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QUEENVICTORIAMARKET:INTANGIBLEVALUES

FinalReport

PreparedfortheCityofMelbourneandtheQueenVictoriaMarketPtyLtd

ShantiSumartojo,JoanneMihelcic,NicholasWalton-Healey,Bianca

Vallentine,SarahPink

September2017

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INTRODUCTION

Inthefirsthalfof2017,researchersfromtheDigitalEthnographyResearchCentreatRMITinvestigatedthe‘atmosphere’oftheQueenVictoriaMarket,andhowitformedapartoftheintangiblevalueofthesite.WeimmersedourselvesinthelifeoftheMarketandinterviewedandobservedvendors,workers,visitorsandshoppersandparticipatedinthelifeofthemarketourselvesby,shopping,photographingandfilming.

Wevideo-andaudio-interviewedeighteenpeopleintotal:tenworkersatthemarket,includingsellersandbusinessownersintheretail,generalmerchandise,produceanddelihall;sevenregularshoppers;andonevisitingtourist.Thesesevenmenandelevenwomenwereagedfromtheir30stotheir70s,andalthoughwedidnotaskpeopletoidentifytheirculturalbackground,participantswerealsodiverseinthisregard.Weobservedandspokeinformallywithmanyothers,andalsomadeaseriesofprofessionalphotographsthatcapturedourownauto-ethnographicexperienceofthesite,onvariousdaysfromveryearlyinthemorningtolateatnight.Weobservedtherhythmsofdifferentareasofthemarketbyenteringintothemandbymakingandwatchingvideofootage.

Thesemethodologiesenabledresearchparticipantstoshowushowtheyperceive,navigate,makesenseofandvaluethesite.BygoingalongwithresearchparticipantsintheMarket,aswellasexperiencingitourselves,wewereabletobuilduparichperspectiveonwhatcomprisesandisvaluedaboutitsuniqueatmosphere.

Weundertooktoanswerthefollowingresearchquestions:

1. Whatconceptsandcategoriesdopeopleusetodescribe/performthewaysthattheysense,experienceor‘feel’thethingsthattheyvalueabouttheQVM?

2. WhatarethematerialandimmaterialelementsoftheQVMthatmakeitmeaningful?

3. Whatpatternsandthemesarethereinthewaysthatpeopledefine,experience,demonstrateandvaluetheatmosphere,vibrancyandauthenticityoftheQVM?

4. HowaresocialinteractionsapartoftheidentityoftheQVM?Whatistherangeandnatureoftheseinteractionsandhowaretheyperceived,understoodandvaluedbyparticipants?

5. Whatanxietiesandaspirationsdopeoplehavefortheirfutureexperienceofthemarket-andhowmightthisimpactonthecategoriesofatmosphere,vibrancyandauthenticity?

6. WhatkeyrecommendationsarethereregardinghowtheQVMcanretainitsvaluedintangiblequalitiesduringandafteritsrenewal?

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BACKGROUND

Ethnographicresearchseekstoimproveunderstandingsoftheexperiencesofothers,anddrawconclusionsabouttheseexperiencesandthesocial,environmentalandculturalcontextsinwhichtheseoccur.Eachperson’sperspectiveistreatedasuniqueandvaluable,andinthiscontexttheyareregardedasexperts.Researchmaterialsthataregeneratedfrominterviewsandobservations–videoandaudiorecordings,transcriptsandphotographs– formarecordoftheencounterbetweentheresearchers,researchparticipantsandthe researchsite,inthiscasetheQueenVictoriaMarket.Thismaterialisthencompiledand analysedasawholetoreachconceptualunderstandingsthatmovebeyonddescription.This qualitativemethodologyfavoursin-depthengagementwitharelativelysmallnumberof researchparticipants,whichallowsthemestobethoroughlyexploredandfindingsto emergeasaresultoftheinteractionbetweentheintervieweeandtheresearcher.Assuch, itoffersresultsthatareoftenunexpected,andwhichsurfacesnewformsofinformation.

Thevisualmaterialsthataccompanythisreportarebestunderstoodashelpingtogetbeneathwhatpeoplemightsimplydescribeabouttheirworlds,insteadshowingaversionofthecollaborativeinteractionbetweentheparticipantsandtheresearchers.Researchisconductedwithparticipantsandintheirsurroundings,ratherthanonthem.Thisapproachalmostalwaysraisesnewquestionswhichareanoutcomeofthefieldwork,analysisandreportingprocess.

Inthisreport,weexplainthekeyconceptsandcategoriesthatparticipantsusedtounderstandtheMarket.Thedetailedfindingslinkthesedirectlytoparticipantaccounts.Thereportisalsoaccompaniedbyphotographicmaterial:32fullypost-producedandprofessionalethnographicphotographsbyNicWalton-Healey.

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KEYINSIGHTSANDRECOMMENDATIONS

KEYINSIGHT1.TheproposedrenewaloftheQueenVictoriaMarketisthesubjectofintensecommunityinterest.ThisisbecauseitisboundupinsignificantrelationshipsandmemorieswithintheMarketenvironmentbutthatalsostretchfarbeyondit.ResearchparticipantscommonlyreferredtofamilyandfriendsinthepresentorpastwhendescribingtheMarket,andtappedintoimportantemotionsassociatedwiththeserelationshipswhentheyexplainedwhattheyvaluedaboutit(seeClip1).

