I find myself drawn to what the French anthropologist Marc Augé termed 'non-places' - the transitory spaces where we spend so much of our lives, such as motorways, hotel rooms and airports. My appreciation for these spaces stems from their lack of historical or relational significance. It is this very absence of 'Anthropological place' that I find so liberating and freeing.
In these spaces, I feel unburdened from the usual societal norms and expectations. The allure lies in the liberating anonymity they provide away from the Hestia and Hermes connection (and commitments) of the hearth, home and threshold. I can shed my everyday roles and responsibilities, if only for a short time. After all, who doesn't enjoy the experience of eating a Burger King meal at 5 a.m. at an airport or buying an oversized novelty flavoured Toblerone and snaffling it all by themselves instead of of buying a balanced meal? These actions are out of sync with my daily routine and offer a psychological departure from my known self. However, it‘s not The Purge rules where anything goes, rather it is that in that moment that I'm not a parent, an employee, or a friend; I am simply a transient figure in a transient space and I can act without the weight or judgement of expectation and can simply reinvent myself anew... at least for a while.
This sense of freedom, however, comes with its own set of rules and challenges. These non-places are defined by their functional and often impersonal design. I’m reminded of this whenever I'm faced with their automated systems.
Case in point: whilst on holiday, I recently had a truly dreadful time at a hotel breakfast buffet in France whilst trying to make eggs with spatulas that were far too small and then navigating a coffee machine that seemed to require an advanced degree. I wanted a cappuccino but ended up with a shot of espresso. I wasn't alone; I saw others struggling with the same complexities but, like me, they styled it out for the sake of embarrassment and no harm was done to the ego as our anonymity allowed us a ‘devil may care’ attitude.
My struggles continued further later that day on a ferry where I had to use a machine to fill my teapot with hot water. Since there was no way to hold the lever down for the right amount, I had to press it multiple times. This filled my teapot to the brim, and the rest poured into the drip tray below. I repeated this awkward process for the second pot of tea too, all while feeling the imagined judgment of those behind me. Yet, there was no elegant way to do it so, once again, I styled it out as there would be no judgement - I was just an anonymous chaotic shadow in a non-place where the usual rules of life did not apply.
These moments of minor, shared struggle with impersonal systems ironically underscore the collective experience of navigating a standardized, 'supermodern' world. While I may have been judged, I know others were likely experiencing their own private frustrations, but my and their anonymity allowed us all some peace.
My enjoyment of non-places, despite these awkward encounters, points to a fascinating adaptation to our current era; the value of a non-place is that it offers a unique and liberating experience for all those who pass through it. In the hyperconnected world we live in, who doesn't want that?
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