Night walking What is the impact of artificial lighting on emotions and movement behaviour of the individual walking through Venice at night?
Anastasia Angeli Architecture and Planning University of the West of England
February 2018 4770 words
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What is the impact of artificial lighting on emotions and behaviour of the individual walking through Venice at night?
Abstract
The following research analyses the personal experience of walking through the city at night
in order to study how artificial lighting is affecting emotions and behaviour of people walking at night. It was done through analysing a variety of cities — London, Berlin, Nicosia, Bristol, Istanbul, Cesena and Venice using a dérive derived method as the main research tool. Venice became the final and main case study. Film was used as a way of recording the dérive walks. A series of psychogeographical maps were produced as a result of the walks to help analyse and share the experience – emotional response and the movement behaviour of one walking through the city at night. A web site was created in order to make the research process accessible.
As a result of the research, it was found that artificial street lighting affects people and their
movement through the city. A series of key triggers have been identified: alternations between dark and light, distant lit up views, strong aggressive light, dark by-streets, reflections, motion sensor lights, textures on lit surfaces, closed window shutters, lights hanging from the walls and street lamps stood on the squares.
Anastasia Angeli Architecture and Planning University of the West of England
This dissertation is protected by copyright. Do not copy any part of it for any purpose other than personal academic study without the permission of the author. Venice map collages (Author, 2017)
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What is the impact of artificial lighting on emotions and behaviour of the individual walking through Venice at night?
Acknowledgments I would like to mention people who have supported my research by giving me advice throughout or by accompanying me during the dĂŠrives: Matthew Hynam Lidia Makarova (London) Meltem Rabia Mercan (Berlin, Istanbul) Evelien Fiselier (Bristol) George Angeli (Nicosia) Katerina Gushchina (Moscow) Maria Klara Bahr (Cesena) Christi Zuberg (Venice) Eleonora Sovrani (Venice) Phoebe Cripps (Venice)
A copyright statement This study was completed as part of the BA(Hons) Architecture and Planning at the University of the West of England. The work is my own. Where the work of others is used or drawn on, it is attributed to the relevant source.
Venice film stills (Author, 2017)
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What is the impact of artificial lighting on emotions and behaviour of the individual walking through Venice at night?
Contents Introduction
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Literature review 6 Street lighting background Review of appropriate methods A city for a case study
Methodology 7 Venice 9 Introduction to the city Description of the main case study Findings
Conclusion 14 Appendices 15 Appendix 1. Psychogeographical maps of Venice 15 I. San Marco and Centro Storico II. Cannaregio and Castello III. San Polo, Santa Croce and Dorsodouro
Appendix 2. Diary notes
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Appendix 3. Initial case studies 19 a. London b. Berlin c. Nicosia d. Moscow e. Bristol f. Istanbul g. Cesena
Bibliography 26 List of Tables and Figures 27
Venice film stills (Author, 2017)
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What is the impact of artificial lighting on emotions and behaviour of the individual walking through Venice at night?
Introduction Relevance
Objectives
Examine how one might experience urban spaces at night
What is it that makes the city at night so different from when it is lit by the sun? What do people
feel when they walk around the city at night? Are they affected by the artificial light and to what
Capture feelings and emotions experienced by an individual in a night scape
extent? Since the 16th century cities at night have been illuminated by artificial light. This dissertation
Analyse results and find patterns of movement behaviour and emotions and relate it to artificial light
will explore the impact of this light and how it has altered individuals’ behaviour, movement and use of space, by taking Venice as a main case study.
“The night time city is another city… The city is at its most earthly and unearthly at night”. (Beaumont, 2015)
Previous research has discussed that architecture “initiates, directs and organises behaviour
Process questions Which tools and methods would allow analysing artificial street light and individual response to it?
and movement” (Pallasmaa, 2005, p. 63). However, there has not been much literature that theorises
What is the most appropriate city to examine for the purposes of that topic?
the effect of street lighting in particular on how people experience and behave in urban spaces until
How to most clearly capture and convey the process and outputs of the research?
recently (McQuire, 2008). There has been a rise of interest around the topic in the past few years and a number of guides on the undisruptive use of light have been published by CIBSE (2012 and 2017). Beaumont, 2015 and Elkin, 2016 take an opposing approach and provide a very personal response to night spaces.
The following research aims to take the personal experience of walking through the city at
night, and systemising the results in order to try and explain how artificial lighting might be affecting
Sub questions How does the night city differ from the city when it is lit by sunlight? What are people’s reactions to street lighting and different variations of it? How does artificial light affect emotions and movement of one walking through the city at night?
the emotions and ‘movement behaviour’ (Willis et al., 2004) of one walking at night, through analysing a number of cities — London, Berlin, Nicosia, Bristol, Istanbul, Cesena and Venice as a final case study.
Proposed outputs Videos from night walks and film stills from them; A series of annotated psychogeographical maps; Methodology that could be used by others to convey emotional response to walking in a city at night.
Venice (Author, 2017)
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What is the impact of artificial lighting on emotions and behaviour of the individual walking through Venice at night?
