What We Are Looking for (Between Home and Work)
by Natascha van den Boom
For this Periodical, the creation of a third place is examined through its historical context and present day appearances. As our research branches out, one thing becomes clear: rather than being confined to the walls of a designated space, this kind of ‘room’ is somewhat more fluid. It emerges in kitchens and cafés, in community buildings and living rooms. Trust, shared ownership and responsibility are some of the factors that play an important role in facilitating this kind of ‘room’. But what are some of the sensible, material conditions that these factors create? What physicalities make a room feel inviting and safe to engage with each other?
In this survey, we invited our colleagues at de Appel, the participants of the Curatorial Practice and de Appel’s Teenage Curators to make their abstract desires surrounding third places tangible by focussing on their senses.
Think of the smell of freshly ground coffee, sweat, or rain on a warm pavement. Sounds can make a space calming or energising, making you feel like liquid in a bottle or whipped cream on a cupcake. Murmurs of gossip, children playing outside or squeaking chairs can make you feel at home, and textures like crunchy wood pinching on the back of your legs, hot concrete, or soft round marble can invite you to stay. Vibrant colours, white kitchen tiles reflecting dancing bodies or endless greenery can create a visual atmosphere that makes a space feel just right.
By compiling the answers to this survey, a list is made, not of requirements, but of an indication of our bodies’ desires and needs when it comes to creating a space that is open: free of rent, free of surveillance, free of the pressure to consume.
Introduction written by Hannah Zeeman
Who would you like to meet in a third place?
What would you like to smell in a third place?
What would you like to hear in a third place?
What textures or surfaces would you like to feel in a third place?
What would you like to see in a third place?
What do we need to make a third place?