● SocialinteractionwasoneofthemosthighlyvaluedaspectsoftheMarketexperience.Thelongstandingnatureofsomeoftheserelationships,andthecarefuldevelopmentoftheseovertime,werealsopartoftheperceptionofqualityofMarketproduce.Theserelationshipsweretiedcloselytophysicallocationandroutinesofmovingthroughthemarket,andthechoicesthatweremadeonwell-establishedroutes.

● MemoriesofpreviousvisitstotheMarket,orofvisitstoMarketsinotherplaces,alsoshapedhowthesitewasunderstoodandvalued.Thiswasoftenassociatedwithclosefamilyrelationships,suchaschildrenwhohadaccompaniedtheirparentsshoppingorworkingthere.

● ThissenseofvaluewasalsocloselylinkedtheMarket’sbuiltenvironmentandresearchparticipants’accustomedwaysofmovingthroughitandgetting‘thebest’fromit(seeKeyInsight2).

RECOMMENDATION1.Researchparticipantsidentifiedwiththemarketinhighlypersonalways-sochangestoitwilllikelybeseenasaffectingtheserelationshipsandmemories.However,thisalsooffersawaytothinkaboutdesigningthenewsite:

● Forexample,oneimplicationcouldbedesignoutcomesthathelppeopleconnecttovaluedtraders,productsorcustomers,particularlywhenstallshavemoved.

● AnotherisensuringthattherichsocialinteractionsattheMarketareabletobesupported,includingthesite’svaluedroleinlong-standingrelationshipsthatstretchbeyondtheMarket.

● AfinalrecommendationistoreflecttheentanglementoftheMarketexperienceinusers’closeandimportantpersonalrelationships.

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KEYINSIGHT2.PeoplewithlongstandingexperienceoftheMarketregardthemselvesasexperts.Theseregularcustomers,tradersandworkershavestrongviewsonitsmaterialandimmaterialqualitiesthattendedtofavourretainingthemastheyare.Thisisbecausetheyhavebuiltupskilledknowledgeofthesiteoverlongperiodsandhavediscoveredtheirown‘bestways’todothings:howtoselectthebestproducts;thebestspotsforsellingtheirgoods;thebesttimesofdayorweektovisitorsetuptheirstalls.

• Thisvaluedexpertiseisboundupinroutinewaysofmovingthroughthesite,theknowledgenecessarytoimprovisesuccessfullywithinit,andthesensoryelementsassociatedwiththeseactivities(seeClip2).

● WhilstthereisavarietyofviewsabouttheMarketrenewal,thereisconcernthatdesigndecisionshavealreadybeenmadewithlittlechanceforinfluentialinput–andthatbyimplicationdoesnotrecognisetheexpertiseofpeoplewhoworkatorvisittheMarket.

RECOMMENDATION2.Theexpertiseofregularusersshouldbetreatedasaresourceandharnessedduringtherenewalprocess.AlthoughthereisnooneagreedpositionontheMarketrenewal,thecommitmentandpassionateengagementofworkersandregularshoppersandvisitorsisalsopartofthesite’satmosphere.Surfacingandhonouringtheskillandcommitmentofpeoplewhohavefound‘thebest’oftheMarketintheirownwayscouldhelptobuildengagementwiththerenewalprocessandwhilstalsodeliveringrobustdesignoutcomes.

KEYINSIGHT3.Peopleareapprehensiveaboutthepotential‘sanitisation’ofthemarket.Thiscanbeunderstoodintwoways.First,itwaslinkedtoboththesensoryaspectsoftheMarket-itsuniquesights,soundsandsmells,thefeelofproduce,theweatherorthegroundunderfoot–andthesensethatthiswasalongstandingortraditionalaspectofthesite.ThesequalitieswerestronglyvaluedanddifferentiatedtheMarketfromotherwaysofbuyingorselling,particularlyfoodshoppingincomparisonwiththesupermarket.Thesecondwasthesite’sageandheritage.The‘heritagefeel’ofthesitewasimportant,andwasconnectedtootherkeyvaluesofexpertiseandsocialinteraction,asabove.Thisvaluewasoftenexpressedbywayofsocialrelationships(seeKeyInsight1),aspeopleexplainedtheMarketintermsofconnectionwiththepeopletheyenjoyeditwith.

● TheimprovisatorytacticsrequiredtogetthebestfromthecomplexityanddiversityoftheMarketarehighlyvalued.Concernsaboutchangecanbeunderstoodasreflectingthehighvalueattachedtoitsmultipleusesandmeanings,theexpertiserequiredtonavigateandenjoythese(seeKeyInsight2),aswellasitsparticularbuiltenvironment.

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RECOMMENDATION3.Designchangesshouldthereforeallowforflexibilityinthewaypeopleuseandimproviseinthesite,allowingusersto‘design’theirownexperiencesforthemselvesratherthanover-determininghowtheyengagewithitsspaces,productsandroutines.DesigningtheMarkettoappearmore‘orderly’ororganisedwouldamelioratethehighlyvaluedsenseofsharedexperience,excitement,unpredictabilityandpotentialfordiscovery.However,improvementstotoilets,customerparkingandotheramenitieswouldlikelybewelcomed.

