People walking and people on bikes riding on path with train moving on left hand side.
Brunswick 4
CYCLE 02 2023

Voice, Vibe & Vision

Voice, Vibe & Vision

Long Story, Short

We’re out to collect, consolidate and cultivate a shared understanding of what gives Brunswick its unique character amid transformative infrastructure change across the Brunswick Design District.

What We’re Exploring

Focusing on the Brunswick Design District (BDD), ‘Voice, Vibe & Vision’ gathers local perspectives on the sounds, images, words, stories, and imaginings that make Brunswick, Brunswick. The project will engage with community members, RMIT students, and district stakeholders through a range of activities, including surveys, interviews and workshops. Community insights and materials collected will become part of a compendium that enables conversations about Brunswick’s future.

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Project Team

Placelab-er
Woman smiling with glasses.
Nhu Bui

RMIT PlaceLab Research Assistant

Placelab-er
Woman smiling wearing earring.
Hayley Thompson

RMIT PlaceLab Research Assistant

Project and Local Contributors
Dr Louise Godwin

The walking interview as a research method. Photo: RMIT PlaceLab.

Research Methods: Walking Interviews: Conversations in Brunswick about Brunswick

A key aim for PlaceLab’s Voice Vibe & Vision research project is to gain insights into how local Brunswick residents feel about the question: What Makes Brunswick, Brunswick? The research objective is to share rich insights into what gives Brunswick its unique character with the wider community to enable conversations about Brunswick’s future.

To do this, we are gathering local perspectives on the sounds, images, words, stories, and imaginings using a range of methods, including surveys, workshops, and interviews.

While the PlaceLab interview approach varies across our projects, all our interviews share a common belief in what scholar Svend Brinkmann describes as the ‘magic’ of interviewing:

  1. Brinkmann, S. (2013). Conversations as research: Philosophies of the interview. Counterpoints, 354, 149

Interviewing is magical because it enables researchers to study domains of human experience that no other research approaches are capable of. (p. 149)

For Voice, Vibe & Vision, we have chosen to use an interview approach called ‘walking interviews’ . Put simply, walking interviews are ‘when the researcher walks alongside the participant during an interview in a given location’ . Walking interviews have emerged as a qualitative research method used to explore research participants’ connection between self and place , within the social environment of their neighbourhood. As Penelope Kinney (2017) writes,

  1. Clark, A & Emmel, N. (2010), Using walking interviews, Realities, 13, 1-6.
  2. Kinney, P. (2017). Walking interviews. Social research update, 67(1-4).
  3. Evans, J. & Jones, P. (2011). The walking interview: Methodology, mobility and place. Applied Geography, 31 (2), 849-58.

Talking becomes easier when walking. The act of walking allows participants to recall memories and/or experiences they may not have in a sedentary face to face interview. (p. 4).

Our Voice, Vibe & Vision walking interviews adopt a participant-led, participatory approach. This style has been identified by Clark and Emmel (2010) as well-aligned to research seeking to understanding a person’s attitudes, knowledge and beliefs about a particular area and their attachment to the area.

So far, our Brunswick researchers, Nhu and Louise, have undertaken two walking interviews with local residents, with another six to eight planned. Louise offers this insight into the way the walking interviews are unfolding:

Taking guidance from Emmel and Clark’s (2009) toolkit , Nhu and I started by inviting our first two participants to decide where they wanted to walk in the Upfield corridor region. They each chose a starting point and time, and then lead us along the route, making decisions about streets, lanes and pathways taken. As the conversations unfolded, we found ourselves stopping at different points. This might be a park for one person’s dog to have a play or a building under renovation where they once had a studio, or a local landmark that carries a particular meaning or symbolism for another person. It was an incredibly organic process, in which we had to note our urges as researchers to guide or direct the interview, while also allowing space for our human urges to be part of the conversation.

  1. Emmel, N. & Clark, A. (2009). The methods used in connected lives: Investigating networks, neighbourhoods and communities. ESRC National Centre for Research Methods, NCRM Working Paper Series, 06/09.

