Bodily Acts toward the Appropriation of Space:

Translation as a Realization of Objects and a Moment of Resistance

Abstract

This Paper considers a moment of resistance in space. Based on the concept of non-productive consumption used by Henri Lefebvre, the method of bodily practice towards the appropriation of social space is examined. Unlike productive consumption aimed at the production and exchange of goods, this notion aims to be a strategy for fragmented modern spaces to become or reconnect to “lived experience.” Non-productive consumption is based on value in use and is assumed to consist of physical acts such as narration and hearing. Therefore, non-productive consumption can be seen as an understanding of the object mediated by the body and its daily practice. To clarify the process of these acts, in this paper, I use the term “fields of sense” which is an idea of the German Philosopher Markus Gabriel. Using his concept, our understanding of the object consists of associating plural perceptions and possibilities of other views, and can emerge differently according to cases. However, in these processes, orders of eliminating or invalidating specific perceptions can be oppressively operating. From a practical angle, these perceptional acts can be regarded as a couple of “translational practices.” Hence, perceptional actions based on orders are considered as passive “translational practice,” while actions that create new understanding constitute active “translational practices.” Thus, it is clear that if places work with one of the active senses, translational practice can be considered as the potentiality for the appropriation of space.