KEYINSIGHT4.TheMarketneverstopsmoving.Movementwascrucialtohowshoppersandvisitorsperceivedthegoods,produce,environmentsandotherpeopleatthesite,withimplicationsfordisplayandinteractionwithgoodsforsale.Thiswascomprisedofmanydifferentelements:amixofadultsandchildrenofdifferentphysicalabilitiesandhabits;cars,trucksandforklifts;trolleys,pramsandscooters;binsandboxes;andotheraspects.BecausetheseelementsaresoimportanttohowwemakesenseoftheMarket,changestopatterns,rhythmsorroutinesofmovementarelikelytobeexperiencedandexpressedaschangestothesite’satmosphere.

RECOMMENDATION4.DesignattentionshouldhighlightandsupportthewaytheMarketisusedandunderstoodonthemove.Thesemightinclude:wayfindingthatiseasytounderstandwhilstmoving;circulationspacesthatcanaccommodatetrolleys,differentspeedsofwalkingandlevelsofmobility;andplacestostopandrestthatdonotremovepeoplefromtheflowandexcitementofthesite.

Image1:AnearlymorningshopperexitstheMarket.Photo:NicWalton-Healey.

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KEYFINDINGS

1. TheMarketcanbeunderstoodinawebofrelationshipsandconnectionsthatreachbeyondthesiteitselftopeople,placesandtimesbeyond(KeyInsight1).Inotherwords,thesiteitselfisn’tsimplywhat’ssensedthere,butextendsfarbeyondthesite-andthisisakeypartofwhatmakesitmeaningfultopeople.Thismeansthatchangetothesitecanbeunderstoodasaffectingtheserelationships.

● Thesesentimentswereexpressedbyparticipantsintermssuchasshoppingbeinganextensionofcookingforandnurturingfriendsandfamily;thememoryofothermarketsoroftheQVMatprevioustimesoftheirlives;andoftherelationshipswithpeoplewithwhomtheseothermarketexperiencestookplace,mostcommonlyparents,grandparentsandchildren.Thisincludedintergenerationaltradingfamilies.

● Memoryemergedasacrucialpartofhowpeoplemakesenseof,perceivedandvaluedtheMarketenvironmentandhowtheyunderstoodtheiractivitiesinit.MemorywasassociatedwithparticularobjectsandspatialelementsoftheMarketenvironment,helpingtoexplaintheintensityoffeelingaboutit.

● SocialinteractionwascrucialinhowtheMarketwasbothexperiencedandunderstood.Relationshipsbetweentraders,othertradersandshoppersthathaddevelopedovertimewerecommonlyreportedastheheartoftheMarket,andareasontochoosetoshopthereratherthanatthesupermarket.Thesewereentangledwithothermaterialandimmaterialfactorssuchasthequalityandfreshnessoftheproductsandthelocationofthestallsorshops.

2. HighimportancewasascribedtothededicatedroutinesdevelopedovertimetomovethroughandengagewiththeMarketenvironmentinwaysthatsuitedpeople-thesewerehighlyvaluedasdemonstratingexpertiseinnavigatingthesiteandgettingthebestfromit(KeyInsight2).

● Routineshadmaterialimplicationsateveryscaleincluding:buyingthingsinaparticularorderandmanagingpurchasestoprotectthemandkeepthemasfreshaspossible;movingalongtheaislesinawaythataccommodatestheneedsofothertolookatandbuythings;andsettingupandtakingdownstallsinaparticularorder.

● However,casualvisitorsmovedmoreslowlyandlesspurposefullythroughtheMarket,boughtlessfreshproduceandlingeredinaisleswhereothersmightbetryingtopass.Thispointstowardsdesigningforthemixofusesandseveraldifferentanddistinctwaysofmovingthroughthesite.

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3.Whilecarefullyplanned,routineswerecriticalformanytradersandregularshoppers,theMarketwassubjecttoongoingchangeandvarietylinkedtospecificelementssuchastheavailabilityofseasonalproduce,thedayoftheweekortimeoryear,othereventsprogrammedinthesiteanddifferentpeoplethere(KeyInsight4andClip9).

● Improvisationwasavaluedandpleasurableaspectsofthemarketenvironment.Thiswasevidentinsomeofthedetailsofthesite’suse(seeClips2and8).Intermsofthesearchforparticularproducts,forexample,whileroutineswereimportant,theywerenotimmutable,andvariationfromthemwasavaluedpartoftheMarket’ssensoryexperience.ThisalsounderpinsthekeyinsightthattheMarketisexperienced,understoodandvaluedintermsofmotionandmovement.

● Forsometraders,thedecisionwhethertosetuptheirstallsforthedaywasbasedonvariableperceptionsoftradingopportunities,achangingcombinationoffactorsincluding:weather,timeofyear,andbusynessoftheMarketmoregenerally.

4. Sensoryconfigurationsofthesite-thesmells,sounds,weather,crowds,lookoftheproduceandvarietyofvisitors,thefeelofsurfacesunderfootorofproduceinthehand-wereimmenselyimportant,andmentionedbyvirtuallyallinterviewees(KeyInsight3).

