Final Thoughts
As a past student of anthropology and a current student in design studies, I’ve always thought writing was the most effective medium for communicating ideas. Whether it’s engaging in ethnography to relay detailed accounts of human behavior and cultural experience or engaging in complex analyses of objects and spaces, the written narrative has always been my go-to medium. While I’m sure it has everything to do with the disciplines I’ve chosen, I’ve followed this linear progression in my education of learning to write, write more, and write better. What this course and project has taught me—in a disruptive yet incredibly productive way—is the value of multimodal narratives.
Looking back, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by how long it took for me to break away from the theoretical components of my project and break into the more practical aspects. It’s actually laughable, thinking about my desperate attempt to directly apply Lefebvre’s spatial triad onto a map. I’m sure he turned in his grave as I defeated the very purpose of his theory, which is to demonstrate the complex, dynamic, and interrelated qualities of space, something I actually think URT lends itself to quite well! I realized by initially compartmentalizing Lefebvre’s three notions of space, I was trying to take pre-conceived spatial arguments and throw them onto a map, rather than allow the map to generate those spatial arguments for me.
Once I shifted gears and began inserting the various media I’d gathered onto URT, everything started to make much more sense. Part of the challenge was letting go of the idea that this project should feed directly into my thesis work, which means being less obsessive about my written arguments. If anything, I think this project has helped in allowing me to really challenge and refine my initial arguments! Also, despite its quirks, URT has been a really useful tool for exploring my topic, especially since it deals directly with spatial configuration. Using a combination of images, videos, and text was incredibly useful in demonstrating how the integration of architecture, exhibitions, and programming at the Queens Museum really strengthens its mission of community engagement.
Ultimately, I think all of our projects have come to demonstrate James Corner’s idea that “the experiences of space cannot be separated from the events that happen in it,”[1] and that these experiences and events are best captured through a multitude of media. I was really impressed by the uniqueness of each project, not just topic-wise, but also how each person told his/her story. While there were many parallels, each project still had its own “voice.” I really appreciate that.
Thanks for this, Salem. I’m glad you came to appreciate how this non-linear, multimodal form of argumentation might’ve allowed you to approach your research subject in a new way, pose some new questions, reconfigure your data and look at it through fresh eyes, etc. The insights gleaned might even allow you to approach your linear writing with a renewed appreciation of what arguments that format is uniquely qualified to tackle.