Nhu and I have been reflecting on the process. The participatory walking interview creates space for the interaction between the person we are interviewing and ourselves, as researchers, to be in conversation. It feels comfortable and natural. So far, the ‘participants’ have found different ways to share how much they valued and enjoyed the experience. And Nhu and I have felt ‘visible’ as researchers. Importantly, I think it allows us to feel honest and congruent as people. The conversations seem to unfold organically – it is as if we all carry a shared responsibility for holding the interview space – creating room for shared and individual understandings to emerge. The whole process feels like what Brinkmann (2013) describes as ‘the possibility of growth in understanding’ (p. 160). 

The things we are learning have such richness. But most of all, it’s proving to be such a warm and joyful process, as you can see in this selfie taken by Pablo, our second walking interview participant!

 

References

Brinkmann, S. (2013). Conversations as research: Philosophies of the interview. Counterpoints, 354, 149–167. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42981168

Clark, A. & Emmel, N. (2010). Using walking interviews. Realities, 13, 1-6. https://eprints.ncrm.ac.uk/id/eprint/1323/1/13-toolkit-walking-interviews.pdf

Emmel, N. & Clark, A. (2009). The methods used in connected lives: Investigating networks, neighbourhoods and communities. ESRC National Centre for Research Methods, NCRM Working Paper Series, 06/09. http://eprints. ncrm.ac.uk/800/

Evans, J. & Jones, P. (2011). The walking interview: Methodology, mobility and place. Applied Geography, 31 (2), 849-58. https://eprints.ncrm.ac.uk/id/eprint/1323/1/13-toolkit-walking-interviews.pdf

Kinney, P. (2017). Walking interviews. Social research update, 67(1-4). https://grandmas-story.eu/media/com_form2content/documents/c3/a203/f38/SRU67.pdf

RMIT PlaceLab Brunswick Researchers Nhu and Louise and Brunswick Daily’s founder, Pablo Gonzalez. Photo: RMIT PlaceLab.

Max & Zoe from That Paper Joint. Photo: That Paper Joint.

Conversations along the Upfield Bike Path. Photo: RMIT PlaceLab.

Street art on Brunswick buildings. Photo: RMIT PlaceLab. Artwork by Loretta Lizzio.

A common view along the route. Photo: RMIT PlaceLab.

Tinning Street Silo

Loretta Lizzio’s artwork (created in May 2019) of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern embracing a Muslim woman after the Christchurch mosque attacks in 2019.

  1. Brinkmann, S. (2013). Conversations as research: Philosophies of the interview. Counterpoints, 354, 149
  2. Clark, A & Emmel, N. (2010), Using walking interviews, Realities, 13, 1-6.
  3. Kinney, P. (2017). Walking interviews. Social research update, 67(1-4).
  4. Evans, J. & Jones, P. (2011). The walking interview: Methodology, mobility and place. Applied Geography, 31 (2), 849-58.

A close up of a brick wall.
Are Brunswick locals Brunswegians or Brunswickians?

Brunswegian and Brunswickian are demonyms for people who live in Brunswick. Demonyms are nouns that are ‘used to denote a person who inhabits a particular place’. They usually derive from the name of the place.

  1. Merriam Webster Dictionary: Demonyn

It seems that it is not unusual for there to be some contention amidst communities regarding their preferred demonym. As Assistant professor Lauren Fonteyn (Lecturer in English Linguistics, Leiden University) explains to David Astle in this ABC conversation, the residents of the US city of Michigan are divided on whether they are Michiganians (56%) or Michiganders (44%).

Barry York, researcher, writer and long-time Brunswegian, provides his opinion in his article Brunswegian or Brunswickian in the Brunswick Daily:

‘I grew up in Brunswick for 30 years from the mid-1950s. On the rare occasions when I heard other locals refer to their suburb’s demonym, it was always consistently ‘Brunsweigan’. It is only in very recent times that I have heard the term Brunswickian used. To me, Brunswickian is not the right word but that’s partly due to sentimental reasoning and partly because it just doesn’t flow nicely, to my ear. I like the soft ‘g’ in Brunswegian.’

We’re keen to hear what you think makes Brunswick, Brunswick.