Literature Review
Street lighting background
Review of appropriate methods
A city for a case study
Since the introduction of permanent public street lighting in the 16th century (Schivebusch,
This research looks to go beyond observing people and use a more personal method of
The choice of the city to conduct the main case study in was made according to a number of
1988) urban spaces have changed along with the function of street lighting. From being used as a tool
recording human movement with a camera held by the researcher. A similar method was used by
principles. The chosen city had to be a city that can exemplify other places. Low intensity of street
for navigation, it went through being an instrument of control and expression of power to a way of
Willis et. al. (2004) in their research paper ‘Human movement behaviour in urban spaces’ but in
lighting should be prevalent in the city to make the study of a night city viable rather than bright-
dragging people into the shops and cafes (1988).
their case, they were using cameras mounted discreetly from the pedestrians, above the street. The
lit streets that create quasi daylight spaces. Relative darkness is important in order to examine the
In order to examine the emotional and behavioural effect that artificial street lighting has
following research offers a street-level perspective, captured by the researcher, whose experience is
night city and emotional response to it, as it “dims the sharpness of vision, makes depth and distance
on the individual walking in the city at night in the contemporary world, it was useful to have an
going to be analysed. Derive as a method is used most famously by the International Situationalists
ambiguous, and invites unconscious peripheral vision and tactile fantasy” (Pallasmaa, 2012, p. 50) –
understanding of how different people were reacting to artificial light throughout history. One of the
and it has been chosen as a method for allowing artificial light to draw the researcher through
that is what needs to be achieved for the successful dérive.
shared ideas that existed throughout was that electric lighting created another ‘day-time’, a space
the city. Dérives were seen by the Situationist International as a way of discovering the authentic,
that has not existed before (Gorky, 1907; Koolhaas, 1994; McQuire, 2008). This led to the question of
more profound life of the city (Sadler, 1998). In the contemporary literature there are different
the Venice Art Biennale, part of which was carrying out a research. Hence, Venice was taken as a
how much should this man-made intervention control the experience of an individual’s movement
commentaries on the dérive. With The Architectures of Chance (2013) it is described as a method
main case study for the dissertation. In addition to that, the city of Venice appears to fit under the
through space at night.
that allowed grasping new conclusions about the city by Manolopolou while Scheppe (2009, p. 104)
requirements mentioned above. The city of Venice was called by Wiltson (2005, p. 133) “the world
When looking through the literature around the time of the first street lamps, as they exist
saw dérive as a “drifting in accordance with the laws of the city” – both of these comments fit to
collected in this small space”, which allows using it as an exemplar that could be applied to other
now, it was clear that the prevalent response was a feeling of a ‘fragmented city’ (Hemmersam, 2004,
the research purposes of analysing the effect of street lighting and the way it changes movement
cities. Venice has already been used as an object of psychogeographical work (Debord, 1957), which
p. 97) or even of absence of the space, as described in the Technical Manifesto of Futurist Painters,
behaviour. However, there are critics of the dérive method who argue that it obscures modernism by
was justified by its sentimental character. In a recent explicit work on Venice by Scheppe (2009), the
1910 (Apollonio, 1973). Constant high level of illumination was even described as a way of mental
presenting personal ambiguous views resulted from false consciousness (Lauster, 2007).
city was referred to as one that typifies more than just its own. However, while Scheppe refers to
torture (Pallasmaa, 2012). Similar comment could be applied to the places with a uniform illumination
As a reaction to the criticism, to minimise the ambiguity of the method but still in keeping with
it as a global city, Saskia Sassen denies it, calling it an international city instead (1992), which does
that, according to Alexander et al. (1977), destroys the social nature of space, disorientates people (p.
the ‘playful-constructive’ approach (Debord, 1956), the journeys at night have been captured using
not however impact the following research. Another characteristic that makes Venice work for the
1160).
moving image. This method had also been analysed in order to see its potential and its weaknesses.
purposes of the research is that for visitors it often appears to be “a place without history” (Scheppe,
Another view on the artificial street lighting was of a feeling of sorrow and loneliness
Predecessors for using video for capturing the city, Venturi and Brown (1977), in their investigation
2009, p. 12) and “a sprawling suburban desert” (p. 106), which makes it easy to get lost in it, being
(Schivelbusch, 1988). It was noticed throughout the literature review that in smaller cities and towns
of American cities were moving through urban spaces, photographing and diagramming them on
confused by its endless self-repetition, and not being governed by historical traces of the city.
the street lighting seems to create a more welcoming reaction where the light alternates with the
their way, revealing their view of the city. Bruno (2002), Ding (2011) and Raban (1988) believed that
dark, allowing the subjective and personal interpretation. This might be caused by a natural need
cinematography was an accurate way of capturing ‘soft’ characteristics of the city, giving a sense of
for a secret place (Alexander et al.), a need of intimacy and a secret psychological life that results
time and a dynamic experience to the immobile spectator. Whyte (1980) was also trying to understand
into a intuitive search for hiding places (Bachelard, 1958). In the following research it is that aspect
spaces through cinematography using film as a survey tool, especially in terms of people’s behaviour,
of artificial light that was analysed and not fully-lit spaces that try to recreate the sun light in its
but in his case it was analysing other people rather than his own experience. Although it could still be
intensity, which destroys the sense of the space and intimacy (Alexander et al., 1977).
argued that film can be used to convey an image of the place that may differ from how it actually feels
At the initial stage of the work, the researcher had been given a fellowship opportunity at
like in a place. Another danger was that the image gets analysed instead of the experience itself – this could happen if during the recorded walks spaces start to be seen as opportunities for ‘potential photographs’ (Sontag, 1986, p. 7). Hence, the walk itself was given a priority while filming would just accompany the journey. The potential of the moving image was used as a way of recording the walk and conveying the experience to the reader. This way the viewing of the film can be seen as a form of flânerie (Bruno, 2002).
Venice (Author, 2017)
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What is the impact of artificial lighting on emotions and behaviour of the individual walking through Venice at night?
