Looking back over the past month, I’m starting to realize just how many different ways there are to picture a city. The most striking moment came when everyone had to give a short summary of their maps on Tuesday. The maps ranged from detective stories to bike trails to Edmonton atriums. I can’t think of a single map—from the descriptions offered—that was like any other, each one had its own perspective, goal, and audience (I’m thinking of the map for homeless people).
This diverse range of conceptions of the city also extends to the literature we have been reading, most notably in the collection Edmonton on Location. The stories contained within this volume each speak to only different areas of the city, but also to different historical periods, histories, and memories.
My favourite short story from the collection would have to be Lynne Van Luven’s “City of My Groin”. Van Luven paints Edmonton in contrast to its rural surroundings, instead of placing it in opposition to larger cities, such as Vancouver or Toronto. My favourite line: “If art critic John Berger is right when he says every city has both a sex and an age, then my Edmonton is about thirty-three and feeling its oats, indulging itself with an innocence that now seems wilfully ignorant if not downright irresponsible.” I like the idea of picturing cities as people, giving them “both a sex and an age.” But how do some cities always manage to maintain their youthful image? And does Edmonton need to be youthful to be interesting?
I think calling into questions Edmonton's youth is interesting especially as I find that the city is always trying to portray itself as being older than it is. Sense of prestige perhaps? I suppose there's the perception that Edmonton can't possibly be a "world class city" if it doesn't have the history to back it up. Reading Edmonton on Location made me realize that there really is a rich and diverse history to the city and it made me realize that it's not such a baby after all.
ReplyDeleteWow those are some tough questions, but I like that you asked them. I can't say I have an answer to either but I'll take a shot at the first one. I think certain cities maintain there youthful image because the people that dominate the consumer industries are either young (since certain companies tend to fire people as they get older) or know how to think young. Because of this the newest items and concepts come out of these cities and thererfore the images we are left with, when we think of a city like New York, are modern and new.This is really the only explanation I can think of, but I really like that you are asking people to think of the city.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I felt the same way about the maps and how individual they all were. Although I battled viciously with google maps, I thought it was a great assignment.
Thanks for taking time to respond Jamie and Fran.
ReplyDeleteJamie--I definitely agree that Edmonton has an identity crisis. Edmonton has a past that extends way WAY back, but that past does not contribute to a cosmopolitan image, so it's shunted aside.
Fran--That's an interesting idea. Also, thinking about New York City, I find that--for the most part--we tend to focus on the downtown, ultra-chic aspect of the city, when in reality it is much larger than that. It would be similar to only seeing Edmonton as Whyte or Jasper avenue. And yes, Google Maps can be horrible sometimes haha.
Yeah, it is some times difficult to understand ways Edmonton gets portrayed, like “City of Champions”. Some times it is amazing, though, like when we shared our maps in class.
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