Mobilités changeantes, mobilités intriquées.

Are we really sure we know what mobility is ? And what about immobility ? These simple questions were the springboard for our reflection, in three steps. The first step led us to study how the definition of mobile and immobile varied over time, and how this occurred in cadence with changes in the representations of space and time. The second step was devoted to examining the nature of the spaces in which mobility can be deployed. We defend [...]

Habiter : Hortense fait tourner l’appareil.

Soichet, Hortense. 2016. Esperem ! Images d’un monde en soi. Paris : Créaphis.

The experience of « social photography » that has been led by the photographer Hortense Soichet and the Association d’éducation populaire auprès des femmes (GRAPh-CMI) of the gypsy town of Eperem, near Carcassonne, instigates a reflection on the concept of « dwelling » as reciprocal construction of the inhabitants and the world by revealing a part of the town’s dynamics. [...]

Cartographier le temps, l’espace d’un moment.

How can one represent time without resorting to animation ? Still images have inhabited cartography for a long time and it is only recently that the trend has changed in favour of dynamic representations. In the light of this development, we propose to revisit the use of a succession of still images to represent time. Continuing the research entitled Cosmographies, conducted at the Chôros laboratory (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, EPFL), we interrogate the techniques, tools and fictions [...]

Réduire la mobilité par la télécommunication : un leurre ?

The thought that information and communications technology can lead to reducing spatial heterogeneity and therefore mobility demand is recurrent. It goes hand in hand with any major technological advance in this field. Faced with this attractive idea, scientists are sometimes invited to highlight empirical evidences that are much more counter-intuitive. [...]

Spatial practices, theoretical implications.

This article aims at evaluating some of the theoretical implications of the inquiry of the spatial dimensions of practices. First, it raises the question of the adequacy of the use of the term « spatial practice » against the possibility of speaking of spatial dimensions of practices. Second, it evaluates some of the consequences of the growing importance of practices on geographical theory. This article departs from Theodore Schatzki’s proposition in this traversal and thus takes the form of [...]

L’invention partagée.

Lussault, Michel. 2013. L’avènement du Monde. Paris : Seuil.

L’avènement du Monde by Michel Lussault offers a substantial and innovative spatial theory of an object, the World. Space is addressed both as a technical system and a society, and each of these approaches generates an overall, panoramic view. In addition, several new notions, such as hyperspatiality and vulnerability, are put forward. The space/spatiality couple is used as a foundation for a revisited geographicity, and globality in the making appears to be a good test to validate this couple. [...]

Traverser l’espace.

This work is about the “traverser” as a scientific notion. It is understood as the stacking of rhythms and spatial figures. Building a relation between space of departure and arrival through a reference space is a social challenge that mobilizes all spatial skills. This paper outlines the languages used to define the “traverser” : spatial architectures and spatialities are decoded with different figures and spatial maps ; visibility rules are developed through the study of tangible and intangible materials. [...]

Traverser.

This paper justifies “le traverser” as a scientific notion ; it argues that it can be defined as the social validation of spatial practices organized a posteriori. ”Le traveser” is a process of social “substantivation” that treats the distance traveled as a spatial unit. With examples from various scales and cultural materials, such as promotional films, webdocumentaries, cartoon or experimental movies, the purpose of this work is to define more precisely the linguistic and spatial uses of what can [...]

Les espaces du plaisir.

Analyse géographique des Contes de La Fontaine.

Numerous literary papers focusing on the topic of space have emerged during the past twenty years (Chevalier, 2001, Clerc, 2012, Dupuy, 2009, Lévy, 1999, Lévy, 2006, Lévy-Piarroux, 2003, Manguel, Guadalupi, 1998, Tissier, 1995). In La Fontaine’s Contes, actions and characters are often specifically located in one or several places by the author. Besides, a link between time and space is made in the narrative, and the allusion to space enhances the readability and understanding of the narration. In other [...]