• Theweatherwasanunderlyingbutimportantfactorthatmanyparticipantscommentedon,particularlytradersandespeciallyintheSheds.Itwasunderstoodasaffectingthenumberofcustomers,andcomfortlevelsforshoppers-butequallychangingconditionsofrain,wind,heatorcoldwereacceptedaspartofthesensoryexperienceoftheMarket,despiteoccasionaldiscomfortorinconvenience.

● Equally,attimesthesenseswereoverwhelmedanditwasdifficulttonavigatethemovingcrowdsorunpleasantsmellsorsoundsintruded;evenso,thiswasanacceptedpartoftheatmosphereoftheMarket.

● Theproject’sethnographicphotographsareparticularlypowerfulindescribingthequalityofthelightintheMarket,atdifferenttimesofdayandnight,duringspecialevents,andparticularlyinthegeneralmerchandisearea.Thisseriesdemonstratestheimportanceoflightindifferentareasandpowerfullydepictshowthisshapeshowthesite‘feels’.

5. Forregularshoppersandtraders,thefutureoftheMarketiscloselyassociatedwithanxietiesaboutsomethingbeing‘lost’or‘takenaway’whenthemarketisredeveloped,particularlyaroundtherefurbishmentofthesheds’structureandchangestohowgoodsaredeliveredordisplayed.ThisisoftenexpressedintermsoftheMarketbeing‘sanitised’ormadetolooklikea‘foodhall’ratherthana‘workingsite’(KeyInsights1and3).

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● MisgivingsaboutchangestotheMarketwereoftenexpressedinsensoryterms,particularlythedesiretoretaincertainelementsbecausetheygaveanimpressionofage-thiswasmorehighlyvaluedingeneralthantheefficiencyofservices,forexample.Thisincludeddesigndetailssuchasparticular‘heritagecolours’,thedesignoftheshedframes,andtheflooringsurfaceinthedelihall.Eventhoughtheymayhavestructuralissues,theseaspectswerenotperceivedasinneedofrefurbishmentbecausetheydidnotappeartobedeteriorating-appearing‘old’wasvalued.

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KEYFINDINGS-INDETAIL

1. Relationshipsandconnections

Image2:TheMarketisassociatedwithstrongconnectionstofamilyandfriends.Photo:NicWalton-Healey.

ThemarketwascommonlyexpressedintermsofconnectionstopeopleandthingsencounteredbothinsideandbeyondtheMarketitself.Inthissenseitextendedintootherplaces,timesandrelationships.Thisincluded,forexample,therelationshipsthatwereformed,reinforcedandenactedwhenshopping,tradingorvisitingtheMarket,whichwereoftenexpressedinintimateordomestictermsaboutfoodandnurturing(seeClip1).

1.1Thisextendedtomeaningsthatwereembeddedintheproductionanddeliveryprocessesoftheproduce,showinghowtheMarketisunderstoodasexistinginawebofotherrelationships.Valuesof‘quality’and‘freshness’wererepeatedlymentionedbyparticipants,andthiswasboundupintheserelationships,asdemonstratedinthisexchangeabouteggs:

Weknowexactlywherethey’vecomefrom.Andmainlybecausetheygetdelivered,youknow,there’saface,there’safaceinfrontofitwhichisthemainthing.Ifyougotoasupermarkettheremaybethreedifferentoptionsthereandyou’vegotnoonetotalktoyoudon’tknow.[Sodopeoplecomesearchingforaspecifictypeofegg?]

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Absolutely!Absolutely!...We’vegotGreg’seggsovertherewhichhasgot16hensperhectare.Soit’sa,It’samoralstandpoint...Thatpeoplereallyfocusonthesedays.Youknow?Thehumanesideofthings.

Image3:Asignclearlyindicatedhowmany‘birdsperhectare’hadproducedthepasture-fed

eggs.Photo:JoanneMihelcic.1.2Beyondthefooditself,memorywasaccretedinobjectsthatweredirectlyrelatedtohowpeoplemovedaroundorworkedinthesite.ThismeansthatthemeaningandimportanceoftheMarketisentangledwithspecificphysicalaspectsandobjects:

Sothistrolley,Idon’tknow,Ithinkwe’veprobablyhadthetrolleyforabout25years.We’vehadseveralreincarnationsofthebottombasket,causethatwearsout.InfactthebasketwaswearingouttheotherdayandIwasn’tabletobuyanewoneandtheyoffered,sellingmeabrandnewtrolleybutit’sthetrolleythatMeg[hisdaughter]roderoundinwhenshewasabout3soIcouldn’tbringmyselftogetridofit.

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Image4:RegularshopperDavidshowsoffhisoldandmuch-lovedshoppingtrolley.Photos:

JoanneMihelcic.1.3Thesespatially-relatedmeaningswerealsoexpressedascrossinggenerations,becomingembeddedinfamilyhistoryaspeoplegrewupinandwiththeMarket,asthistraderexplained:

Okaysoit’sabitofapersonaljourneyback...Mymumwasheavilypregnantwithme,liningup,actuallysleepinginthevanonaSaturdaynightwaitingtogetacasualspotandwakingupat5:30AMtogetinlineandobviouslybeingaheavilypregnantwomangetanexpresslinetothefront.PendingbirthbeingabletosecureaspotintheAshed...andfromthereweprogressedtotwostalls,oneinAshedandoneinBsharedforSundaytradeandthatevolvedintoapermanentstallinCshedwhichmyauntiestillhasastalltherefromabout‘97.Sowecomingontoabout20years.YepquitealonglinkagetotheQueenVic.