Methodology
Autoethnography has been used as the principal method, which gave an opportunity to
Benjamin (1999) who explored the effect of the artificial lighting as an ‘educated eye’ drifting through
examine personal experience, emotions, feelings and behaviour of the researcher. This is a qualitative
the city at night. Seal (2013) describes the flâneur as an observer and a stroller but above all, as a tool
method, offering a complex and personal study by merging the researcher with the research (Adams
for understanding modern culture. It is an “expert observer of the urban scene“ that is fascinated,
et al., 2015). The following study was based on the theory of the dérive — a psychogeographical
absorbed and filtering (Parsons, 2000, p. 3).
tool described by Debord (1956). Dérive (‘drifting’) was first mentioned in press by Internationale
Lettriste group (1954) as was later described as a technique of movement through spaces in which
due to the moving nature of both that would allow recording and understanding spatial characteristics
all motives for choosing the path and behaviour are consciously dropped in favour of spontaneous
of urban spaces.
drifting through the city.
In order to overcome the fact that there have not been predecessors in analysing artificial
expressing the outcomes (Sadler, 1998). This was used in order to overcome the issue of describing the
street lighting through personal experience, grounded theory was used as a methodology (Glaser
qualitative data to the reader (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). The maps are supported with annotations
and Strauss, 1967), in which the concepts are generated from data and are systematically developed
and film stills taken from the film recorded during the walk. A diagram of the methodology used for
during the process of the research (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). Grounded theory also accepts fieldwork
the research could be seen below (See Table 4).
as a qualitative method and argues that it allows sufficient immersion, giving a research a real-life
character. A series of case studies (Appendix 2) had been conducted prior to the main case study in
beginning initiators of the theory of the dérive, Debord and Jorn, stated their recognition of the
Venice (Appendix 1), in order to form a clear methodology for analysing the nightscape and come up
method being inexact science (1959) justifying it by the fact that the “cities are born from interferences
with the most efficient way to convey the experience (See Table 1 for the changes in the methodology).
of situations” (unpaginated) and therefore, cannot be fully understood using scientific and tangible
processes. Hence, it is acknowledged that the following work is not the only possible response to the
Dérive tool fits into the grounded theory methodology as there is no final result that is expected
When collecting the data, it seemed to be most appropriate to capture the dérive with the film
Another important aspect of the dérive that was implemented was mapping as a way of
A criticism to the proposed approach is the subjectivity of the research outcomes. From the
from the walk – the aim of the dérive is to awaken ‘urban consciousness’ that would allow reaching
question and is highly subjective, which does not diminish its relevance.
new conclusions on the city (Manolopolou, 2013). Spontaneity and chance take priority in the dérive,
the starting point of which was often chosen randomly from the address book (Sadler, 1998), hence
time for trial and error. Repetition of dérive in different weather conditions, emotional states and
the method encourages a playful way of navigating through urban spaces that will be embedded in
different groups of people also provided a deeper insight and better understanding of the city.
The main case study took place across one month that was spent in Venice, which allowed
the following work. The analysis has been done through the eyes of a flâneur as described by Berlin (Author, 2017)
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What is the impact of artificial lighting on emotions and behaviour of the individual walking through Venice at night?
Table 1 (methodology revisions)
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Case studies
Methodology alterations
London
Walk: a walk took a shape of a conversation with a friend Video: separate pieces of shots, comparison between day and night scenes; focus on photographs at that stage; more poetic
2
Berlin
Walk: study carried out not as a form of a dérive but as a reflection on the time spent in Berlin at night Video: heavily edited, capturing only few main pieces of the experience
3
Bristol
Walk: dérive method explored and tried out, path tracking application used Video: camera held at the eye-level with a wide lens, full journey captured Map: map introduced at a tool for conveying the analysis
4
Moscow
Video: narrow-lens camera tried out Map: a new lens made it difficult to capture clear stills from the video – stills more abstracted, no writing was done on the map
5
Nicosia
Walk: no tracking app used (by mistake) Map: the path had to be drawn from the video which was challenging – as a result not accurate but more intuitive, no sketches on the map
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Istanbul
Walk: saying out loud the things that were found interesting at the time of the walk Map: listening to the audio from the original video made it easier to track the thoughts/emotions at the moment of the dérive
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Cesena
Video: iso of the camera changed when needed – captures the surroundings more accurately but distracts the attention from the dérive itself Map: position of stills considered at the moment of drawing up the map
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Table 2 (methodology for a first-hand research)
Venice
See Table 2 for the final research guidance
Preparation for the
1. Find a companion for the dérive
dérive
2. Prepare a wide-lens camera and a path tracking app 3. Randomly choose a starting point
On site
4. Make sure the companion is aware of the purpose of the walk 1. Remind yourself of the purpose of the walk, then forget about it 2. Stroll across the streets and let the city guide you 3. Try and keep the camera straight but do not look into it too much
After the dérive
1. Put the video together (with sound at this stage) 2. Draw out the path of the dérive 3. Create a psychogeographic map, capture stills from the video
Film stills from corresponding walks (Author, 2017) Walk collages: Moscow (top) and Istanbul (bottom)
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4. Scan the map, overlay it with time-marked film stills
What is the impact of artificial lighting on emotions and behaviour of the individual walking through Venice at night?