RMIT PlaceLab’s ‘Voice, Vibe & Vision’ Research Project is out to collect, consolidate, and cultivate a shared understanding of what gives Brunswick its unique character amid transformative infrastructure change across the Brunswick Design District.

Local perspectives of the sounds, images, words, and stories of Brunswick will be gathered together to create a collective sense of place. These will become part of a digital compendium that will function as a useful community tool to enable conversations about Brunswick’s future.

The project also spotlights the Brunswick Design District, including the cultural practices and everyday creative activisms (or “artivisms”) that happen in this vibrant creative district.

The survey should take 5-10 minutes to complete. There are questions focusing on different aspects of Brunswick’s urban character, plus demographic questions. All responses are anonymous by default, your participation is voluntary, and you can opt out at any time.

As part of the survey you can opt in to receive information about participating in further Voice, Vibe & Vision research activities. If you opt in, your email address will be linked to your survey responses in order to help us to find the right people to participate.

At the end of the survey, you will have the chance to go in the draw for 1 of 10 $100 gift cards.

Click the link ‘Get Involved’ to enter!

What is a ‘Creative District’?

‘Creative districts’ (or ‘cultural districts’ ) are places where businesses, non-government organisations, funding bodies, and institutions (e.g., education, local government) come together to share artistic, cultural, and social resources for collective action. They are generally small, localised spaces in which cultural or creative activations occur that aim to enhance liveability and social cohesion and strengthen the local economy.

  1. Cultural industries, information technology and the regeneration of post-industrial urban landscapes. Poblenou in Barcelona - a virtual city?
  2. Cultural districts and urban development
  3. Cultural and creative districts as spaces for value change

Importantly, creative districts tend to make space for local creative-based activism, or what has been described as ‘artivism’ , defined by Jennifer Garcia-Carrizo and Rachel Granger as ‘an especially rich transformative method for changing our minds or inspiring us, with a view to taking on new perspectives or to reimagine the world in which we live” (2020, p. 179).

  1. Liberating Voices - A Pattern Language for Communication Revolution
The Brunswick Design District is one such creative district.

The Brunswick Design District.

As a partnership between RMIT University, Merri-bek City Council and Creative Victoria, the Brunswick Design District (BDD) is a creative district that supports creative industries and practitioners, businesses, designers, artists, galleries, makers, musicians, venues, and design research and education. It is on the land of the traditional owners, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation: the land currently known as Brunswick.

  1. Brunswick Design District

Shaped by numerous waves of migration, Brunswick has a diverse population and a mix of enterprise and opportunity. The area has been a hub for a mix of industries, included clay pits, quarries, brickworks and foundries, and early local manufacturing including textiles, footwear, hosiery, clothing, brick, and rope production.

The BDD is a dynamic example of a creative district that has been shaped by its industrial history, the diverse community, and the vibrant everyday cultural practices that take place across the area. We look forward to finding out more!

  1. Cultural industries, information technology and the regeneration of post-industrial urban landscapes. Poblenou in Barcelona - a virtual city?
  2. Cultural districts and urban development
  3. Cultural and creative districts as spaces for value change
  4. Liberating Voices - A Pattern Language for Communication Revolution
  5. Brunswick Design District

‘Voice, Vibe, & Vision’ is out to understand, listen, capture, consolidate, and cultivate a shared understanding of what gives Brunswick its unique character amid ongoing transformative infrastructure change in the Brunswick Design District.

Focusing on the Brunswick Design District (BDD), ‘Voice, Vibe, & Vision’ gathers local perspectives on the sounds, images, words, stories, and imaginings that make Brunswick, Brunswick.

The project will engage with community members, RMIT students, and district stakeholders through a range of activities, including surveys, interviews and workshops. Community insights and materials collected will become part of a compendium that enables conversations about Brunswick’s future.

We’d love you to be part of it. Follow us here & stay tuned.

RMIT PlaceLab acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the Eastern Kulin Nations on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University.

RMIT PlaceLab respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present, as the original and continuing Makers of Place.

Melbourne 3
CYCLE 02 2023

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