﺲ Ůˆďş‘ďť¨ďşŽŘĄ ďşˇďş˜ďť° أاؚ Ř§â€ŹŘŒâ€ŤŘ§ÂĄďťŁďťœďť¨ďş” ďť&#x;ďť ďť¤ďş´ďşŽďşŁďşŽŘŞ اﳉďť?ﺎاﺔ ‘ ŘŁŘŻŮ‚ ďş—ďť”ďşŽďşťďť´ďť ďťŹďşŽâ€Ź ‍اďť&#x;ﺔ Ř§ďłŒŮ? ﺏ؊ ‘ اďť&#x;ﺸاعؚ ŮˆŘ§ďłŒďşŞŮ† ŮˆďşłďşŽďş‹ďşŽ Ř§ďłŒďť¨ďşŽďťƒďť– اďť&#x;ďťŒďşŽďťŁďş”â€Ź. ‘ ‍ﺎ Ů?ﺗﺴﺎ ﺏه اﳊﺴﺎﺳﺔ ﲥﺎه Ř§ďłŒďťœďşŽŮ† ‘ ﲢﺪﺪ ﺎ ďťłďş ďş? اﳊﺎظ ďť‹ďť ďť´ďťŞ  ďťŁďťˆďşŽďťŤďşŽ ﺗﺎاﺛﺔ Ůˆďťƒďş’ďť´ďťŒďť´ďş”â€Ź â€Ťďť—ďş˜ďşźďşŽŘŻďťłďş”â€ŹĂ‰â€Ťďť‹ďşźďşŽ اďť&#x;ďť ďť´ďş’ÂźŘ§ďť&#x;ďť´ďş” اﳉﺪﺪ؊  ďťŁďť¨ďťˆďťŽŘą اďť&#x;ďťŒďťŽďłŒďş” ا‏.

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