Venice
Introduction to the city
“Not to find one’s way in a city is of little interest. But to lose one’s way in a city, as one loses one’s way in a forest, requires practice”. (Benjamin, 2006)
Venice appears to be a city that allows people to lose themselves in it more than any other
However, this idea of universality of Venice could be tracked as way back as the sixteenth
city would. The amount of narrow intersecting streets suits the dérive strategy and psychogeographic
century with the images depicting the island of Venice in the shape of a globe (See Image 2). Much
approach. Benjamin calls lively medieval cities, such as Rome and Paris, perfect for the dérive because
later, in (1978) the city of Venice was used by Italo Calvino in ‘Invisible Cities’, in which Marco Polo
they “close around him as a room” (1999, p. 417). Interestingly, when describing Venice, Gehl (2011)
talks about many exotic cities he has visited that at the end turns out to be different perspectives on
called it a living room that was enlarged to the scale of a city. In that sense, electric light adds to that
Venice.
feeling of the streets being enclosed into narrow and comfortable spaces of the inside – a statement that will be investigated further in the first-hand research.
Description of the main case study
The research tool of the dérive was first explored by Situationalist International group, the
first members of which met in rural Italy in 1957 (Sadler, 1998), which again connects to the choice of
After conducting several case studies in different cities in a variety of countries with different
Venice. This tool allows a person (or a group of people) to explore the psychogeographical contours
approaches to artificial light (See Appendix 2), the main case study has been carried out in Venice.
of the city (Debord, 1956) due to the spontaneous drifting through the city with no aim or final
Three dérive walks were made throughout the time of one month that has been spent in Venice by
destination. The walk often includes creating a psychogeographic map of the city (Seal, 2013) as an
the researcher (See routes on Image 3). In addition to psychogeographical maps (that include film
outcome. The first example of a photographic collage of Venice created as a result of a dérive by
stills, each time-marked and labelled on the map) and video recordings of the walks, dérives have
Rumney (see Image 1) that was however argued to lack seriousness (Sadler, 1998) but can still be
been followed with the diary written up the day after the walk (See Appendix 1) and then the videos
seen as a successful example. Another work that has been created by Rumney on Venice is entitled
have been analysed — this was made in order to capture both instant and more thorough reaction to
“The Leaning Tower of Venice” (See Image 1), which was a result of his stroll around the city with a
night streets of Venice. For a more complete immersion in the dérives, those videos could be watched
photo camera in his hands, incorporating the style of a ‘fotoromanzo’. As a result of that playful walk,
at the web site that was created in order to make the research process accessible.
Rumney has distinguished ‘depressing’, ‘beautiful’ and ‘sinister’ areas of Venice (Scheppe, 2009). In the preface of this experimental study Rumney explained the choice of Venice with its ‘universal contrasts’ and its potential of representing more than its own characteristic (Scheppe, p. 105).
Collage of Venice (Rumney, 1957)
Habiti delle Donne Venetiane (Franco, 1592)
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What is the impact of artificial lighting on emotions and behaviour of the individual walking through Venice at night?
Findings
A series of walks carried out during the research were influenced by a number of personal
factors and behavioural patterns of the researcher. Some of them are listed below in order so that they could be taken into account when analysing the data.
- Need to divide attention between the video recordings and the actual dérive - More active and explorative behaviour earlier at night hence in the beginning of the walk - Individual preference of calmer and quieter places with less people and bright neon lighting - Reacting to the background, mood and knowledge of the person accompanying the dérive - Taking more risky decisions when walking with someone as safety responsibility seems to be shared - Consciously walking away from the known points for the sake of the dérive
After analysing the dérives, using a variety of media, mentioned above, a number of main
triggers of change of emotions and movement behaviour have been identified. They are listed below, going from more general ones to specific details (See Table 3).
It is not argued that the reaction to certain elements would be the same when applied
to different individuals. However, dérives were carried out in a company of different people who were normally showing the same reaction to the main triggers explored above – but analysis of the exclusivity of the individual’s reaction to light would require another research.
Paths of Venice dérives carried out in July, 2017
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What is the impact of artificial lighting on emotions and behaviour of the individual walking through Venice at night?
The following analysis was mainly based on the case study carried out in Venice, however it
effects of the light: the space appears more flat, there is little areal perspective that would encourage
researcher and the person who was accompanying, some disparity was taking place where there
is believed that the studies done prior to Venice have allowed a more sensitive reaction to the night
the walker to go further to see what is there. All the light that could be seen is instantaneously seen
was a choice between keeping to a well-lit street or turning into a dark by-street. It is believed, that
spaces, in addition to allowing alterations in the research methodology (See Table 1).
by the person on the street which focuses his/her attention on the current moment more than in a
this depends on psychological aspects of the personality – on whether or not the person finds the
day-lit space where many things appear at the distance as if they are waiting to be discovered from
darkness (absence of light) safe. In cases like that, it also depended on a quality of light, whether the
company, weather, day of the week, mood and emotional context. However, it was noticed that a
a closer distance.
darker space was believed to be safe or not – an example of that would be a swinging light in the
spectrum of experiences in the night setting shrinks in comparison to that of the day. One of the
Istanbul dérive (24:20 in the video).
reasons for that could be the absence of colour in the amount it exists under the daylight. The emotive
everyone is aware that there is much more to it than what is exposed. Static light might create a
aspect of the colour (Arnheim, 1984) disappears during the night, which focuses the attention on
strong sensation of mystery, while the moving light (vehicles passing by, motion-sensor lights, water
city (See dairy notes in Appendix 2) — the main square (San Marco) or a train/coach station (Piazzale
other senses, like the sound, smell, touch, while the vision is limited to perceiving a variation between
reflections) gives a feeling of uncertainty but also the opportunity of revealing what is otherwise
Roma). Often direction of the walk could eventually lead to one of these focal point if they are located
light and shadow. Hence, the only fact of the absence of daylight changes the experience of the one
hidden. This, however, was more seen in the example of Venice, less so in Istanbul and Moscow. What
nearby. This could be caused simply by the street patterns that increases the likelihood of walking
walking through the city of night.