1.4Almostallparticipantsemphasisedtheimportanceofsocialinteractioninwhattheyvaluedaboutthemarket,highlightingthelongevityoftheserelationships,thetrustandsenseofexchangethattheywerebasedonandtheirintegrationwiththeothervaluesoffoodasnurturingaswellastheMarketatmosphere.Thisaccountfromatraderprovidesandexample:

I’vegotagoodrelationshipwithmycustomers...there’ssomany.Somany.Alotofregulars.Iknowalotaboutthemwhichisinteresting.Peoplearelike“howdoyou

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knowsomuchaboutthem?”I’mverymuchapeoplepersonsoliketoknowabouteverything.Soyeahit’snice…Oh,weemailyes.Andwespeak.I’vegotthemonFacebook.Igetinvitestothebirthdays.Yep.Yeah,yeah,yeah,yeah.It’sabitcrazyIknowbutwereprettyfriendly.

Anotherregularshopperalsoexplainedthevalueoftheserelationshipsforhim:

It'sthepersonalinteractionwhenhere.Iguessasenseofcommunityalmostthatyoudon’tgetwhenyougotothesupermarket.You’recompletelyanonymous.Whereashereit’sanicesocialinteraction.Soitturnswhatisessentiallyachoreintoyouknowanenjoyableexperience...Ithinkit’soneofthefundamentalthingsaboutbeinginMelbourne.Itsortofgivesyouasenseof,likeIsaidasenseofcommunitybybeingthesocialinteractionandthepeoplehere.Andit’sdifferent,it'sobviouslydifferenttowork.It’syouknowquiteadiversebackground.Imeanwedon’tknoweachothersociallyoranythinglikethat.It’slikebeingpartofacommunity.

Image5:VendorsintheFishHall.Photo:NicWalton-Healey.

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2. Routinesofmovement

Image6:Settingupastallatthebeginningofthetradingday.Photo:NicWalton-Healey.

Differentroutinesofmovingthroughthemarketindicateddifferentwaysofusingandexperiencingitandthereforedifferentmeaningsascribedtoit.Theseroutinesweremostobviousforregularusersofthesite:forregularshoppers,theMarketwasasiteofcarefullyworkedoutroutines,withfavouritetraders,timesofdayandyearandevenwaysofpackingshoppingtrolleystopreservefreshnessandprotectpurchases.Forworkers,rhythmsofcleaning,settingupandpackingdown,loadingandunloadingwereconstantandongoing.

2.1MovementwascentraltohowtheMarketatmospherefelttopeople.Whenitisinterruptedorimpeded,thisisparticularlyobvious,asshowninClip3.FeelingsofcomfortorsafetyinmovingaroundtheMarketwerevariable,however,andoneregularshopperexplainedsomeofthehazardsshefacedwhenmovingaroundtheMarket,includingastormwatergrillthatherwalkingstickcouldcatchin:

Thenyougethereyoudon’treallyknowwhereyouare.Ifyouarenewtotheplaceisjustaramblingmessofroadsandbitsandpieces.Andtheproblemisthere’salsocars.So,ifitwasjustpathwaysitwouldbeokay.ButIreckonitcouldbequitedangerousaswell.Ialsonoticedwhenwewerewalkingupbehindsomeonewithsomekindofamarkettrolley,ifwehadn’tofbeenlookingwecouldhavesteppedrightinfrontofthatpersonaswell….Here’sthisgrillthatIdon’tlike(seeClip4).

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Image7:Irenecarefullynavigatesaroundastormwatergrillthatmightcatchherwalkingstick.Photo:JoanneMihelcic.

2.2Acommonaccountwasthatthe‘bestway’ofmovingthroughtheMarkethademergedovertimebywayoffavouredproductsandvendors.ThesepathsalsoconnectedwithhowtheMarketwasenteredandexited,asoneregularshopperexplainedwithheraccountofincorporatingherwalkintoandthroughtheMarketintohershoppingdecisions(seeClip2),reinforcingfindingsaboutconnectionsintoandoutoftheMarket.Anotherregularshoppertoldasimilarstory:

I’macreatureofhabitandoneofthethingsthatIlikeaboutthemarket,oroneofthethingsthatmakesiteasiertoshopatthemarketistoalwaysgottothesamestall,prettymuch.Orthesamestallswithparticularitems.SothisparticularstallIgototogetmymushroomsandanotheronewhereIgetmyfruitandanotheronewhereIgetcarrots...I’llparkinoneofthesurroundingstreetsandandthenwalkdownthroughthefruitandvegetablessection,throughthemeat,throughthedeliandmovebackupandleave.[Andwhydoyoudothatparticularroute?]Oh,wellitsortoffitswiththeflowfromthecar.SoifIparkuponVictoriaStthentheclosestareaisthefruitandvegetablesandthensortoffillthat,thetrolleywiththat.Andthenwalkdownintothedeli,getmeatifweneedanymeatandthencomeacrossintothemeatsectionandthenintothedelisection.Getthedeliandthenout.

