Spatial Triad Research Photo Booklet

STRUGGLE

The historic process what happened here has been inscribed in this space. The past leaves its traces; time has its own script’ - Henri Lefebvre

THE SPATIAL TRIAD

Lefebvre’s spatial triad is a widely cited conceptual model that has been used by many spatial scholars as a means of analysing the forces that govern the production of urban spaces and the social relations that are embedded within them. It is therefore important to take a moment and outline how this model can be used to help decipher the lived spaces in Ligoniel

Representations of space (conceived space)

These are the different ways that space is conceived by experts and authorities possessing special knowledge. A good example is how the ideas, strategies and visions of planners and architects translate space into knowledge that we see in maps, masterplans, and housing layouts. These types of representations are shaped by urban planning regulations and other formal structures that govern urban development.

Spatial Practice (Perceived space)

This is the physical and sensory space as it is perceived and understood by people. It is what we might think of as the impact of the built space at Ligoniel and how it dictates some patterns of movement and discourages others.

Representational space (Lived space)

This is where social practices and interactions take place. It represents the subjective lived experiences, daily routines, and activities of the users within space. It involves social dynamics, cultural practices, and informal uses of space that may deviate from the planned or perceived spatial order. Socially lived space is then the struggle of the individual to impart their own resistance to the forms of oppression embedded in conceived and perceived spaces through subjective associations, symbolisms and attributions of special meaning.