united dérives in these three cities is water that was often present that added an element of vertical
towards these points. Otherwise, it could be explained by urban fabric deflecting the movement
shimmering movement to the walk, which would not be so evident during the day.
behaviour that could never be completely left to chance.
through the city. It could be seen as a form of luxury that people created for themselves to extend
the time in which they could use a city. In this way the lit night streets could be seen as an art
kinds of light in them with varying intensity, temperature, direction and origin. This was often found
instance for the researcher with a Russian background, closed shutters of Venice (and less so in
form. Reflecting on the Weimar essays of Kracauer (1963), artificial street light in that sense might
in London, Moscow and certain parts of Venice. It was noticed that the walkers could normally wish
Cesena – maybe derived from the month of the dérive) felt unnatural and stood out. While for an
be perceived as a street performance that distracts people from their thoughts by disturbing and
to stay in that place for some time or simply walk at a slower pace. This would probably be prevalent
Italian citizen coming from Venice (Dérive II. Cannaregio and Castello) that was a strange thing to pay
entertaining their minds. This reflection could be applied to studies of London and Berlin and parts of
in Bristol around the Christmas time when a wide variety of Christmas decoration can be found
attention to. However, the reaction to that was the same in both cases – a feeling of a ghost town
Venice. On the other hand, subtle and delicate use of light can, on the contrary, unveil one’s feelings
around the city, which shows again the effect that time of the year has on the emotive reaction to the
where there is no one in and no one to look on the street to passively survey it (Jacobs, 1961). This
and encourage contemplation (See dairy notes in Appendix 2).
walk. Lights coming from the shop fronts (most of which would be closed at night time in Venice and
raises a question on whether the feelings and emotions that one gets from the night streets would
Cesena) have similar effect to that of the Christmas lights and the same function of distracting the
alter much depending on the person’s background. Same with the movement behaviour – is it the
city with no purpose during the night rather than during the day. This might be caused by the fact that
mind or attracting people’s attention for as long time as possible.
person who ‘leads’ the way, his background and origin or the city itself? That was the aspect that was
motives were purposefully dropped for the time of the dérive but also could be caused by the
impossible to analyse in the scope of that research.
Each of the case studies was distinct from one another due to many factors – different cities,
The existence of artificial light itself on the streets changes the experience of one walking
It was noticed during the time of the research process that it was easier to walk through the
Nightscape gives the wanderer all there is to see at every single moment. At the same time
It was also noticed that spaces that felt most comfortable and welcoming, had a variety of
While at most times there was no disagreement in the direction of the walk between the
Another strong influence on the walking behaviour was seen close to the focal points of the
Cultural background seemed to also change the reactions to certain urban elements. For
Venice (Author, 2017)
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What is the impact of artificial lighting on emotions and behaviour of the individual walking through Venice at night?
Table 3 (research findings)
1
2
Trigger
Feelings/thoughts
Behaviour reaction
Alternations between
Rhythm
Could keep walking with no change of
dark and light
Intimacy
direction for a long time, change between
Liveliness
light and dark makes it feel varied
Excitement
Paying attention towards it, finding routes to
Childish
get there or stopping to look at it
Lit up views
Film still illustration
Observant
3
4
5
Strong aggressive
Disturbed
Trying to avoid the area, change the direction
(often neon) light
Annoyed
or move faster. However, at times people
Fooled
follow the brightest path without noticing
Not being expected
A chance of getting into a dead-end and a
there
slight feeling of danger prevents from walking
Danger
into it
Calm, mystery
Similar to a view – not accessible, only to be
Hypnotizing
observed at a distance
Dark by-streets
Reflections
Venice film stills (Author, 2017)
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What is the impact of artificial lighting on emotions and behaviour of the individual walking through Venice at night?
Table 3 (research findings, continued)
6
7
Trigger
Feelings/thoughts
Behaviour reaction
Motion sensor lights
Dramatizing
Not knowing where and when it will be
Worry
found creates a false need to be careful and
Attention
attentive at all times
Textures on lit
Connection to history
Slowing down the pace, wanting to pay
surfaces
and the past
attention to detail and appreciate the space
Exposure to something
more by staying for longer
Film still illustration
precious
8
Closed window
Disconnection
Desire to explore houses on the inside and
shutters
Unsafe – no eyes upon
the fact that no one is watching results in
the street
trying to walk into hidden corners and bystreets
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Lights hang from the
Light being owned by
Paying more attention to the surfaces of the
walls
someone, not shared
buildings, corners and side streets. More
Cosy but lonely
chance of changing the direction
No sense of height
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Street lamps stood on
Inclusiveness
Tendency to walk slower and take an
the squares
Part of the social scene
opportunity to stay. Shadows alter the space, making it more varied and draws attention
Venice film stills (Author, 2017)
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What is the impact of artificial lighting on emotions and behaviour of the individual walking through Venice at night?
