Critical Theory Final Assignment

Space As A Vibe

by Kate Reed

Most people define space as a location and its physical surroundings, but that just skims the surface. Space is a constant that cannot always be defined. Space can be anything from a box to a vibe. You cannot put parameters around space, as it does not necessarily have to be a place, a room, or physically restricted in any way.

Spaces impose feelings on us. Often times we go to specific space for our memories and comfort. When people get older they revisit their high school to feel nostalgic. We go to our comfort spaces and places we feel safe when we cry. Bedrooms are our safe place, and our bed within it, even safer.

However, physical space is less important to us, and it is more about the vibe a particular space embodies. For example, we get scared when we go into creepy caves and don’t like doctor’s offices. In both of these examples, it is not the physical space that causes us to feel unnerved, but it is the vibe. A cave is dark, damp, and echoes. It exaggerates the unknown, which can be scary. Doctor’s offices smell of rubbing alcohol, which we associate with shots. Our experience in and about space has very little to do with the physical constraints of a specific location.

Knowing that space is a vibe, you really can’t predict how a space will be perceived, because ultimately you cannot predict the vibe until a space is built and in community use. There is a creepy Dunkin Donuts in Central Square. Dunkin Donuts look the same all over the country. What is it about this Dunkin Donuts that makes it known for being creepy when the physical space looks the same as any other Dunkin Donuts would? It’s creepy because it is filled with extremely sketchy homeless people. It’s also next door to a liquor store, which attracts more creepy people. Often times there is construction around it so you have to physically cross a bridge to enter it. Crossing this bridge exaggerates that you are in an unknown territory and isolated.

While most people define space as a location, my definition of space begins where theirs ends. Space is the feelings and emotions that come with a physical location, whether imposed by history, the community interacting there, or by our senses connecting us to our past.