Spaces are either something which are imagined into existence or are literally physical enclaves made just with the right essence of practice.
Did it make sense? Ofcourse not Srestha. Please be clear with your words.
Ofcourse sorry for being so mysterious.
Let's once again do the thing which I am good at, (or not) telling a story!
Claiming or literally achieving space is a matter of forming habits. Say for example some people who are old enough think that they could claim a common space by practicing their mundane activities in it everyday. They forget that it is a very physically enclosed and demarcated area which is owned and maintained by every single member of the community living in the apartment with them, yet it's just a slip of human habit that makes them "claim or own" that space. Keeping certain things of your own, thinking it to be a literal extension of your household, stuffing up corners with your used and unused utensils, furnitures and toys lets you get a hand over things which weren't really meant for your own consumption. Yet you make a habit of consuming it everyday. Now with the everyday claiming and marking of areas with your tokens of existence, power starts seeping inside these habits. You all must have heard of the term, power of habit. Well it's similar to that- a power of habit to literally assert an area or place to make it your own space.
Here in comes the twist of tackling that power with a counter claim of making it a part of common consumption and usage experience. It's the entry of our protagonist amongst those who have mastered the politics of grabbing uncalled for spaces. Now unfortunately home is where our comfort is. In that particular area we don't usually expect discomfort, yet here we are. It always can't be about the "architecture of happiness", it's more about how again you make it "an architecture of happiness" with the constant battles of emotions in creating a space out of dominant forces trying to press you down into your own four walled money bought apartment. Well let's not complicate it further. It is about the common spaces which people get in their apartments- the garage, the terrace, the backyard, etc. Here we are talking about the terrace. They are places used by all, but when people practice or habituate themselves in using a part of a property everyday they somehow think that its "theirs", when it's really not. So in order to make them understand that our protagonist comes in. Now that p (protagonist) is here, p sees a lot of old men sitting and doing a meeting right at the middle of a place which isn't really their own. It was a meeting which did not involve any community agenda or welfare for all, but something again very much personal for them. Now p being a woman also has a burden to constantly claim her space in an environment which is not uniquely comfortable for any woman - filled with old stagnant male gaze of usually uncalled judgement and you know what, I don't think it needs explanation.
Thereby in such a situation what could be done? P does what any woman does every single day to habituate the world with their existence and their identity- claim their space. Whether loudly or rudely, politely or obnoxiously, subversiently or superficially- yet they claim their space. With her constant stomping around the terrace, putting her cloth on the "common" string and not letting those men to smoke, she claimed her space. Not only that she broke the power of an unruly habit to make it a common space from the daily practice of turning a common place into a personal space.
Now I also want to add something on Gender and space, how with practice of sitting comfortably enough and taking up space to sit on a public vehicle we (women) constantly have to make a scene out of turning dominant trajectories and expectations upside down which really takes a toll on not only our physical comfort but also mental Embodiment. Think about it, how you develop your habits of space and turn it into a favorable space of habits. Habits create spaces and practicing of those habits make the imagination of spaces a reality.
Thank you for sticking around till this bit and reading the whole of it. You can definitely share your experiences as a queen person, as a woman or even as a man down below because trust me, patriarchy doesn't leave the patriarch out of it.
Cheerios!
Gracias!
Enjoy some clicks of habitual spaces.
Ciao!
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