Conclusion
The research has been set out to capture and examine the experience of the individual in night
spaces, and find behavioural and emotional patterns related to the artificial light. Research objectives have been realised and certain patterns have been identified (See Table 4) by taking Venice as a main case study and also reflecting on the smaller case studies. Reactions to night spaces as experienced by the researcher can be related to that of the literature review. Iterations in the methodology made while carrying out initial case studies (See Appendix 2) allowed refining of the method when it came to the main case study. Overall, the research can be seen as successful as the methodology proved
QR code to access dissertation website: anastasia2angeli.wixsite.com/nightwalking
to work well for the stated objectives. However, there are other potential methods of working with the same topic, for example interviewing street users on analysing video recordings of the streets at night.
In terms of methodology, it was noticed that best results were achieved when the walk was
carried out with other people who were aware of the intentions of the walk and who the researcher could talk with about something unrelated to the research as this allows a more unconscious behaviour during the walk (see dairy comments in Appendix 2). It was often difficult to keep the movement completely ungoverned by any justifiable reasons but it is believed that this aspect did not harm the research process as long as the element of chance was still present. Also, it is believed that analysing a city that is not known to the researcher seems to work better due to the fact that the walker could be drawn by their current experience and not drawn by their prior knowledge.
Findings like this can be developed and extended in many directions. One of the questions
that has risen up as the research went on was how much is it the city itself that creates the movement patterns, and hence attracts more welcoming light to certain areas; or are those patterns determined more by the personality and background experience of the walker? It would require other methods and tools to try and get an answer to this question. What could now be done using the research methodology designed within this thesis would be to compare dèrives by different individuals in the same city. Another direction would be to try and compare a variety of cities and their use of lighting. However, a comparison of this kind would require a lot of background research in order to distill what effects are created by light rather than anything else.
The research expressed above can be seen as an initial stage of the research that will be
continued in order to create a fully functioning toolkit for examining night time spaces. In order to create a more extensive exploration of the effects of artificial light on the individuals walking at night, other spaces should be analysed, preferably by a variety of people in order to find the emotional and behavioural patterns that are shared by most people, as well as personal reactions that are unique to some people and places. The physical maps, diary notes, film stills and video recordings from the walks themselves (See Appendixes 1 and 2 or the web site or the QR code below) could be used to share the experience of carrying out a research of this kind and to explain the outcomes of this research to other people, which potentially will attract other studies on analysing streets at nights time using the dÊrive tool. This, in turn, could result in street lighting being more carefully thought through and controlled in order to make sure that cities’ experience at night is comfortable, inclusive and enjoyable. Istanbul (Author, 2017)
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Appendices Appendix 1. Psychogeographical maps of Venice DĂŠrive I San Marco and Centro Storico 09.07.17
Venice psychogeographical map 1
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DĂŠrive II Cannaregio and Castello 23.07.17
Venice psychogeographical map 2
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DĂŠrive III San Polo, Santa Croce and Dorsodouro 30.07.17
Venice psychogeographical map 3
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Appendix 2. Dairy Notes
Dérive I
Dérive II
Dérive III
San Marco and Centro Storico
Cannaregio and Castello
San Polo, Santa Croce and Dorsodouro
09.07.17
23.07.17
30.07.17
My co-fellow from America, Christi Zuberg, met me at her flat, which is located quite centrally
We agreed to meet with Eleonora Sovrani at night at a random location that she has picked by
This time we met with Phoebe Cripps [another British Council fellow that I was working with]
near the Grand Canal. I thought it would be a good place to start as there is a lot happening around.
opening a page in the yellow pages by chance – 5552 Cannaregio was the address we were supposed
near Campo Santa Margherita, outside Venice Jazz Club – a place that my Google map app has been
We started the walk at around 22:30 when it was dark enough outside. I was walking and filming
to start the dérive.
highlighted for me since I came to Venice. It is near the Academia area – another side of the city
while Christi was just following me for safety reasons but enjoying her walk too, carrying a glass of
where I have not been dériving before.
wine with her.
organised by ‘We Are Here Venice’ group and it turned out that she has been conducting research on
We started in the busy area full of buzzing restaurant signs and people chatting and eating.
the theory of the dérive for more than seven years. She was primarily interested in the history, Guy
looking setting that differed from the rest of Venice. Same lighting patterns were prevalent, which
I have not been to that area of Venice before and had little idea of what was around. While walking
Debord and other International Situationalists, but even so she was the only person I met who has
made the streets feel familiar even though the buildings were crisp and had graffiti on the walls.
though I noticed that crowds of people tent to make me turn from the ‘main’ roads to adjacent
been consciously (if that is possible) doing dèrive’s before. In addition to that, she was born in Venice
During the walk Phoebe described very nicely how she sees streets in Venice, comparing them to
smaller (even smaller) paths. This resulted to coming into a couple of dead ends, but much less then I
and spent most of her life there.
that of London where she is from. Wavy vertical movements on water rather than horizontal quick
have expected. Alternating tints of street lamps hanging of the houses onto the narrow streets made
patterns encouraged by the cars, smell and sound…
them more visually diverse. This was also enhanced by the low intensity of lighting spread across the
different spots so it took us a while to try and find each other. So we decided to go from the main
city so that areas of light and shadow alternate between each other.
street until both of us did not know where we are and start the dérive there.
streets, which I thought was interesting – as long as two people drop any reasons for walking, their
While we were walking it was interesting to observe that both of us wanted to follow the
paths in the city become similar. Would everyone just end up in San Marco if no one had any kind
[motion-sensor lights]. For some reason I do not find these lights appealing. Yes, they minimise energy
same route with only a couple of exceptions. Is that path determined by the urban fabric? We started
of destination in minds? This time, actually, Piazzale Roma was acting like a magnet, instead of San
use but from the perspective of someone walking – they do not give an indication that they are there
far enough from San Marco and I did warn Eleonora that it was the place that I kept coming back
Marco which was connected to our starting point only by a couple of bridges, while the main bus
until someone is near it. I just find it a bit confusing and unfair.
