Engaging the senses to explore community events Dr Judith Mair, University of Queensland Dr Michelle Duffy, Federation University Australia Global Events Congress VII, Indianapolis, July 2016

Background to presentation Introduction to sensual geographies Visual, auditory, haptic & olfactory Case Study Noosa Jazz Festival Discussion

Why sensual geographies? By turning to the senses we can expand our understanding of everyday life beyond the conventional parameters of analysis (Pink 2004). This means thinking about our bodily interactions with our world and with others This is closely linked with event experience, yet seems to be under-researched to date

Sensual geographies The geography of the ‘senses’ – sight, taste, touch, smell and sound But also, the geography of ‘making sense’ – bringing order and meaning to experience Each sense has a distinctive voice, but all senses together form a multi-sensory holistic experience

Spatial and temporal elements of the senses Taste, touch and smell are intimate – they are associated with close contact with the body Sight and sound are more distant, and allow perception and experience of the wider world beyond the immediate reach of the body Temporal: Sight, smell, taste and touch are experiences which present themselves immediately Auditory experiences unfold over time

Haptic geographies Touch is the most intimate sense, limited by the reach of the body, and the only reciprocal sense Three levels of touch: Simple contact – bumping into someone Exploratory activity –feeling a material or a surface Communication by touch – actively intended by both parties, e.g. crowds at music festivals

Olfactory geographies Taste and smell are very closely linked Olfaction plays a very important role in memory and emotion Smell establishes a close connection with an environment – we can close our eyes, but we cannot close our noses.

Auditory geographies Immediate soundscape – auditory experiences at close range, such as music at a concert Distant soundscape – all sounds that are audible, such as the wind in the trees, or the sound of the sea The auditory world surrounds us from all directions, unlike the visual world which is limited to what we can see at any given time

Visual geographies Vision is an important part of everyday experiences. But, sight is concerned with appearances – on its own, it only gives us access to a surface. The rest of the experience is a combination of all the other senses

Case Study - Noosa International Jazz Festival Part of the festival is a celebration of local food, wine and jazz called ‘Tastings on Hastings’ The main street is closed off to traffic and local restaurants set up tables and chairs in the middle of the street and offer a set menu, drinks and plenty of jazz music.

Data Collection Methods: participant observation, document analysis of the festival website and annual reports and interviews with key stakeholders Data: field notes, photographs and event maps and programs Data analysis: the five senses (sight, sound, touch, smell and taste) were used as a priori codes

Findings This event was targeted primarily at paying lunch guests But, those simply wandering up and down the street observing and enjoying the atmosphere were still able to have a multi-sensory experience

Taste, Touch & Smell Only participants who paid for the lunch experienced the event through tasting the food & wine, and touching the cutlery, tables etc Lunch tickets cost AUD $85, and there were limited numbers available But, there were opportunities for other visitors to experience the event through smell as they walked up and down the street past the various restaurant tables, all serving different kinds of food

Sound In relation to sound, paying guests at the lunch did not enjoy a better experience than non-paying visitors As each restaurant had its own jazz band playing, paying guests could only listen to one band during the lunch, whilst those free to wander up and down the street were able to move from place to place listening to a variety of music

Sight All visitors and paying guests were able to watch the street parade which took place just prior to the lunch being served. Lunch guests were guaranteed a good view as they had seats next to the road However, this free event offered a great deal more inclusivity for all, as there were plenty of places to watch the parade even if not attending the lunch

Conclusions This exploratory research suggests some key ways to understand how different audiences (intended and unintended) can experience events through the five senses Future research research will provide a more nuanced understanding of the ways in which the senses of sound, smell, sight and bodily movement generate festival bodies and senses of connection to place and community.