“It’s Both a Curse and a Blessing to be From Pori” - Visual Representations of the Local Identity in the City of Pori
(2024) KOVM12 20241Division of Art History and Visual Studies
- Abstract (Swedish)
- This thesis explores the local identity of Pori, a middle-sized city on Finland’s western coast, through visual representations. The research aims to form a solid base to describe the local identity by answering two questions: ‘What are the main elements building the local identity in the city of Pori?’ and ‘How the visual materials can reveal these elements of identity?’
The research material of this study includes four question forms filled out by informant groups of five people and thirteen photographs from public archives and private albums. The method of data acquisition is based on the principles of fieldwork and implemented by using photo elicitation, a participatory method that allows informants to be a part of the process of... (More) - This thesis explores the local identity of Pori, a middle-sized city on Finland’s western coast, through visual representations. The research aims to form a solid base to describe the local identity by answering two questions: ‘What are the main elements building the local identity in the city of Pori?’ and ‘How the visual materials can reveal these elements of identity?’
The research material of this study includes four question forms filled out by informant groups of five people and thirteen photographs from public archives and private albums. The method of data acquisition is based on the principles of fieldwork and implemented by using photo elicitation, a participatory method that allows informants to be a part of the process of forming the research material. The method of interpretation is based on discourse analysis, which is applied in the analysis of both photographs and question forms.
In this research theoretical concepts are used as tools to regulate the analysis and create understanding. Different topics arising from the research material are approached through different concepts, the most important ones being identity and collective identity. The formation of identities is examined from the perspective of everyday life, traditions, collective memories, remembering, and shared emotions.
The result of this research is that the local identity of the city of Pori builds on a few specific things: the Pori Jazz festival and the seaside places, as well as on the intangible qualities, like a shared mindset of nostalgia, contradictions, and pride felt towards the city. Photographs reveal the importance of these fragments of identity in two ways. Firstly, by representing meaningful places and events of the city as they are, and secondly by providing shared symbols and visual
stimuli to help explain and connect meanings. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9175727
- author
- Koskela, Neea Susanna LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- KOVM12 20241
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Social Identity, Urban Identity, Identity of City, Collective memory, Visual Discourse
- language
- English
- id
- 9175727
- date added to LUP
- 2024-10-17 15:57:47
- date last changed
- 2024-10-17 15:57:50
@misc{9175727,
abstract = {{This thesis explores the local identity of Pori, a middle-sized city on Finland’s western coast, through visual representations. The research aims to form a solid base to describe the local identity by answering two questions: ‘What are the main elements building the local identity in the city of Pori?’ and ‘How the visual materials can reveal these elements of identity?’
The research material of this study includes four question forms filled out by informant groups of five people and thirteen photographs from public archives and private albums. The method of data acquisition is based on the principles of fieldwork and implemented by using photo elicitation, a participatory method that allows informants to be a part of the process of forming the research material. The method of interpretation is based on discourse analysis, which is applied in the analysis of both photographs and question forms.
In this research theoretical concepts are used as tools to regulate the analysis and create understanding. Different topics arising from the research material are approached through different concepts, the most important ones being identity and collective identity. The formation of identities is examined from the perspective of everyday life, traditions, collective memories, remembering, and shared emotions.
The result of this research is that the local identity of the city of Pori builds on a few specific things: the Pori Jazz festival and the seaside places, as well as on the intangible qualities, like a shared mindset of nostalgia, contradictions, and pride felt towards the city. Photographs reveal the importance of these fragments of identity in two ways. Firstly, by representing meaningful places and events of the city as they are, and secondly by providing shared symbols and visual
stimuli to help explain and connect meanings.}},
author = {{Koskela, Neea Susanna}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{“It’s Both a Curse and a Blessing to be From Pori” - Visual Representations of the Local Identity in the City of Pori}},
year = {{2024}},
}