to during my last dérive. So I think we were trying to avoid it pretty consciously but without saying
station connecting Venice to the rest of the city could be reached easily. We did not actually go to the
While walking I was trying not to pay attention to the signs that are constantly showing the
it. I was glad that Eleonora brought some of the classical Situationalist elements to the dérive, e.g.
station due to violent neon lighting that was not pleasing to either of us, but we walked along it for
directions for the main tourist attractions. I was very surprised to end up at San Marco square within
red wine and the idea of taking auto-stop on a boat (which did not work but the idea itself seemed
some time as the main streets seemed to all come to Piazzale Roma in that area.
the first 20 minutes of walking! I did not even know it was that close. It looked charming there mostly,
interesting). During the walk we were mostly talking about Venice, her vision of the city and the
because of the storm the day before that flooded parts of the square, so all the lights were reflected
Situalionalist International library/exhibition opening event that she is organising for July 28. We
later – Curating of modern art for Masters. One of Phoebe’s modules was a module on International
off different surfaces. But it was well too crowded, so after enjoying some live music we left the
were only briefly mentioning how artificial light influenced her and me. I think it is a positive thing
Situationalist and dérive theory. This made me think about another dimension of Venice and look at it
square. When walking on some of the main shopping streets leading from the square, I noticed that
as it makes the path less consciously guided by the light so the effect of it will be explored through
from a more conceptual point of view, comparing it to London – a city where Phoebe has been living
I found advertising lights quite disturbing. During the day all these signs are evenly lit and do not
watching the video done during the walk.
since childhood. Comparing London to Venice made me pay attention to unique lighting strategies
grab so much attention, but at night they stand out a lot and attract eyes of everyone passing by.
that Venice was using for many years, which made me want to come and do more of these dérives in
Considering the fact that no one is even allowed to enter most of those shops at that time, it felt
curiosity, but later on at the night, as I started to become more tired, I tent to choose the brighter lit
different cities and continents and try to compare them.
unnecessary and even dishonest. I kept trying to move to the empty ‘scary’ narrow streets to avoid
streets – maybe because that way I knew it will not end up with a dead end and because the amount
those signs.
of people on those relatively loud streets was brought to minimum by the time.
like I was saying bye to the city, hence I wanted to explore the most of it while I could. We finished
After around one hour of walking we started noticing that we were floating somewhere
the dérive in the dead-end, which seemed quite poetic as we both agreed. The city of Venice is full
Without noticing it (and even trying to avoid it probably) we made a circle and came back to it from
around the place where 5552 Cannaregio [the intended starting point] could potentially be, so we
of dead-ends and sometimes it feels like everywhere and ever§ything is just a combination of dead-
another side. After that I started wondering how far this San Marco ‘magnet’ reaches which I can test
started to pay attention to the numbers and casually hoping to find that house out of curiosity. The
ends. However, in Venice these dead-ends often lead to a beautiful dimly-lit view that turns it into a
during other walks starting from different locations, more distant from the square.
houses in Venice are numbered in a very strange way and do not always follow a logical pattern,
place where one would want to stay, observe and contemplate.
The rest of the walk was governed a bit by trying to get out of the magnet, which did not
so that awareness of the numbers did not make the walk much more rational. In the last five or so
seem successful as completely unintentionally we walked back to the street with Christi’s flat where
minutes we were actively searching for the door with the number 5552 written on it and to our big
we started, which included passing through the street that overlooked the square from yet another
surprise, we found it! So we decided to finish our dérive for the night as it seemed to be the best
point.
place to finish – not only due to the irony that we were meant to start there, but also because both
It was the first time in Venice that I saw the lights that turn on when people approach them
How big was my surprise when very soon after leaving San Marco we ended up back there.
I decided to stop there as it felt like a natural end of the journey. The route was recorded using
It was interesting for me to go strolling around the city with Eleonora as I met her on the tour
Due to Google maps confusion on where 5552 Cannaregio is, we arrived at two completely
What I noticed is that at first I was following the quieter routes with less people due to
of us were tired by that time.
an app on the phone, which looks very different to how I imagined it during walking and even more
different to how I thought it will go before starting the walk. It was a great experience of walking at
Eleonora’s influence, so I am looking forward to look through the video and analyse the effects of
night in Venice. More analysis will come after looking through the video footage when I will be able
artificial lighting on our journey (that did not end up at San Marco, even though we came very close
to analyse the effect of artificial lighting on my behaviour more.
to it).
18
I was analysing the lighting much less during that walk due to the nature of the walk and
After getting lost in the streets we have found (or lost?) ourselves in a 20th century rational
Again, as previously, I noticed that mostly Phoebe and me were naturally drawn into the same
It was interesting to walk with someone who has been studying French at university, and
It was the last day off in Venice for both of us, which made the walk feel almost nostalgic. I felt
Appendix 3. Initial case studies
A series of case studies have been carried out in order to check on the method and to enhance
the visual and emotional vocabulary of the researcher and prepare for the main case study in Venice. The case studies follow different formats and slightly different ways of approaching the dérive in order to find the best suitable method and a way of communicating it. Videos of the following case studies could be accessed via the following link.
a. London
After living in London for two years, I had an impression that London allows the person walking
its streets to experience whatever he/she wants to experience. Night in London can pretend to be a day or it can scare you off with its sharp angles or invite you to seat in one of its cosy nooks.
