Genius Loci

EVENT - ACL
an even that makes a strong genius loci is ACL. in the reading, the author says that a sense of place is created by a "lively awareness of the familiar environment, a ritual repetition, a sense of fellowship based on a shared experience". ACL is all of this. Each time we return to zilker for the event, we are greeted with a familiar environment of people being out in the sun to enjoy music. With familiarity, there is a comfort in returning, there is an expectation that we will have as good a time here as we did the day before, or the year before. Which brings me to repetition. It's a yearly event that goes on for 3 days at a time. 3 days is just long enough to get very comfortable with the atmospher that's set up there and then one can repeat the visit yearly. And finally, and probably most importatntly, is the sense of fellowship based on a shared experience. There is a level of friendliness that is uncommon in such a large group of people because we are all there for to enjoy some music. And then of course after ACL, people love to talk to other people who went. And as far as a shared experiences, this year there was the weather and wear of the park that was so unusual to experience. And now the thousands of people who attended this year, especially the three-dayers who watched the transformation of the grass to mudpit, will have that in common.

STRUCTURES/SPACES - UT CAMPUS
a series of strucctures and spaces that creates a sense of place is the UT campus. The master planning of the whole thing makes for coordinated architectural styles and materials as well as very nicely planned public spaces. When on UT's campus, there is a distinct atmosphere and when looking at pictures, you would know the UT campus from any other area because it has it's own sense of place.

BOTH - SXSW
Finally, a genius loci that is created by both architecture and events would be South by Southwest in Austin. The event draws a huge crowd and so for a week, the downtown area is flooded by pedestrians, many o f whom are musicians carrying instruments and most who are just music afficionados. The event creates a unique atmosphere in the city, and is also yearly, so there is a familiarity with this atmosphere. But the architecture of the city makes the event as well. This includes of course the many venues in the downtown area that accomodate for SxSW, as well as all the architecture that is experienced just from moving about the city for the event. It has a particularly strong effect because tthere is so much walking involved that one really experiences the city at the street level.