Assignment 2: David

1. Instead of photographing one thirdspace three times, I chose to find three thirdspaces and photograph them once. In the reading, Crawford describes “thirdspace” as sites that exist between “past and future uses” and are in a state of limbo within the real-estate market. As such, these spaces accommodate patterns of everyday life that are cyclical, and change with the time of day, weather, and the seasons. Thirdspaces therefore support a wide-range of activities that serve virtually any kind of social need that might happen to arise. One example of thirdspace activity Crawford uses is Street Vendors. According to Crawford, street vendors transform under-used space into oases of human life – particularly, domestic life. Pictured above, two people are enjoying lunch in a parking lot. They are sitting on chairs and watching the street life unfold before their eyes. On the weekends (weather permitting), this parking lot turns into a highly-anticipated lunch scene, where people hangout and do what they usually do in their dining rooms. What is not pictured here is the picnic table and other chairs that represent items from domestic life.

2. This photograph represents thirdspace that is along the Beltline. This space has long been in a state of market no man’s land. While it is likely to remain undeveloped and overgrown for some time yet, it still accommodates spontaneous uses. Pictured above is a fellow who calls himself the Beltline Archer. Here, he has turned this space into his own archery range.

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3. This photograph clearly represents Crawford’s idea of a thirdspace as it exists between past and future uses. Pictured here are skateboarders using the slabs of buildings that have been torn down. Obviously this space had a different use at one point in time, but is lying fallow in the market. In the mean time, it accommodates skateboarders who have modified it to suit their own needs. However, this space is too strategically located along the Beltline to remain undeveloped. It holds promise for the future.