What I felt when walking in London in March 2017 with my college friend Lidia is that I do not
want to ever stop. I want to keep going further and further at a slow pace, watching time and vehicles passing by. We were walking around South Kensington, one of the best examples of urban planning in London, in my opinion. This had a big impact on my experience, I would imagine. The lighting was changing – it was either screaming loudly or whispering a lullaby to us. But I do not think that we had a full freedom of choice of the ‘playlist’.
London collages (Author, 2017)
19
b. Berlin
It was the first time I went to Germany, so I had no prior understanding on what to expect from
the city overall and in terms of street lighting. I was surprised the experience the city at night feeling frozen. It seemed like the electric lighting aimed at allowing minimal visual guidance around the city for those who have not come home yet. Even the main streets – for example the Potsdamer Platz intersection, which seems to act as the main financial, touristic and transport hub becomes quiet and somehow slow at night. I realised, however, that in my head this dim lighting connected to the history of the city. Pieces of the Berlin wall, appearing throughout the city and the Holocaust memorial – all of that looked more natural this way – it was as if the city remembers what had happened and wants its citizens and visitors to feel that connection. Shadows seem to commemorate the past and at the same time guide people in. I had a feeling that people are not welcomed to the streets once the sun is down – that is when the family should re-gather around the dinner table or the edgy teenagers should leave their homes and streets to spend their night in clubs around strangers who they would never see under the light of the sun.
There was one area that we came across by chance that stood out from the rest of the city. The
river added a more romantic aspect to the nightscape. However, even there the warm and relatively bright light seemed to encourage people to go inside and street lighting seemed to show the way to the entrance doors of their homes.
Thinking about the main case study of Venice, I realised that for me it is important to walk
around by myself or with people who are aware of the study, not to be directed by other people. Taking nothing with me apart from the camera and the phone with the mapping app on would be a good idea so that nothing distracts me. I should also try and think of the ways to focus on my senses rather than a search for a ‘potential photograph’ (Sontag, 1986). I also realised that often places were too dark to be captured by camera, but this could be fixed by changing the video settings of the camera. Using the wide-angle lens proved to be a good idea. It distorts the image but, to my mind, works better because it captures a wider range, which is similar the experience that a person has in a space.
20
Berlin collage (Author, 2017)
c. Nicosia
Nicosia psychogeographical map
I felt like I could see more at night and move more freely rather than moving from one shadow to another when it is boiling hot The fact that I was followed by my father might have restricted my movement
Football match happening at the time of the dĂŠrive resulted into one area of the city being packed with people watching TV outside, while the other half seemed abandoned
21
d. Moscow
Moscow psychogeographical map
A water front view kept us going along the river
Starting at the central Gorky Park offered a variety of lights, textures and occurrences, creating a varied experience and making journey along one street interesting When the road was reached, it was too noisy and bright, which made us return back to the quieter, more intimate street
22
Moscow photo collages
e. Bristol
Bristol psychogeographical map
Night walk gave a feeling of less distraction, comparing to that during the day
During sunlight I would pay more attention to the details, which at night it was more about a general feeling I had a feeling that I was controlling the walk, which probably was an illusion as we ended up at the main street, probably ‘guided’ by forces of the city
23
f. Istanbul
Istanbul psychogeographical map
The main sensation that the city is all about the views and bridges connecting them
Narrow and dark streets focus the eyesight on the mosques
Impression of it being unsafe lead to a constant feeling of alert, making it the only city where I would not particularly recommend doing dĂŠrives unless with a local companion, like I had
24
g. Cesena
Cesena psychogeographical map
Cesena is the smallest city that has been used as a case study for that research
The city becomes even quieter and emptier during the night, which gave us a feeling of the whole city being left for us and our exploration Night walking felt very safe and natural and our path seemed to be relatively unconstrained
25
What is the impact of artificial lighting on emotions and behaviour of the individual walking through Venice at night?
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What is the impact of artificial lighting on emotions and behaviour of the individual walking through Venice at night?
List of Tables Page 8.
Table 1. Methodology revisions
Table 2. Methodology for a first-hand research
Page 12-13. Table 3. Research findings
List of Figures Page 1. Front cover, Venice, photograph Page 2. Sections from Venice maps, inverted Page 3. Venice, film stills Page 4. Venice, film stills Page 5. Venice, photographs Page 6. Venice, photograph Page 7. Berlin, photographs Page 8. Moscow and Istanbul collages, and film stills Page 9. Collage of Venice (Rumney, 1957) and Habiti delle Donne Venetiane (Franco, 1592) Page 10. Map showing paths of Venice dĂŠrives Page 11. Venice, photograph Page 12. Venice, film stills Page 13. Venice, film stills Page 14. Istanbul, photograph Page 15. Venice psychogeographical map 1 Page 16. Venice psychogeographical map 2 Page 17. Venice psychogeographical map 3 Page 18. Stripe of Moscow, film still Page 19. London collages Page 20. Collage collage, still images Page 21. Nicosia psychogeographical map Page 22. Moscow psychogeographical map and photo collages from film stills Page 23. Bristol psychogeographical map Page 24. Istanbul psychogeographical map Page 25. Cesena psychogeographical map Page 26. Venice, film stills Page 27. Venice, film stills Page 28. Back cover, Venice, photograph
All Figures created by Author, unless stated otherwise (page 9). Venice film stills (Author, 2017)
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Night walking Anastasia Angeli
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