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Everyday Rituals in Contemporary Settings
The Semiotics of Space and Places of Consumption
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A boutique, a cruise ship, a museum and a hotel all have something in common. But what? They are all places of consumptionânot just in the narrow economic sense, but also as part of a broader cultural, emotional, and symbolic phenomenon.
Drawing on a semiotic approach, this book explores how designed environments from foodscapes to memorials convey meanings and guide everyday rituals, helping us to understand how space works as a language that structures practices, communicates values, and expresses identities.
If you're curious about how places work, why they affect us, and what they say, this book gives you the tools to decode them.
Drawing on a semiotic approach, this book explores how designed environments from foodscapes to memorials convey meanings and guide everyday rituals, helping us to understand how space works as a language that structures practices, communicates values, and expresses identities.
If you're curious about how places work, why they affect us, and what they say, this book gives you the tools to decode them.
Alice Giannitrapani is Associate Professor of Semiotics at the University of Palermo, where she conducts research and teaches semiotics and semiotics of exhibition spaces. She is Deputy Editor of the journal E/C and Deputy Coordinator of the Ph.D. Programme in Semiotics at the University of Palermo. Her main research interests include space, taste and food, and tourism. She has written and edited several volumes, including Spazi, passioni, società (Nuova Cultura, 2017), Foodscapes (Mimesis, 2021), and Introduzione alla semiotica dello spazio (Carocci, 2024).
Illustrations and Tables
Introduction
Part 1 Space as a Language
1 The Semiotics of Space
â1âCities and Signs
â2âTextuality
â3âLines of Research
2 Places of Consumption
â1âProxemics
â2âHybridisations
â3âRelationship Networks
â4âThreshold Spaces
Part 2 Dining Establishments
3 Tables in the City
â1âIntersecting Languages
â2âCentripetal Socialities
â3âCentrifugal Socialities
â4âU-Turns
â5âForms of Conviviality
4 Eating Out
â1âA Short History of Dining Establishments
â2âScripts
â3âThe Role of Space
â4âCity Centres and Outskirts
â5âEntrances
â6âInterior Articulations
â7âDetails
â8âNot Just Food
â9âTimes and Aspects
â10âIn Praise of Fast Food
â11âFrom Typical to Global
Part 3 Tourism
5 Floating Microcosms: Going on a Cruise
â1âSea Travel
â2âDeviant Journeys
â3âEvolutions
â4âSpatial Articulation
â5âTemporal Articulation
â6âOn Board
â7âBack Home
â8âCaricatures and Beyond
6 Adults and Kids Travelling: the Family Mountain Hotel
â1âA Memorable Hotel
â2âBoundaries
â3âPermissions and Prohibitions
â4âFamily Aggregation and Disintegration
â5âIn Praise of the Hotel
â6âReassuring Rituals
â7âEating Well and Eating Right
â8âFamily Visions
Part 4 Cultural Heritage
7 Art and Fashion: the Case of the Fondazione Prada
â1âMusealising Fashion Brands
â2âNew Museums, Old Spaces
â3âCapturing Images
â4âFeeding on Art
â5âBeyond Borders
â6âLooking to the Future
â8âArt and Memory: the Grande Cretto of Gibellina
â1âFrom the Rubble to the Grande Cretto
â2âTranslations
â3âClosure and Openness
â4âPossible Interpretations
â5âModel Users and Empirical Users
â6âFrom the Map to the Labyrinth
â7âNarrativity
â8âFrom the Categorial to the Continuous
â9âMethodological Note
References
Index
Introduction
Part 1 Space as a Language
1 The Semiotics of Space
â1âCities and Signs
â2âTextuality
â3âLines of Research
2 Places of Consumption
â1âProxemics
â2âHybridisations
â3âRelationship Networks
â4âThreshold Spaces
Part 2 Dining Establishments
3 Tables in the City
â1âIntersecting Languages
â2âCentripetal Socialities
â3âCentrifugal Socialities
â4âU-Turns
â5âForms of Conviviality
4 Eating Out
â1âA Short History of Dining Establishments
â2âScripts
â3âThe Role of Space
â4âCity Centres and Outskirts
â5âEntrances
â6âInterior Articulations
â7âDetails
â8âNot Just Food
â9âTimes and Aspects
â10âIn Praise of Fast Food
â11âFrom Typical to Global
Part 3 Tourism
5 Floating Microcosms: Going on a Cruise
â1âSea Travel
â2âDeviant Journeys
â3âEvolutions
â4âSpatial Articulation
â5âTemporal Articulation
â6âOn Board
â7âBack Home
â8âCaricatures and Beyond
6 Adults and Kids Travelling: the Family Mountain Hotel
â1âA Memorable Hotel
â2âBoundaries
â3âPermissions and Prohibitions
â4âFamily Aggregation and Disintegration
â5âIn Praise of the Hotel
â6âReassuring Rituals
â7âEating Well and Eating Right
â8âFamily Visions
Part 4 Cultural Heritage
7 Art and Fashion: the Case of the Fondazione Prada
â1âMusealising Fashion Brands
â2âNew Museums, Old Spaces
â3âCapturing Images
â4âFeeding on Art
â5âBeyond Borders
â6âLooking to the Future
â8âArt and Memory: the Grande Cretto of Gibellina
â1âFrom the Rubble to the Grande Cretto
â2âTranslations
â3âClosure and Openness
â4âPossible Interpretations
â5âModel Users and Empirical Users
â6âFrom the Map to the Labyrinth
â7âNarrativity
â8âFrom the Categorial to the Continuous
â9âMethodological Note
References
Index
This book is especially relevant to students and postgraduate researchers in the fields of semiotics, cultural studies, spatial theory and interdisciplinary programs focused on visual culture and communication. As well as academic institutes supporting programs in Architecture, Design, and Marketing, this book is relevant to professionalsâincluding urban planners, designers, marketing specialists, and cultural heritage expertsâwho wish to explore the communicative and symbolic dimensions of space in contemporary consumer environments.