2.3Forvendors,movementwasanongoingpartoftheirdailyroutineastheyunloadedgoodsorproduce;setupandarrangedtheirareas;anddisassembledandcleanedtheirstallsforeachtradingday.Weobservedthatthishadparticularmaterialeffects,including:

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thevariableuseofcarparksinQueenStreetatdifferenttimesofthedayandweek;theconstantcollectionoffruitboxesorrubbish;andthemovementaroundthesiteofsmallvehiclessuchastrucks,forkliftsorlargetrolleys.ThisreinforcesKeyInsight4thatconstantmovementiscentraltothefeelofthesite,sochangestoitwillbeinterpretedaschangestoatmosphere.

Image8:Someofthevehicles,objectsandgoodsthatareconstantlymovingaroundtheMarketsite.Photo:JoanneMihelcic.

2.4Anothersignificantgroupofpeopleatthemarketwereinfrequentshoppersortourists.Thesevisitorsweredistinguishablefromtheroutineshoppersbythewaystheymovedthroughthevarioussectionsofthemarket,andasresearchers,webecameabletoidentifyandobservethisgroupbecauseofhowtheymovedthroughandlingeredinparticularspots.Theymeanderedalongtheaisles,wanderedandbrowsed.

● Touristsandvisitorsweremoreevidentduringmid-latemorningwhentheywerebuyingready-madefoodtoeat.Theyoftenwanderedinsmallgroups,dispersingintermittentlyastheynoticeddifferentthingsandthenreuniting.

● Unlikeregularshoppers,whoweregenerallyverywellorganisedwithbags/trolleys,andseemedtobetargetedintermsofwheretheyweregoing,visitors’browsingpatternsweremoredistracted.Theymighthavebackpacksandwerelesslikelytobe

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carryingreusableshoppingbags.Iftheywerecarryingdisposableplasticbagsthesetendedtocontainsmallerquantitiesofgoods.

2.5Thephotographsincludedinandwiththisreportdepictawidearrayofthevarioususesofthesiteatdifferenttimesofthenightanddayaspeopleworkatdifferentjobs,shop,wanderandsocialise.

Image9:TheAmericanDonutVanisacentralMarketlandmark.Photo:NicWalton-Healey.

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3. Changeandimprovisation

Image10:ThemovingcrowdatthebusysummerNightMarket.Photo:NicWalton-Healey.

AtthesametimeasroutineswerecommonlydescribedasanimportantpartofavisittotheMarket,thesewereactuallyexperiencedasquitefluidandcontingent.Forexample,regularshoppersallexplainedhowtheirhabitsandroutinesinthemarketchangediftheysawsomethingtheylikedorlookedparticularlyfresh,andthattheirshoppingliststransformedastheymovedthroughthesite.

3.1ThisentanglementofroutineandimprovisationwasexpressedandexperiencedintermsofthespecificbuiltandsensoryenvironmentoftheMarket,withpeoplemakingshoppingdecisionsastheymovedthroughitinaparticularorder.Thiswascloselylinkedto‘freshness’or‘quality’perceivedbysmell,lookorfeel;orchoosingproductsthatwouldcomplementothersthattheyhadboughtorimaginedbuyingatanotherstopontheirpre-determinedroute;orbrowsinginthegeneralmerchandisesections.

3.2ContingencyandimprovisationwerethusalsoimportantconceptsformakingsenseofdifferentwaysofmovingintheMarket(seeKeyInsight4),withcommonreferencetothevariableactivitiesinthesite.Forregularshoppers,thiscouldmeanmovingthroughwithoutlingeringtoolonginoneplacewherecrowdsmightgatherortheymightimpedeothers;forothers,lingeringovertablesofproductswasanimportantpartofavisit.WhilesomefoundthecrowdedMarketachallenge,othersvalueditasanimportantpartofwhytheyliked

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shoppingthere(seeClip3).Thissuggestedthatchangestothesitethatdisrupttheabilitytomovethroughitinavarietyofwayswillbeperceivedasdamagingtoits‘atmosphere’.

3.3Thisvaluedvarietyextendedtothediverseculturalmixofpeoplewhousedthesitefordifferentpurposesandatdifferenttimes(seeClip9)–asdemonstratedintheethnographicphotographsandinterviewswithresearchparticipantsfromdiversebackgrounds.

3.4Anothercrucialbutunpredictableaspectthatmanypeoplementionedwastheweather,bothintermsoftheeffectonthetradersandworkersandonshoppersandvisitors(thisisalsostronglylinkedtosensoryconfigurationsdiscussedbelow).Theweatherwasperceivedtoaffecttradeandprofit,aswellastheworkingconditionsoftraders:

Butthenyoufeelforthetraderswhoareoutundertheshedswiththesunbeatingontheshedsandthenperhapsevenadayliketodaywiththatcoolbreeze,youknowyouseethemallruggedupandthey’restandingonthiscoldconcretebutthat’swhattheydo.That’spartofthemarket...Oh!Thewindjustwhistlesthroughsometimes.Andtheyhaveproblemswiththeirdisplays.Youknowbecausethewindjustcomesup...Thingshangingfromtherailsupthere,youknowsometimesitbecomesabitdangerousifthewindisreallystrong.Theyhavetotakethemdownbecausetheywillblowdown.Theyworkinallelements.

