Variety of Forms

• Places can be represented using what?


  A variety of different forms
• Describe quantitative forms of representing places ?


  They can be quantified numerically and statistical analyses can be performed on them

  • eg representations based on data eg tables of stats
• Define objective?


  Based on facts
• Describe subjective?


  Based on feelings or opinions
• Describe qualitative forms of representing places?


  They cannot be quantified numerically and may be more descriptive or creative

  • eg representations such as art and poetry
• Different forms can create what?


  Contrasting representations of places. When investigating places it is important to look at a variety of different sources to build up a complete picture of what a place is like
• Example of statistics ?

  census data
• What can statistics give you?


  Lots of quantitative information about what places like eg population, population structure
• Describe statistics themselves?


  Objective BUT they can be used subjectively eg people can select which data they use to show what they want to show
• What do statistics not usually tell you?


  Anything about sense of place
• What can maps be used to show?


  Any sort of data that has a location

  • can also show quantitative demographic and economic data eg levels of income by location
• What can some maps also show?

  qualitative information such as maps of indexes that show levels of happiness

  • these may be more helpful than quantitative maps for information about sense of place
• What can maps show - pro and con?


  Can show you reliable data

  • but can also be misleading eg historical maps may be inaccurate
• examples of visual representations of places?

  films photography art
• What can visual representations show?


  What places LOOK LIKE and can give some sense of the character of places
• limitations of visual representations?


  They only represent what the artist WANTS to show you , and can therefore be misleading
• What do photographs ONLY show?


  What a place looks like in a GIVEN MOMENT - photographs taken at different times of day can make a place look & feel different

  • photos can also be altered so places look different to the reality
• What do films and television do?

  EVOKE a sense of place that is dependent on the nature of the story being told eg crime different to romantic drama
• What can PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES be?


  Less reliable than films and photography at showing what a place looks like as they are the artist's interpretation.

  • BUT can be more effective at conveying sense of place and character
• Examples of written representations?

  Stories

  articles

  Music

  poetry
• What can written representations be used to do?


  Describe place

  • and can evoke a sense of how it feels to be in that place
• What do written representations usually only offer?

  The perspective of the author , so they do not show a COMPLETE PICTURE
• What can newspaper articles give?


  Lots of detail about places BUT they may be BIASED
• How can newspaper articles be biased?


  They may focus on the topics and ideas that are likely to sell more copies rather than give a balanced perspective on a place
• What can stories, music and poetry give?>?

  An emotional impression of places, BUT only from the writer's perspective