Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Atmospheres of retail and the asceticism of civilized consumption

Brighenti, Andrea Mubi and Kärrholm, Mattias LU orcid (2018) In Geographica Helvetica 73(3). p.203-213
Abstract

During recent decades, consumption-oriented spaces of comfort and hospitality have proliferated - including, for instance, lounge shopping malls, food court plazas, spas, entertainment retail, visitor centres, and the development of ever larger pedestrian precincts. In this article we explore shopping malls as capitalist <q>domes</q> in Sloterdijk's sense. We observe atmospheric production, atmospheric management and atmospheric culture (which we propose to call atmoculture) inside such domes. Processes of retailization and mallification - whereby shopping malls and retail spaces absorb increasing economic and societal energies - can be regarded as correlative to the rise of an atmoculture of civilized... (More)

During recent decades, consumption-oriented spaces of comfort and hospitality have proliferated - including, for instance, lounge shopping malls, food court plazas, spas, entertainment retail, visitor centres, and the development of ever larger pedestrian precincts. In this article we explore shopping malls as capitalist <q>domes</q> in Sloterdijk's sense. We observe atmospheric production, atmospheric management and atmospheric culture (which we propose to call atmoculture) inside such domes. Processes of retailization and mallification - whereby shopping malls and retail spaces absorb increasing economic and societal energies - can be regarded as correlative to the rise of an atmoculture of civilized consumption. Such atmoculture is visible for instance in stress-avoidance strategies and the production of a pleasurable experience in consumption-oriented public zones. The design of contemporary retail spaces seems to pivot around specific atmospheric strategies developed to promote and sustain civilized consumption. In this piece, we describe four different strategies of atmospheric production, identifying their possible shortcomings and failings. Finally, we advance the hypothesis that the atmospheric production of retail can also be analyzed with reference to Sloterdijk's theorization of asceticism as self-disciplination.

.

(Less)

Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Geographica Helvetica
volume
73
issue
3
pages
11 pages
publisher
Fotorotar AG
external identifiers
  • scopus:85049612987
ISSN
0016-7312
DOI
10.5194/gh-73-203-2018
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a9879783-dd7c-4543-adc7-6ec65d0069f2
date added to LUP
2018-07-23 11:16:47
date last changed
2023-09-22 04:50:06
@article{a9879783-dd7c-4543-adc7-6ec65d0069f2,
  abstract     = {{<p/><p>During recent decades, consumption-oriented spaces of comfort and hospitality have proliferated - including, for instance, lounge shopping malls, food court plazas, spas, entertainment retail, visitor centres, and the development of ever larger pedestrian precincts. In this article we explore shopping malls as capitalist &lt;q&gt;domes&lt;/q&gt; in Sloterdijk's sense. We observe atmospheric production, atmospheric management and atmospheric culture (which we propose to call <i>atmoculture</i>) inside such domes. Processes of retailization and mallification - whereby shopping malls and retail spaces absorb increasing economic and societal energies - can be regarded as correlative to the rise of an atmoculture of civilized consumption. Such atmoculture is visible for instance in stress-avoidance strategies and the production of a pleasurable experience in consumption-oriented public zones. The design of contemporary retail spaces seems to pivot around specific atmospheric strategies developed to promote and sustain civilized consumption. In this piece, we describe four different strategies of atmospheric production, identifying their possible shortcomings and failings. Finally, we advance the hypothesis that the atmospheric production of retail can also be analyzed with reference to Sloterdijk's theorization of asceticism as self-disciplination.</p>.<p/>}},
  author       = {{Brighenti, Andrea Mubi and Kärrholm, Mattias}},
  issn         = {{0016-7312}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{07}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{203--213}},
  publisher    = {{Fotorotar AG}},
  series       = {{Geographica Helvetica}},
  title        = {{Atmospheres of retail and the asceticism of civilized consumption}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/gh-73-203-2018}},
  doi          = {{10.5194/gh-73-203-2018}},
  volume       = {{73}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}