Anotherworkeratthemarketexplainedtheeffectoftheweatheronhisstall:

Iusedtohaveashoestall...Iusedtofindonreallyhotwindydays,mystockhadgonedown5%causeoftheamountofdust...Ifyou’renotturningyourstockoverquicklytheenvironment,allthedustandthepollutionthatgoesthroughthemarketdoestakeabitofshineoffyourgoods.Andcustomer-wisetoolikeweusedto,whichhaschanged,intheolddaysyou’dhavealotofpeopleworkingintheoffice.Sofrom11to2you’dhavethatofficerush.Andthenifitwasraininginthosehours,peoplejustwouldn’tcomein.So,weatherplayedabigpartofmarkettrade.

3.5Changestothesitewithevents-suchastheNightMarkets-werealsoavaluedpartofthe‘atmosphere’,withfamiliarenvironmentsrenderedexcitingwithmaterialchanges,differentsensoryexperiencesonoffer,andacrowdlargelytheretosocialiseratherthanshop.Oneregularshopperexplainedherexperienceofaneveningevent:

Thatwaslovelythatopera.Wewentformybirthday.AndIthinkitwashere,wasgorgeous.Andthentheyhadfoodwecouldbuyfordinnerbeforeanditwasreallynice.WellInoticedtheoperawasgoingtobeonmyactualbirthdaysoweorganisedtogowithmymumandmysisterandmybrother-in-law.Anditwasabeautifulhumidwarmnight,inthesheds,itwasagorgeousatmosphere.Theyhad

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clearedeverythingout.Therewasastage,seatingtherewerefoodcaravans.Coffeemachines.Itwasjustabeautifulatmosphere.

3.6Thetransformationofthesitefordifferentusesandthedifferentgroupsofpeopletheseeventsmightattractwasseenasapositiveattribute.However,themovementofparticularstallswasamatterofconcernfortraderswhoperceivedsomeareasoftheMarkettobeunderutilised,asinthisaccountaboutanareaofAShed:

[Doyouknowwhytheyshutthatsidedown?]Oh,no.Wehavenoidea.Theyjustdidit.Madeeverybodymoveandno-onehadchoice.Andthatwastheendofthisaisleandnowit’sdying...[Howisthechangegoingtoimpactonyou?]It’salreadyimpactedonus.Immensely.Hugely.Peoplethinkit’sclosed.There’snotmuchhere.Noonecomesdownhere.There’snothingopen.

3.7Forsome,therewasarelatedperceptionthattherenewalcoulddamagethevarietyandimprovisationinthesite,andruintheMarket’sspecialvalue,asthisshopworkerexplained:‘WellIjustthink,it’sabitliketurningthingsintoanannystateaswell.It’sthatkindoffeeling.That’showitfeelsliketomeattimes.ButIjustthinkit’sabittoomuchtryingtostreamlineinawaythatisnotgoingtofeelverynatural.’

Image11:AquietsectionoftheSheds.Photo:JoanneMihelcic.

3.8Thesefindingssuggestthatchangestotheuseofthespacearevaluedintermsoftheirabilitytocreatenewexperiencesortopromotetrade-andthatvisiblebusynessandactivityarecrucialtothis.

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4. Sensoryconfigurations

Image12:SmokerisesfrommeatcookingatthesummerNightMarkets.Photo:NicWalton-Healey.

AnabsolutelycentralaspectoftheMarketatmosphere,andonethatallparticipantsmentioned,wasthesetofuniquesensoryaspectsthattheyexperiencedthere.Thesmellofthefishofdairyhall,gleamingfreshvegetables,thechilloutsideintheShedsinthegeneralmerchandiseareaorthechangingsurfacesunderfootwereallspecificallyidentified.Thevalueofthesewasalsoapparentinconcernsaboutphysicalchangestothesitethatmight‘sanitise’theMarketintermsofitssensoryaffordances,asdiscussedfurtherbelow.

4.1Intermsoffood,‘freshness’wasacommonlyexpressedvalue,adescriptorthattookinarangeofsensoryelements,aswellasrelationshipswithvendorsandwaysofmovingthroughandmakingdecisionsinthemarket(KeyInsights1and4).Thesewereoftenexpressedinsensorycombinations,astwoparticipantsexplained:

J:Ohthesmell.Thesmell.Particularlycelery.There’ssomethingaboutthesmelloffreshcelery,thatIfindreally,youknowwhencelery’sfresh.

B:It’squitedistinctisn’tit?It’squitedistinct,thesmell.

J:Itisdistinctandyouknowyoucanseeit’scrispandfreshandreallynice.

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B:Ithinkthecolours.Thecolourswalkingdownthefreshfoodaislesandallthecolour.Youknowyou’resurroundedbyfreshproducewhenit’ssocolourfulandvibrantandbeautiful.It’sjustbeautiful…It’samarketbecauseyoustillgotyourHeritagebrownsandthosesortsofcolours...formecolourisahugething.AndInoticedthatsothebrownswiththeHeritagefeelthebutthecoloursofthefreshproduce.

