Article 3: Marc Augé – Non-Places: Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity

Article 3: Marc Augé – Non-Places: Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity
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Augé, M. ,1995. About Non-places. Architectural Design, 66, 82-83.

Marc Auge who is French anthropologist born in 1935. We can analyze the life of Auge in three phases. First stage: He started to work in West Africa with research Ivory Coast where the Alladian peoples based. Second stage: European stage, Author focused Parisian’s modern life. In this term, he also reflects own experimentation and he compared places where investigate. The third stage which is known global phase, four books were written by Auge. One of them is Non-Places: Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity (1995). His studies aforethought the philosophical power of anthropology of "non-places" alike airports and highways described temporariness and continual transition. Wikipedia (2017)

The architecture relies on the illusion of the ideology of a prison. It has a share of the aesthetics of transparency and the reflection of high and distant,” Ague (1995). This article shows us relationship between architecture and non-spaces.

The preface begins with the illustrative stage. Pierre Dupont who is a character in this part and cases pointed out detailly, exemplify us Dupont’s way to the airfield. This story defines Non-places and places briefly.

Image 1 Source: http://www.archdaily.com/776523/unstudio-proposes-user-centric-design-for-the-taiwan-taoyuan-international-airport-at-human-scale/56391e71e58ece6e6400014f-unstudio-proposes-user-centric-design-for-the-taiwan-taoyuan-international-airport-at-human-scale-image

In my opinion, shortly, Space and Place was defined differently; Place can be everywhere, supplementary of ingredient coexisting in a specific place. Space is more complicate and wide in contrast to place. As the Auge (1995) mentioned, “space is a frequented place, an intersection of moving bodies.”

Clearly, the word ‘non-place’ designates two complementary but distinct realities: spaces formed in relation to certain ends (transport, transit, commerce, leisure), and the relations that individuals have these spaces. Although the two sets of relations overlap to a large extent, and in any case officially (individuals travel, make purchases, relax). Ague (1995:94)

On the other hand, inspired by the author's definition I can define the word non-place; it can be evaluated as transitory spaces. For instance, an airport, tube stations and a market. Places where we use customary by a chauffeur, a traveler, a consumer. Places where we use without analyzing. In this kind of places, we stay temporally. A person who is in a non-place space does something without thinking, automatically.

As an example from my experience, before 1 month I have been in Spain. While I was waiting to my flight time in the airport, my phone’s battery finished. There was not sitting places near the plug so, I had to put far away from my phone for a charge. In this time, I had a chance to observe people because there was not anything to do. Most of the people were checking their phones laptops, or they were sleeping, shopping or eating or drinking something instead of exploring around. If my phone’s battery was not finished, maybe I could not be able to this situation. After reading this article, I remembered my story. People who use this kind of spaces cannot feel the part of these places. Just, they were there only because they had to be there. Now I can correlate between alteration people’s act and spaces. The following picture which was chosen from London tube station is a similar example of my storytelling.

Image 2 Source: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=tube+station&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjqm-DPmu7WAhXGIMAKHcYAD2wQ_AUICigB&biw=1536&bih=711#imgrc=0gtlfZwBtIme_M:

Questions:

1.     Are libraries non-place for students?

2.     Is there any non-place for you in your home?

References:

Wikipedia (2017) "Marc Augé" The Free Encyclopaedia. Available at:   https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marc_Aug%C3%A9&oldid=804557404             (Accessed: October 13, 2017)