4.2SmellwasalsoveryimportantforhowpeopleunderstoodandexplainedtheatmosphereoftheMarket.Forexample,Karlexplainedthesensoryappealofthedoughnutsfromhisvan(seeClip5),whereasPeterexplainedhowimportantsmellwasforhisdelistall:

OneofmygreatadvantageshereisthatIhave,somanyofmyproductsaresmoked,there’sabeautifulfragrance...It’sasmellthatisbeenaroundsincesmallgoodsweresmokedIguess.It’sanancientcraftthatisusedtopreservesmallgoodsandgivethemextraflavour...Somanycustomers,newcustomersnotoldonesbutnewonescommentonhowgreatitsmells.Howsmoky.SadlyIcan’tsmellit.IhavetogotoEuropeforabout10weeksandcomebackandthenIcansmellitforthefirstday...justbecauseit’safamiliaritybreedsinsensitivitytosmellslikethat...Smokedsmallgoodsisuniquesmellthatisquitepervasive.

Image13:Peterarrangeshisfragrantsmallgoodsdisplay.Photo:JoanneMihelcic.

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4.3Thepossibilitythatsmellsmightbe‘overwhelming’waspresentaswell,withtheodourofthefishmarketaclearindicatorparticipantswereapproachingit,orfragranceofcookedmeats.Thiscombinedwiththeothersenses,asshoppersusedthelook,weightandfeelasaguidetofreshnessinlieuofolfactorycues(seeClip6).

4.4Overall,theMarketwascommonlyunderstoodandvaluedthroughsensoryexperience.Lindaexplainedhowshewasfascinatedby‘atmospheric’sensoryaspectsoftheMarketsuchasthe‘vibrant’coloursofthefreshmeat,thesoundofpeoplehawkingtheirproduceandthesizeofthespaceitself,whichgaveasenseofexpansiveprofusion(seeClip7):

ThefirstbuildingIwalkedthroughwasthemeatmarketandI’veneverseenanythinglikeitanywhereintheworld,andI’vetravelledabitinmylife.Soonestallafterthenextofabsolutelybeautifulmeats,fishes,andthenIwentintosomeofthespecialtyareas,thebakery,thecheesemongersandthenouthereintothevegetablestalls,whichI’veneverseensomuchproduceinoneplace.

4.5Ourresearchrevealedthatsensoryaspectscannotbeadequatelyunderstoodwithoutseeingthemasentangledwiththeotherthingsthatpeoplevalued:relationshipsandsocialconnectedness;memory;routinesofmovementandchoice;andcontingencyandimprovisation.Accordingly,changestothe‘lookandfeel’oftheMarket-arelikelytobeseentoalterotherhighlyvaluedwaysofunderstandingitatmospherically.

Image14:Abusyaccesslanewayduringatradingday.Photo:NicWalton-Healey.

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5.ThefutureoftheMarketWhileafewparticipantsexpressedexcitementforwhattheMarketmightbecome,therewasgeneralconcernaboutsomethingvitalbeinglostintherenewalprocess.Becausethemarketiscloselyassociatedwithimportantpersonalrelationships,oftenintergenerationalorstretchingintothepast,changestoitarefeltasaffectingthoserelationshipsormemories.PeopleidentifywiththedetailsandsensoryaffordancesoftheMarket’sbuiltenvironment-theseelementsareaccretedontosocialinteractionsthatitencompassesortouches.5.1OneofthemostimportantaspectsoftheMarketwasthatproductswereperceivedasdesirable–dependingontheproduct,thiswasdefinedandassessedintermsof‘freshness’,‘quality’or‘valueformoney’,rangingacrossallareasofproducts,fromfruitandvegetablestogeneralmerchandise.ThiscoreaspectoftheMarketwasunderpinnedbythemajorfindingsdiscussedsofar–inotherwords,‘value’cannotbeunderstoodindependentofhowthemarketisdesignedandexperienced,particularlybythoseworkers,tradersandshopperswhouseitthemost.5.2Ultimately,thisalsorelatestoafeelingofcommonpurposeidentifiedas‘community’andrelatedtotheMarket’sbuiltenvironment,asinClip3:

It’sactuallykindofcomfortingtoknowthere’ssomanypeopleinthesameareadoingthesamething.There’sasenseofcomfortthatIgetfromcominghereandknowingthatpeoplearearoundandbuyingtogether.It’sacoolfeeling.It’snicetoknowthatpeopleareout,thatthey’relookingforfreshgoodfood,andwe’realltogetherdoingit.It’slikeasharedexperiencewithpeople,you’reapartofsomething.

5.3ThemostcommonanxietywasaroundtheMarketbeing‘cleanedup’or‘sanitised’,andthatthiswoulddiminishtheexperienceofbeingthere(seeClip8).Atthesametime,noteveryonewasnegativeaboutchange,asthistraderexplained:

There’sabitofthesamesamenessgoingaroundandIhopeyouknowwecreateaveryvibrantatmospherethatbringsacertaintargetdemographictothemarket.Iunderstandthesuccessofthenightmarketandfestivalsandwhathaveyouandobviouslyweareinprimerealestatesowehavetomakegooduseofthat...AndIthinkchanges-wewillseeattritionoftheoldguard-forbetterorworse.Obviously,youknow,partinglegaciesandabitofhistorygone...Withthatsaidit’stimefornewhistorytobecreated.AndI’mexcitedtoseewhatunfoldsasasecond-generation.AndwhoknowsImightbepartofitaswell.